Parts of the country, including Florida, have seen a rise in cases this year of norovirus, a contagious virus that often causes vomiting, diarrhea, nausea and stomach pain. People know it as the stomach flu, stomach bug or the “cruise ship virus” because it’s often the cause of most diarrhea outbreaks on cruise ships.

On the week of Dec. 5, the CDC reported 91 cases of the virus ― over double the highest number recorded between 2021 and 2024.

Stomach bugs are highly contagious and spread easily from person to person through ingesting the virus, which can be found in feces and vomit.

The dreaded norovirus illness known for severe bouts of vomiting, diarrhea and cramps is making life miserable for an increasing number of people as the illness surges.

A virus known as the stomach bug that has surged across parts of the country is the cause of nearly all diarrhea outbreaks reported on cruise ships that docked at U.S. ports in 2024, federal data shows.

Local health care facilities have advised residents to be on the lookout for patients presenting with norovirus symptoms such as nausea, stomach pain, body ache, headache and fever.

Outbreaks of norovirus across the country in 2024 are more than double the cases of the illness compared to previous years, according to a CDC report.