REGION — If you believe social media, we’re facing a plague of norovirus. That’s a stomach bug, highly contagious and good for a day or three of misery.

While gastrointestinal complaints have ticked up in some places, local health care providers said, it is far from a plague and there are simple steps to take to avoid it.

“Norovirus is a very contagious virus,” states the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Anyone can get infected. It’s the leading cause of vomiting and diarrhea in the nation, and you can get it many times, because it comes in many different varieties.

The most common symptoms are diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and stomach pain, said the CDC. Symptoms develop 12 to 48 hours after exposure, and resolve within one to three days.

Providers at the Pike Family Health Center in Lords Valley, PA said they have seen an uptick in GI complaints. But to get a norovirus diagnosis requires a special test, and those tests are only performed if symptoms persist—and those tests haven’t been needed.

A spokesperson for Garnet Health in Sullivan and Orange counties in New York confirmed that there has been no increase in norovirus diagnoses there.

“As far as care for a stomach bug [goes],” the Pike Family Health Center added, “wash your hands, sanitize surfaces, increase fluids, stay home, call your provider—and if you’re over 65, call sooner rather than later if your symptoms persist.”