Stomach Viruses

Uggghhh, really...why do they have to exist? Nausea to me is just one of the most unpleasant feelings we can have. Of course....there's so many discomforts out there I haven't experienced...but out of the ones I know.

I saw my son throw up for the first time ever besides the regular spit ups they get as babies, on Sunday. He's now almost 21 months. I had just fed him strawberries and about 20 minutes later they all came up. I thought the strawberries were bad b/c they are out of season and were on sale at HEB. It's a terrible site to see someone or hear someone feeling the pain of throwing up. Especially such a little one.

I came to find out on Tuesday night that, that strawberries were not the case. I found out after my brother and his girlfriend showed up to surprise me. Almost 48 hours later, I'm pretty sure my brother was second guessing his visit. My dad also came. All of them have gotten this stupid bug and I've now figured out that it's air borne.

I spent most of this week cleaning which includes washing, drying, and disinfecting. Here's some info I found online about stomach viruses. There's a lot I didn't know. There's not a lot of preventing air borne stuff.

Hope this is helpful.

r Release: Tuesday, December 6, 2005

HEALTH DEPT. OFFERS TIPS ON FIGHTING STOMACH FLU

The Allegheny County Health Department is offering tips on how to prevent and control the spread of “stomach flu,” which occurs more frequently during the winter months and can be highly contagious.

The intestinal illness is usually caused by noroviruses, which can spread easily and rapidly from person to person in households and other environments where people have frequent and close physical contact.

Symptoms typically include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach cramps. While stomach flu isn’t related to influenza, a respiratory illness, in some cases people with norovirus also have influenza-like symptoms such as a fever, chills, headache and muscle aches.

Stomach flu starts suddenly, but is usually brief, lasting only one or two days. It is generally not serious, however some people can feel very ill with frequent vomiting and diarrhea. They should drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration, especially the very young and the elderly.

Noroviruses are found in the stool and vomit of infected people and can be passed to others by consumption of contaminated food or water, hand-to-mouth contact after touching contaminated surfaces or objects, direct contact with an infected person and even through the air when virus particles are aerosolized in the process of vomiting.

Because people are contagious from the time they feel ill to at least three days after recovery, it is very important for them to use good handwashing and personal hygiene practices while they are sick and after they have recently recovered. Since there are many different strains of norovirus, recurring infections are possible.

Health officials offer the following tips to prevent and control the spread of norovirus:

• Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds after using the toilet or changing diapers and before handling, preparing or eating food.
• Alcohol-based hand sanitizers and wipes do not kill certain bacteria and viruses, but soap and water can wash some of the infectious particles from the hands.
• Use disposable paper towels to dry your hands instead of re-using a cloth towel.
• People who are sick should not prepare, serve or handle food for others.
• Wash hands after caring for a sick person and handling items they might have soiled.\
• Clean surfaces contaminated after an episode of illness by rinsing the surface with clear water, swabbing the area with a bleach solution containing a half-cup of household bleach per gallon of water, and allowing it to air dry. Noroviruses can survive 3-4 weeks at room temperature, and many common disinfectants don’t kill them.
• Immediately remove and launder in hot water and detergent any clothing or linens that may be contaminated with virus after an episode of illness.
• Launder bath and wash towels in hot water and detergent after every cleanup and use.
• Wear rubber gloves when handling or cleaning up vomit or stool.
• Steam cleaning is recommended for cleaning carpets soiled with vomit.
• Clean and disinfect surfaces in the home on a regular basis. Spray paper or cloth towels with a cleaning agent or bleach solution and then wipe the surface, instead of spraying the surface first, which can cause virus particles to become airborne and settle on other surfaces.

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