A nasty, highly contagious virus is spreading across the country ahead of the holiday season — and it’s not the flu or Covid.

Norovirus, also called the “winter vomiting disease,” has been rising across the nation since as early as mid-October, especially in states like Louisiana, Michigan and Indiana, according to data from WastewaterSCAN, an academic program through Stanford University in partnership with Emory University.

With data through Nov. 21, Amanda Bidwell, scientific program manager for the WastewaterSCAN program, said norovirus wastewater concentrations have increased nationwide by 69% since October.

“Right now, we’re in the high category for norovirus at the national level,” she said. Rates are high in the Northeast and Midwest region, according to wastewater data.

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