to think that there are far more D&V bugs around now than there were 30 years ago?

[hopskipandthump]

We've got another vomiting bug passing through the family atm - DS 2 brought it home from school where it's doing the rounds.

We seem to get one a year at least - last came via some friends we went to visit - my friend revealed after lunch (which she'd cooked) that she'd just recovered (as in yesterday) from a D&V bug, and 2 days later we all came down with it on holiday, which was fun.

Anyway, my DM says there weren't bugs like this going round in the 70s when I was little. She might be wrong, so wondering what other people's experience is? Are there more of this type of bug now and why would that be?

I don't think so. My eldest had one sickness bug as a baby, my middle has never had one and my youngest has had one in nearly 4 years. My kids have rarely had a day off school - In 11 years I have only twice been called to collect from nursery or school and have only ever taken a handful of days off work for sick children, maybe 5 in total for 3 kids plus a couple for chicken pox. Youngest hasn't had CP yet so I imagine that will come in the next year.

I want to know why some families get them more than others (immune-suppressed family members notwithstanding). We have pretty basic hygiene standards (ie hands washed after toilet, but not when coming in from outside, have never sterilised anything) and our DCs have literally had one vomiting bug ever, and that was when we only had one DC and none at school/nursery. DH's sister's family much the same, maybe slightly higher hygiene standards but not obsessive (more early days sterilising possibly) and they are struck down at least 2-3x per year. Similar ages children.

Of course families without cars send their kids to ballet/swimming/football. They just go the nearby clubs. My parents had a car but we still walked to school, ballet, drama, Brownies, swimming and only drove drove back from gymnastics because it finished quite late.

My mum was an infant teacher from 1959 to 2000. I remember her telling me that d&v was an intrinsic part of a teachers life, and being sick was certainly common enough in her classroom that she (who hated vomit) taught them a 'what to do if you felt sick' drill (ie, don't sit there and tell her, hand over mouth and run to the loo) every year. She always had spare pants in her work bag for when she caught a bug off the children.

I was born in 72, and remember plenty of tummy bugs - but no exclusion time back then!

Yes, ProudAs - I was wondering that as I posted. Hopefully, all these sickly children will grow into a generation of super-fit teenagers and adults!

I remember having a d&v bug once as a child. Ds and I had it when he was 1, we escaped the next year or two, memorably one year it swept through all 4 of us, 2 days apart, starting with dd and ending with dh.

We escaped last year but dd had d&v in may quite badly and she had to go to hospital, no one else caught it though.

There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it. I am praying hard we don't get it this year though, it's awful.

Thinking about it we are hardly ever ill. Yes we get colds and I sometimes get tonsillitis but luckily the children seem to have good immune systems. Dd has just had chicken pox but ds didn't catch it!

There is a theory about some blood groups having more immunity to sickness bugs than others. That would explain why some children seem to get loads of bugs and others none.

Thirty odd years ago I was a child, endlessly sick with d and v bugs. Mine get fewer than i ever did but I still get them hen they do, bah.

could be to do with vaccines,immune systems arent as strong becaue of the amount you get at such an early age?In the 70s there were far fewer vaccines in such a short stretch of time.

I dont remember having any as a child,my oldest 2 boys had 2 in a short space f time when they were 2 and 1,but since then none of us have had them,i never catch them,dh always does.Thinking about it mine are never ill,theyve never had chicken pox which i would like them get sooner rather than later though.

confusedabout - I'm afraid that's nonsense - vaccines don't make the immune system less strong. You come into contact naturally with hundreds of bugs every day and your body fights them by creating antibodies - that's how an immune system is made. Vaccines are a way of introducing controlled amounts of more virulent bugs to your system so that you make the antibodies before you are exposed to a huge onslaught from these bugs naturally in the environment and hence they avoid you getting sick. So vaccines actually strengthen or at least prime your immune system, not make it weaker.

I recently heard that they are offering a norovirus vaccine to the vulnerable i.e. kids and the elderly etc. it only lasts a year though I think. We think we've got it bad in the UK? Look at these stats:

^Diarrhoeal disease is the second leading cause of death in children under five years old. It is both preventable and treatable.
Each year diarrhoea kills around 760 000 children under five.
A significant proportion of diarrhoeal disease can be prevented through safe drinking-water and adequate sanitation and hygiene.
Globally, there are nearly 1.7 billion cases of diarrhoeal disease every year.
Diarrhoea is a leading cause of malnutrition in children under five years old.^

WHO info on diarrhoea

I had my fair share, one a year at least. My kids don't get anywhere near as many. My bugs would always fall on school trip day, I missed the chocolate factory, farm and theme park.

no everton theres lots of info and research out there,they skew your immune system.Not going to get into avaccine debate tohugh but its just common sense too,all that crap injected into such a tiny body,its not going to do it any good.

Common sense?!!? Do you have any idea how many deaths child vaccines have prevented?

Oh god, reverse, reverse.

Vaccines must only help those who don't have the common sense not to catch nasty diseases

Let's agree to strongly disagree, eh?

I think not hand-washing has a lot to do with it.

It is well known that the in old days, summers were sunnier, it always snowed at christmas, people were never ill, and nostalgia was better then than it is now.

I tend to get obsessed by noro this time of year. Am very interested in what makes some people more prone. When I worked with children there were definitely some who were more prone to it.
My theories are poor hand washing and hygiene in families. Forget about things like towels ect.
More pressure for ill children to not be off due to parents working and sickness records.
Breast feeding not sure if this would help immune system in the long run.
More travel by families, more babies in day care from a young age.
My DS got a nasty bug, think it was noro within weeks of starting the local playgroup.
Are you more likely to get it you have a dog? My puppy's nose is into everything then tries to lick you

Neither DD or I have had a D and V bug for years. I can only remember a few occasions ever (she is 17). Perhaps it is regional.

And kerstina I wash towels etc far less than most on MN (judging by towel washing threads) and was unable to BF, so in our case at least they aren't factors.