DC School Tummy bug Outbreak - When does it end!?!?

[Mamabear12]

It has been 2.5 weeks of one kid after the other getting the tummy bug, now its 15 kids in my dd class (there are more kids getting it in other grades). When the hell will it stop?? My kids have avoided it so far (knock wood). I am extremely emetaphobinc so I have been so anxious the last two weeks. Why don't they close the school down and do a proper clean?!? How many weeks until they stop spreading? Do some kids get lucky and just avoid it all together? When I grew up, I never got the tummy bug. I was sick at 6 and then never again for over 20 years! I have blood type B and did read they seem to be more immune to it then others (they can still get it, just not as much or as severe).

[SpotAGuillemot]

Surely they're not catching it from the school though? They're catching it from each other at school. So doing a deep clean wouldn't achieve much.

[buckyou]

Have you managed to avoid tummy bugs with your DD so far?? If so you've done well!! I hate tummy bugs I really think it's the worst thing about having kids!!!

We just had one in the fam and we all got it and then it started going round again!!! So it must have mutated!!!

Hopefully it will clear up soon but the one we had went on for ages I'm afraid.

[Mamabear12]

My kids had the tummy bug last year and the year before that. I am hoping this year we can avoid it! I HATE THEM! Luckily the last two times they got the bug, my husband and I managed to avoid getting it.

Spot, the kids can pass it to each other, but if the school does not properly clean, kids catch it from surfaces as well! The virus can live two weeks or more on hard cool surfaces. So for example, the tables, floors, toilets, door handles and sinks can be cleaned with bleach (which is the only thing that kills it) and if parents keep their children home for 48 hours and teachers are a little extra diligent with hand washing. It would help stop the spread.

[Titsywoo]

They can't close down the school! These things happen every year and there's not much that can be done. Parents need to take more care observing the 48 hour rule and kids need to be taught good hygiene. Apart from that you'll just have to wait it out. Ds gets tummy bugs once a year but dd never catches them.

[Mamabear12]

Titsywoo, how old are your kids? I guess your DD is like me then, as when I was growing up I never got them. Curious, do you know her blood type?

I did not realise these things happened once a year because when I was in school it never seemed to happen. Or maybe I just didn't know about it because my sister and I stayed clear of it.

[Vinoblancorosso]

Parents are usually to blame by sending their kids in before the quarantine period. Had it at our school this week. Parent telling all the others mums on the weekend that her daughter had sickness and diarrhea really badly. Low and behold, Grandma turns up with very pale looking child on monday morning. Am waiting for the outbreak...😡😡😡

[Titsywoo]

DD is 13 and DS is 10. Weirdly DD is also frightened of being sick so maybe she just avoids situations where people have been throwing up therefore lessens her chances of catching it? Don't know her blood type.

Yes there tends to be one round of something like norovirus a year I find. They don't always catch it. DS seems more prone though. Maybe he gets closer to his friends or licks their faces or something .

[Mamabear12]

Vinoblancorosso. I am so annoyed at people who do this, knowing their child has been so ill. I am furious at the mom that I know who let her child return to school, after her entire family 1 by 1 fell down w the tummy bug. 15 others caught it within the 3 weeks after DC returned to school too early (one by one it spread like wild fire!!!). The mother said she was worried about her daughter missing her education (PLEASE! she is 5!!!!!! Nothing to miss!) and then she said well some people have work and can't find childcare...I am sorry, but another lame excuse! I also worked full time when my DD was a baby and when she was sick I always took off! I felt bad for the work, but they had to accept it. I had to take days off for when she had the chicken pox, when she vomitted one morning after her milk and we didn't know why...didnt think it was a bug...but I took off two days after to make sure. And every time my kids were sick I kept them off...including the time when my son had sever diarhea for 5 days, then my DD got it for 5 days and then me!!! I kept them off the required additional 2 extra days to make sure they were 100% before going back...meaning they missed 7 days each of nursery. I did this, because I did not want any other poor child to catch if I could avoid. Maybe some parents genuinely are not aware of the 48 hour rule, but schools should really send a reminder at the beginning of the year so all parents know, or they just send kids back in. Also, when 2-3 kids get ill w the tummy bug another reminder should be sent...bc parents might not realise if their child only vomits once that its a tummy bug. For example, my son has only vomited once with the last two tummy bugs. My DD caught the same bug day after and was sick ALL night long...like 10 times....poor thing. So some people get different reactions.

Titsywoo. It seems that a lot of people who do not vomit often strangely have a phobia or fear of it. I had seen a specialist about it and that is what they said. He said it could be they take extra precaution to prevent it. In my case growing up, I had a fear of it....but I did not take extra precaution...I NEVER washed my hands...DISGUSTING I know...not even after using the school toilet half the time. I would mainly do quick rinse of water and no soap, which does nothing. I was not really taught the importance or how to wash hands. I do remember I had a sticker from my preschool about it age 4, but it was never taught again. In fact, I used to ride the tube and then eat on the tube or straight after with out washing hands...or when working in the office....again never washed hands before eating! Now I am horrified I did this. But the strange thing was, I NEVER got sick. After having kids, I started washing hands religiously, starting when they were newborns because I was reminded about their immune systems and I did not want them to get seriously ill as newborns....then as they started getting sick all the time I would wash my hands more.