Doctors from the University of Cincinnati claim that a new vaccine for norovirus reduces the symptoms by more than half. For anyone suffering from this severe gastrointestinal (GI) infection, this will be welcome news.

Norovirus, or the winter vomiting bug, causes sickness and diarrhea in sufferers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), between 19 and 21 million Americans – 1 in 15 people – are infected each year.

Most people make a full recovery within a few days, but as many as 800 die. In addition, one recent evaluation reports that the overall cost of the disease in the US is $5.5 billion annually.

The virus is highly contagious and can spread from person to person through infected food or water or contaminated surfaces. The best prevention is proper hand washing, but the norovirus is so contagious that people can become ill even through contact with viral particles in the air.

Outbreaks typically occur from November to April, peaking in January.

Medical News Today reported in January this year that researchers created a vomiting robot to find out how far the germs can travel during episodes of sickness. And in September, a study showed that copper surfaces destroy this pernicious bug.