Exclusive | The norovirus survival pack you should buy before you get sick, according to an infectious disease doc

Norovirus cases are surging in the US, with recent CDC data showing a sharp rise in cases compared to this time last year.

Instead of waiting until you’re curled up on the bathroom floor and frantically sending a DoorDasher to pick up supplies, it may be smart to stock up on some digestive disease must-haves in advance.

Dr. Bruce Hirsch, an infectious disease specialist at Northwell Health, has shared his norovirus survival pack to pick up before it’s too late.

Norovirus most notably causes severe vomiting and diarrhea, but it can also cause body aches, headache and fever — and it only takes a small amount of exposure to get sick.

“The symptoms are intense, awful,” Hirsch told The Post. “Norovirus is very sneaky, and the best way to to deal with norovirus is not to get it in the first place.”

Unfortunately, those hand sanitizers won’t do you much good against this virus — the doc says soap and water is a better way to go — and people around you can still be contagious for some time after they start to feel better.

Symptoms typically come on suddenly and take one to three days to recover from — and while you’re in the throes of it, you probably won’t want to run out to the store to pick up supplies.

If you’re feeling healthy now, it could be a good time to hit the store for supplies.

Treatment recommendations

Believe it or not, Hirsch advises skipping medications.

“What’s tricky about norovirus is that there are no medicines that help and there are no treatments apart from hydration,” he said. “There’s nothing I would get from the pharmacy aisle in advance of an illness.

“Some of the symptomatic treatments like Imodium and anti-nausea medicine like Zofran tend not to be emphasized because the symptoms are relatively brief,” he went on. “As awful as they are, they tend to clear up after one, two or so days.”

Instead, the most important thing you can have is an electrolyte drink — and plenty of it: “The absolute priority is hydration, and Pedialyte and sports drinks like Gatorade are useful to have in the home.”

As a space safer, electrolyte drinks like Pedialyte are also sold in tablets and powder form that can be dissolved into water.

If it’s too late and you don’t have any, some combination of sugar and salt can work in a pinch. The doc recommends Jell-O for sugar and broth for salt — or if you’re really desperate, sprinkle a little salt in a glass of juice.

Food you can stomach

It’s good to have food on hand that you’ll be able to keep down once you can manage it, and “bland” is the name of the game.

“Our ability to digest and take in foods during and immediately after a norovirus attack is diminished by the fact that the small intestine is inflamed and not working well, and the hardest thing to digest under those circumstances are fats,” said Hirsch.

Simple carbs like rice and pasta — without oil and butter — are your best bets. The MD also likes having chicken or vegetable broth, fruit juices, and cereals.

But be careful about dairy, even if you’re not typically lactose intolerant — some people experience “acquired lactase deficiency” for a period of time after a diarrheal illness.

“The body will tell you what it is not able to take and what it does want,” he said.

A bowl and a goal

The doc says it’s important to have a “vomiting and pooping plan.” That is, know you have a bathroom you’ll be able to comfortably set up shop in for the next day or two.

But having a toilet that’s all yours for the next 24 to 48 hours may not be enough if it’s coming out of both ends.

“I’ve had people complain of having diarrhea and vomiting simultaneously,” said the doc. So having a bowl, basin or bucket that you can throw up into while sitting on can may help eliminate the need to clean up a huge mess later.

Cleanup on aisle sick

If you live with other people, the last thing you want is to get the rest of your household sick once you start feeling better. Enter bleach.

Hirsch says to dilute it and thoroughly clean the bathroom — and anything else you or the sick person came into contact with.

He also noted that immunocompromised people, including the young and the elderly, shed viruses much longer, so you’ll want to clean up around them for an extended period of time.