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UKHSA · CDC NoroSTAT · weekly

Is Norovirus Higher Than Normal?

No — norovirus is lower than normal in England and the US. In England, labs reported 77 norovirus cases in the week starting 19 October 2026, 38% below the five-season average for that week (125). In the US, the 12 NoroSTAT states reported 4 norovirus outbreaks in the week of 3 October 2026, below the usual range of 5–11 for that week.

NHS: norovirus ↗ CDC: norovirus ↗ Cruise ship outbreaks

England — laboratory reports by week

Week startingReportsFive-season averageDifference
19 Oct 202677 125.0-38%
12 Oct 202677 127.4-40%
5 Oct 202695 111.6-15%
28 Sep 2026102 94.8+8%
21 Sep 202679 82.6-4%
14 Sep 202695 72.2+32%
7 Sep 202698 69.2+42%
31 Aug 2026105 70.2+50%
24 Aug 2026127 77.6+64%
17 Aug 202698 73.8+33%
10 Aug 2026136 76.6+78%
3 Aug 2026126 87.2+44%

Season so far (from 29 Jun 2026): 1,821 reports, against a five-season average of 1,526 for the same weeks.

Week of the specimen date. Recent weeks rise as late lab reports arrive.

United States — NoroSTAT outbreaks by week 2026-2027

Week ofOutbreaksUsual rangeLowest–highest, 2012–26
3 Oct 20264 below 5–112–15
26 Sep 20268 4–110–16
19 Sep 20265 4–121–15
12 Sep 20267 6–110–13
5 Sep 20267 5–100–14
29 Aug 20264 3–70–12
22 Aug 202612 above 5–72–8
15 Aug 20262 below 4–51–12
8 Aug 20266 3–81–17
1 Aug 20267 4–70–8

Season so far: 62 outbreaks. CDC: 62 from August 1, 2026 to October 9, 2026, against 70 in the same period last season.

"Usual range" = the middle 50% of that week in the 2012–2026 seasons. CDC updates this table monthly; states have 7 business days to report.

Official advice

What this page shows, and what it misses

England: laboratory-confirmed norovirus reports per week from UKHSA, next to UKHSA's own five-season average for the same week. US: suspected and confirmed norovirus outbreaks reported to CDC by the 12 NoroSTAT states (Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Wisconsin), next to the range seen since 2012. Neither counts everyone who is ill: most people with norovirus are never tested, and the other US states are not in NoroSTAT. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are not included. "Higher" or "lower" than normal means more than 10% off the English average, or outside the middle 50% of past US seasons.

Source: UK Health Security Agency, UKHSA data dashboard (ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. US data: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, NoroSTAT (cdc.gov) — public domain U.S. Government work.

FAQ Norovirus questions

Is norovirus higher than normal this week?
No — norovirus is lower than normal in England and the US. In England, labs reported 77 norovirus cases in the week starting 19 October 2026, 38% below the five-season average for that week (125). In the US, the 12 NoroSTAT states reported 4 norovirus outbreaks in the week of 3 October 2026, below the usual range of 5–11 for that week.
Why are England's figures cases and the US figures outbreaks?
UKHSA counts laboratory-confirmed norovirus reports in England each week and compares them with the average of five earlier seasons. CDC's NoroSTAT counts outbreaks — clusters of illness, often in care homes, hospitals, schools or on ships — reported by 12 state health departments, and compares them with every season since 2012. Both catch only a small share of all infections, because most people are never tested.
When is norovirus season?
In both countries norovirus rises from late autumn and peaks in winter, which is why the NHS calls it the winter vomiting bug. UKHSA's season runs from July (week 27) to June; CDC's NoroSTAT season runs from August to July.