Posted on 01/27/2013 6:37:39 PM PST by BenLurkin
In an average year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 21 million Americans get the norovirus, with classic stomach flu symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea.
Eight hundred die. Symptoms come on very suddenly, within hours after a person has been exposed to it.
Because no one has immunity to this new strain, more Americans — perhaps 50 percent more, the CDC says — could become violently ill.
While the flu is spread mostly in the air by sneezes and coughs and a person needs to breathe in as many as 1,000 virus particles to get sick, the norovirus is far more contagious. Just 18 norovirus particles can make a person sick.
The flu can last two to four hours on hard surfaces outside your body, but the norovirus can survive and remain infectious for weeks.
To keep the norovirus away, medical experts suggest cleaning the house with bleach, not just regular detergents. They also say that while hand sanitizers kill the flu virus, they are not effective at getting rid of the norovirus
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
My whole family came down with this in the past 3 weeks. It lasted far longer than 24 hours. I got sick this past tuesday and just started feeling better yesterday. The stomach burning was severe and my abdomen is still swollen.
LOL! I’m actually eating while I’m reading this.
“There is such a thing as too much hand washing. Stripping all the natural oils away can lead to reddening and rashes, which would increase rather than decrease the likelihood of infection. Same with alcohol based hand sanitizers.”
Thanks...I doubt ANYONE has been told of that. They are just told to wash, wash, and just keep washing.
“I do wash my hands after every visit to the toilet, and am especially thorough if it’s a public restroom. All odors are particulate. If that doesn’t make you a little queasy, it should.”
Queasy, yes, sick no.
“Keeping your hands out of your face is probably more important. Rubbing your eyes, chewing your nails or, gross as it is people do it all the time, picking your nose, is going to introduce bacteria and virus into your system. You may or may not be able to fight it off before it sickens you.”
Been told that all my life...still waiting to pay the price.
I tell ya, I never thought I was gonna die when I should have,
or when other people would in similar circumstances, maybe
because I’m Homer J. Simpson slow, or maybe because he’s
a rebel ‘coz he never does what he should, but in any event,
such thoughts would come only in retrospect.
It’s a wonder that our ancestors were able to survive, what with having no hot water, no toilet paper, no soap, no doctors, no vaccines.
While not washing your hands may help SPREAD the virus, it is dependent on the natural immunity others have as to whether they get sick or not.
The idea that you can totally ‘escape’ being exposed to the latest mutation (or previous versions) to avoid being sick is an impossibility.
The real problem is that the VIRUS never gives up and EVOLVES rather quickly to ADAPT to whatever VACCINE we throw at it.
The GAME is whether we can survive it’s onslaught, and vaccines will never win us the game. Unfortunately, in most of the U.S., for instance, we are coddled and protected from everything (HEPA filters on your house, vaccines, etc) that we risk becoming weaker when it comes to our immune system.
“yes we are! Thanks to the Illegals. So yep we are on the Bug Boat (Love Boat).
There’s a price to pay for picking your nose whether it sickens you or not, lol.
Depends, really, on where you just had your hand.
I hardly EVER get sick,knock wood. But when I do it hits me HARD. I had an upper respiratory infection twice in one month. I was really sick. My pillow case was soaked with sweat. A few months later I got bronchitis. This was back in 2007 or 2008.
I feel bad for anyone who gets the stomach bug. I would not wish it on my worst enemy.
http://www.apinchofscience.com/
I am Blood Type B and have gotten infected anyway, but maybe less nowadays as I go to extreme lengths not to touch door handles. People look at me like I'm obsessive-compulsive but who cares, I am.
“It’s a wonder that our ancestors were able to survive, what with having no hot water, no toilet paper, no soap, no doctors, no vaccines.”
Yea and, thankfully, some people are starting to question whether keeping your kid enclosed in a sterile bubble is actually healthier than letting him play in the mud. So there is a start in the right direction.
“While not washing your hands may help SPREAD the virus, it is dependent on the natural immunity others have as to whether they get sick or not.”
Valid point.
“The idea that you can totally ‘escape’ being exposed to the latest mutation (or previous versions) to avoid being sick is an impossibility.”
That’s what cracks me up about all of the SARS masks (i.e., surgical masks) that you see worn in Asia these days. It’s been proven that the masks are TOTALLY USELESS in preventing the inhalation of bugs, only a sealed respirator with a serious filtering system can help there. The masks do help others that are close to you (they say)...as it’s harder to breathe on them. But I doubt that the people wearing those masks in public are either sick nor really care about not spreading it to strangers. They wear them because someone told them they could keep safe from bugs in this dangerous, dreadful, world...and they BELIEVE IT.
“The real problem is that the VIRUS never gives up and EVOLVES rather quickly to ADAPT to whatever VACCINE we throw at it.”
True...and they are really, really, tiny. I doubt they even notice water or soap.
“The GAME is whether we can survive it’s onslaught, and vaccines will never win us the game. Unfortunately, in most of the U.S., for instance, we are coddled and protected from everything (HEPA filters on your house, vaccines, etc) that we risk becoming weaker when it comes to our immune system.”
GREAT POINT...I’m thinking that my slobbish habits are PRECISELY why I rarely get sick. I don’t think that I was born with a super immune system, as I used to get sick every year, before I started with flu shots a decade ago.
“I rarely wash my hands, and I still don’t get sick.”
You must stink to high heaven. You don’t get sick because people avoid you.
That's what the trash cans set up near the bathroom door are for, in those facilities where one can utilize paper towels of some sort. Use one of those to open the door, prop it open with one foot if need be, long enough to exit.
Use your own pen to write with. Little things can add up. The less contact the better. More hand washing can be a good thing. But who stocked those large (paper) coffee cups, or last touched the dispenser handle? (think-- truck stops. Might one find some well traveled little germs in one of those places?)
wrong things are bad?
Regarding the rapid onset, I remember about 10 years ago when I was reading FR, just like now, then felt a sudden pain in my stomach. Had been fine up to then. I turned to the bathroom (10 feet away), and just made it to the door as I threw up (only do that once every 20 years or so) and then got a couple of feet into the bathroom before making a mess otherwise. Time of first symptom onset to uncontrollable chaos: about 30 seconds at the most.
Glad you are all starting to feel better.
“What happens if you lather and scrub for 10 seconds and rinse for 20 seconds?”
your hands will fall off.
LOL! Bob you must admit, that was a stupid post.
The Trader Joe’s john has a blower to dry hands. I suppose I could recycle the toilet paper I’ve already used to wrap around the door handle when exiting. Would it be bad? Or would it be wrong?
“There’s a price to pay for picking your nose whether it sickens you or not, lol.”
You can pick your nose, but you can’t pick your relatives.
However, you can pick your nose and you can pick your relative’s.
Now I understand why punctuation is vitally important.
“LOL! Bob you must admit, that was a stupid post.”
Not really. It was meant to inspire conversation...and it was truthful. Keep in mind, also, that “rarely” is a subjective term.
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