Families around New Jersey are getting hit hard by illness - specifically four illnesses: norovirus, COVID, influenza and RSV.

It’s affectionately being called the “quad-demic.”

There’s an uptick at hospitals and urgent care facilities and very likely at the homes of New Jersey residents, in cases of the norovirus - better known as the “stomach bug.” Dr. Harpreet Pall, at Jersey Shore Medical Center, says that's the virus that "causes stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea. Typically a gastroenteritis.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the norovirus is very contagious.

“What makes norovirus susceptible to creating outbreaks is that it can stay in the body and still cause infections to close contacts for about two weeks," says Pall.

That should be everyone’s reminder to isolate if sick. It spreads through contaminated food, drinks, surfaces or objects.

To prevent it, CDC guidelines suggest washing one’s hands with soap - not just sanitizer - clean surfaces and keep kids home from school.

If it’s not the norovirus, it could be the flu, RSV or COVID-19 infecting people at high numbers. Pall says at his facility, COVID-19 cases are low to moderate.

The state Department of Health says cases of norovirus in December were up 366%, compared to the same month in 2024.

The CDC says it has recorded 8,300 deaths from the flu this year in the U.S.

Palls adds that it’s not too late for the flu shot.

Antibiotics are available for anyone who gets norovirus. Palls says people can also just let it run its course, which is generally two to three days.