Osterholm Update Episode 204: Holding the Tools
Mar 12, 2026
They review current COVID, flu, and RSV activity and what testing trends are showing. They unpack a norovirus surge and how that virus spreads. They flag rising measles cases in the Americas and concerns about under-vaccinated communities. They highlight CIDRAP’s Vaccine Integrity Project and a series on antibiotic overuse linked to dental prescribing.
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Norovirus Strain Shifts Explain Surge Patterns
- Norovirus strain shifts drive outbreak waves; GII.17 caused 75% of U.S. outbreaks last season but fell to 24% this year, explaining seasonal fluctuation.
- Immunity to norovirus wanes in 6–12 months and protection is strain-specific, complicating control and vaccine development.
Prevent Norovirus With Cooking And Soap Handwashing
- Protect yourself from norovirus by heating food, washing produce, laundering clothes in hot water, and washing hands with soap and water rather than relying on hand sanitizer.
- Osterholm highlights aerosolized vomit and close contact as key transmission modes and that hand sanitizer is less effective.
School Outbreak From Aerosolized Vomit
- Osterholm recounts a school outbreak where janitorial scrubbing after a child's vomit correlated with infections by distance in an open-room layout.
- Over 60% of the school fell ill two days later, revealing aerosolized vomit spread and cleaning can disperse virus.