The Norovirus Foundation

The Norovirus Foundation was established as a non-profit 501c3 in 2016 with the goals of stimulating research to find treatments, vaccines and cures for human norovirus (NoV) infection. No medications or vaccines are currently approved for NoV. The only available treatments are “supportive” consisting of rehydration to replace the loss of water and electrolytes caused by diarrhea and vomiting

Up until now the search for safe and effective antiviral treatments for NoV has not been assigned a high priority probably because most illnesses, while severe and unpleasant, are self- limited. This approach fails to take into account:

• Deaths from NoV in developing countries especially among children, 50,000 annually

• Incurable chronic infection in patients with immune deficiencies

• The economic costs of lost productivity from missed work

• The outbreaks on cruise ships which are highly publicized cause great distress to passengers and loss of revenue to the industry

Objectives

• Advocate for research funding on NoV

• Support communication among NoV researchers

• Be a resource for patients affected by NoV

• Serve as a referral resource for clinical trials of antiviral drugs and vaccines when they become available