Cases of a highly contagious stomach virus are on the rise in Illinois and the Midwest, and health officials are warning people to take extra precautions as numbers could be even higher than reported heading into the holiday gathering season.

What's more, this virus is particularly hard to kill and many may not even realize they're spreading it.

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, norovirus cases have been climbing nationally, especially in the lead-up to and after the Thanksgiving holiday. The virus, which is particularly hard to kill, is also known as "winter vomiting disease."

But while national numbers have shown early signs of decline in the most recent data from the week of Nov. 29, Midwest numbers continued to climbed.

The DuPage County Health

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