News says Norovirus will be massive. Wondering if one can do anything to help avoid it....

[bigbelle]

Holidays! Kids home! I do not want this. A few weeks ago I cut out most sugar trying to boost immunity (I read bacteria feeds on sugar). Bought some vitamins called Bee Prepared immune support (bee propolis?) & zinc at holland barret, washing hands like a maniac. Avoiding crowded areas. So far so good but sounds like it's spreading like crazy. ANy suggestions? Certain foods one could eat to get stronger?

[CakathecorpulentChristmasElf]

Phew BelgianBun and ProudAS - thanks for the reassurance! Really good to know that we don't have to be too vigilant

[Still washing my hands often and buying in bottles of Dettol just in case though!]

Wishing speedy recoveries to everyone out there who is suffering currently ...

[ProudAS]

I think the media have a lot to answer for. Norovirus is no more common or dangerous now than when I was a child so why do we suddenly need all this hysteria about it???

Yes it can be dangerous or occasionally fatal but so can crossing the road!

[CakathecorpulentChristmasElf]

Belgianbun Do you live in Belgium by any chance? Wierd because I have seen no news coverage at all about gastric flu or norovirus over here (Brussels) and wonder if it (a) really is worse in UK than in continental Europe or (b) the British media is hyping it up? Getting quite worried about my bi-annual trip to England ...

[OhyouMerryLittleKitten]

Very sadly yes you can get it more than once. It's rather like flu or colds in that respect.

[wesolutka]

OhYouMerry you say there are different strains of the virus going around, does this mean you can get it twice?

Anyone had it more than once this winter?

[EvenBetter]

I was reading about it online when I had it, it is airborne and highly contagious, one example I read was if someone who has it vomits in a toilet, even after the room has been cleaned the virus will still be there.

When I had it in 2010 everyone on the plane I was on would have caught it. Oooops! That was one of the worst days of my life, seriously.

So anti bac gels etc haven't effect because it's a virus, touching face isn't a good idea in winter anyway, but norovirus is airborne, so if you're going to get it you'll get it :(

On the plus side, for 14 weeks afterwards you'll be mostly immune to getting it again.

[sashh]

Obviously it's easier to do with an older DC but cleanliness is the key.

Easier if you have more than one bathroom and children not sharing a bedroom too.

[RandomMess]

I think it spreads more these days due to increased day to day mobility. Children don't go to their nearest schools, people mix socially more beyond nearest neighbourhood etc etc. Natural containment has disappeared.

[fackinell]

IMO you know when you have Noro as opposed to usual D&V bugs. I caught it first time working in a Social care setting, where it killed an otherwise perfectly healthy, elderly lady and hospitalised another 2. I was in intense agony and had absolutely no bowel or stomach control. Projectile vomiting, the lot. I have it at least once a yr (last 5) and last time spend half an hr on the bathroom floor trying to get up. It starts (with me) having a 'swallowed a brick type feeling' in the night, usually, and from that second I know it's in the post. As a somewhat scarred veteran, I suggest starving the virus (other than water to prevent dehydration) for 24hrs then some kind of electrolyte balance fluid such as dioralyte the following day. The lack of salt and sugar after 24hrs made me shake and feel worse. I am not a doctor so proper medical advice is recommended over mine but this works for me. It is horrid, and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy!

[OhYouMerryLittleKitten]

Tis funny how people tend to go into denial about having it! Glad you are feeling better Colley :)

[colleysmill]

Well now I just don't know! Could have been something I ate? My hand hygiene is pretty reasonable (but excellent at work!)

Oh well I have come through and will remain out of circulation for tomorrow

[TunipTheVegedude]

I don't remember winter vomiting virus being around when I was a kid in the 70s. Was it? There were plenty of bugs but it wasn't something you associated with the winter particularly - in the winter people just had lots of colds.

[OhYouMerryLittleKitten]

But the most common winter d&v bug is noro.

See nhs page

It differs in severity for people cos there is more than one noro strain just like there is more than one cold strain. Plus different people react differently.

[colleysmill]

Well happily I don't think mine was noro :) as I am sooo much better today so just plain old winter d and v!

[Stormfromeast]

Wash hands, and wash them properly.

[Viviennemary]

Every year they try and terrify the life out of us with the latest killer disease that is going to wipe out half the population. Swine flu, bird flu, MRSA. I am just not listening any more. Hands over ears.

[ElectricSoftParade]

Both DCs have been off school, on and off, for the past three weeks after catching some D&V bug. It has lingered and, possibly because they are already a weak, they have caught either the same thing again or another one. At one point 40% of the DCs at school were off.

Luckily, DH and I have not caught it (yet) but when DS was in hospital as a baby, the noro virus swept through the wards and we caught it then. I can honestly say I have never, ever felt so ill. It tooks at least 2 weeks before I felt relatively normal again.

All the best to those with it and hope you avoid it to all others.

[EdithWeston]

Wear gloves when you go out. It means anything you touch won't be getting on you skin, and with gloves on, you're less likely to be putting your fingers in your mouth etc.

[ChristmasPickles]

Me again, sorry am worried as half our village seems to be down with this - I just wondered about hand towels, what's the best thing to do - change them daily?

[Acekicker]

It's not always a matter of time, some people have a non-function version of the FUT2 gene which makes them immune to most norovirus strains (but more likely to get e-coli and flu).

Yep, I have the non-function version, when we found out DH declared that if DS ever gets norovirus (he and DH don't have the function version) he will go stay in a hotel and I can be the nurse .

[Discolite]

Re: mobile phones - when we culture bacteria at my school I get the children to swab their mobiles. The results are pretty horrible and that's just bacteria!

As for Norovirus, like others have said it's down to hand washing, not touching your mouth, nose or eyes when out and about and keeping infected people isolated. I've had enteric viruses twice and as I cleaned all areas thoroughly and kept people away from me they didn't catch it.

I got Norovirus on Christmas Eve 4 years ago. That was fun

[Glitterknickaz]

Two out of five of us have had it