If you or someone you know has been sick with a stomach bug lately, chances are it is the highly infectious norovirus, which causes symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea. Medical experts emphasize the most effective way to protect yourself and others from norovirus is frequent handwashing with soap and water, and you can skip the hand sanitizer. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), alcohol-based hand sanitizer, which typically helps prevent many viruses, does not work well against the norovirus. Hand sanitizers’ main ingredient – a form of alcohol – is not capable of degrading norovirus’ tough exterior. 

Vigorous handwashing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds is more effective at safeguarding against norovirus because the friction helps kill and dislodge more of the viral particles from the hands. Rinsing hands well with water helps send the particles down the drain. 

Norovirus, which is spreading at elevated rates in 2025, is a common and highly contagious virus that causes acute gastroenteritis, resulting in vomiting, diarrhea and stomach upset. The CDC estimates there are about 2,500 reported norovirus outbreaks every year in the United States with most of them occurring between November and April.

“Handwashing, using soap and warm water, is an easy and effective way to reduce the spread of disease-causing organisms like norovirus,” says medical microbiologist Michael P. McCann, Ph.D., professor emeritus, Saint Joseph's University. “Given the ease with which some of these organisms can be spread on solid surfaces, in food, and by other means, handwashing is something that everyone should do after activities like using the restroom."

Americans focus on handwashing

The majority of Americans are conditioned to wash their hands to protect themselves from germs that cause sickness. The Healthy Handwashing Survey™ from Bradley Company found the vast majority (95%) of Americans believe handwashing is important to maintaining their overall health. In fact, three fourths (74%) of Americans increase their handwashing habits to protect themselves from seasonal viruses.  

Further, nearly two out of three Americans correctly believe their hands are less germy after washing with soap and water than after using hand sanitizer – a fact the CDC supports. While alcohol-based hand sanitizers help reduce the number of microbes on hands in some situations, sanitizers do not eliminate all types of germs.

“Handwashing with soap and water is one of the simplest and most effective ways to prevent the spread of norovirus and the likelihood of getting sick,” says Jon Dommisse, vice president of business development and strategy for Bradley Company. “It’s a small but powerful action that can make a big difference in keeping our communities healthy.”

The annual Healthy Handwashing Survey from Bradley queried 1,003 American adults Jan. 4-9, 2024, about their handwashing habits, concerns about seasonal viruses and their use of public restrooms. Participants were from around the country and were fairly evenly split between women (51%) and men (48%). 1% of survey respondents selected other.

For more information, visit www.bradleycorp.com/handwashing.