You're not imagining it – gastro is sweeping the Illawarra. Here's what to do

Tummy feeling funny? Wash your hands and stay home – rates of gastro in the Illawarra are three times higher than they were in 2023.

Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District Public and Population Health director Curtis Gregory said there was a statewide spike in the disease, and the Illawarra was topping the charts.

A few different viruses and bacteria can cause an upset tummy, and testing shows one of them, rotavirus, is booming.

“We’ve had really high rates compared to some other parts of the state as well, a lot of notifications and a lot of presentations to emergency departments,” Curtis said.

“Rotavirus is notifiable, but other bugs that cause it are not notifiable, although we know norovirus is going around as well.

“As well as people presenting to emergency, there has been a spike in outbreaks at daycare and early childhood centres.”

As kids head back to school, those who have picked up the bug are likely to spread it to those who have not been exposed.

Curtis said it was a good time to remind children – and adults – to be diligent about good hand hygiene.

Anyone feeling unwell is advised to stay home, especially if they’re in a high-risk setting such as a school, childcare centre or aged-care facility.

So far, aged-care homes have not seen an uptick in gastro, and health officials want to keep it that way.

“It’s just a miserable disease and we don’t want it to circulate through the community,” Curtis said.

“The risk of dehydration, especially as the weather warms up, is very real, so we want to look out for the more vulnerable.

“Wash your hands, stay home if you’re sick and if you are visiting aged-care facilities, use the community bathrooms, not residents’ personal bathrooms.”

While it’s a little late in the season for such a high number of cases, Curtis said there were a few possible explanations.

Many people’s immune systems are likely playing catch-up after COVID precautions reduced our exposure to viruses.

This could be the first season some people, especially very young children, have been exposed to gastro.

An oral vaccine is available on the national register for infants to offer some immunity.

In the meantime, it’s worth stocking up on rehydration solutions, gloves and masks.

“If you’re caring for someone who is ill, protect yourself as well as you can, especially when you’re cleaning up,” Curtis said.

“Warm water and soap followed by a good disinfectant agent like bleach should take care of anything lurking on surfaces.

“Avoid giving sick children juice and soft drinks, they’re not great to help with hydration.

“Watered-down juice or rehydration solutions from the chemist are your best bet.”

Curtis is hopeful that if everyone does their bit, case numbers should come back down after the immediate back-to-school rush.