"norovirus"

[Answerprancer]

..so, is this a new thing or just a new label for something that has been around for centuries?
I accept that some sort of winter chundering and splatting bug (that only lasts a few days) exists and I seem to have managed to evade it so far.

Do other people here get it or experience similar immunity?

[Sqad]

Who knows how long it has been present.......from the inception of life probably. It has been identified and recognised for about 50 years........what went on before that is anyone's guess.


\\\\Do other people here get it or experience similar immunity? \\\\

What do you mean "immunity?"...as far as i know one cannot get immunity against the norovirus group, but no doubt an ABer clued up in bacteriology will put me right.

Crowds, gatherings, cruise ships, people not washing their hands careless food preparation all lend themselves to the success of our friends..........the "Norovirus Group."

For more in depth reading///Google Norovirus Pathogenesis.

[murraymints]

had it once....on holiday.....large Spanish hotel..never been back to large Spanish hotel again..always take gloves and dettol with me anywhere populated..including hospital visits....toilets a big risk

[Prudie]

I've had it twice in the last 5 years and had never had anything similar before in my life. It was not like a normal bout after eating something dodgy. It knocked me out for at least 3 days with a fever and an inability to get out of a bed. Personally I thought it was a newish strain of virus.

[waterboatman]

Never had it.

[Eve]

I had it a few years ago and I agree with Prudie. It absolutely knocked me for six and took me a while to properly recover from after the initial worst phase. I most likely caught it off someone I worked with who had also just had a stomach bug. My immune system isn't the best generally though.

[woofgang]

I worked in the NHS and it used to be said that each large hospital had its own strain, especially the large mental health hospitals.Also there appeared to be the issue of substrains in smaller geographical and social groups. The individual group may be immune but when groups mix, as in big hospitals, they exchange strains and, as a result, get ill. I was taught that as well as being spread by contact, it was also spread by droplets in the air and also by the faecal oral route, google flush plume. Working in the community, we didnt catch it nearly as much as our in patient colleagues even though we visited some pretty disgusting places and used to go from house to house. We were fanatical in handwashing and in the use of gel when we couldn't and that seemed to keep us safe

[Samuraisan]

I had it a couple of years ago and it was horrible. I actually was hospitalised for a few days, all I suspect Bupa saw a good thing coming, but I was happy to stay on a drip. I caught it I think from my baby grandson who also had diarrhoea at the time. It is unbelievable to see how many people do not wash their hands after using the toilet, I now take care to wash my hands after being anywhere public and having to shake hands. You can't blame the hotel Murry.

[woofgang]

oh and the 48 hour rule helped too I think. Occupational health insisted that sufferers stayed off work for 48 hours after the last "incident"

[jackthehat]

I had it a couple of weeks ago (picked up whilst attending the local hospital with my Mum).
It was brutal, unpleasant but thankfully short-lived. After the explosive D&V had stopped it took me quite a few days to stop feeling wobbly.

I self-quarantined as much as possible and was the only family member to get it. I'd be really pleased to know that I had developed some sort of immunity to it.......but doubt if it is the case. :o(

[woofgang]

jth, my experience is that you had should have developed immunity to the strain that you had. As I said, each large hospital seemed to have its own strain and if you moved jobs, you’d get the bug once then not again. Similarly children who start school, or again when the change schools will meet and catch new bugs, and again when teenagers go away to college or uni. I believe. although I have no proof, I believe that its another reason why holidaymakers seem to be hit so badly on cruise ships...the staff who would catch it have had it, but the passengers are meeting a new strain.

[jackthehat]

I hope that proves to be the case, woof.
Although it has been decided that Mum *won't* need to have her arm pinned and thus will simply need to attend as a monthly out-patient.....Dad is having his hip done on Monday which will mean many trips to the hospital in the short-term.
Given their separate infirmities, I am keeping everything crossed that neither of them picks up the bug!

[anneasquith]

Jth. Carry a handbag size bottle of antibacterial liquid, use before after visiting the hospital, would do harm in washing down the surfaces beside your dads bed /lockrer.

[woofgang]

Good advice ann, except that hand cleaners don’t work on solid surfaces and solid surface cleaners don’t work on hands. Certainly using handcleaners and surface wipes can’t hurt, hand cleaners probably more than surface cleaners. Wipes are better than gel as they have a mechanical removal effect whereas alcohol on its own as in a gel doesn’t kill the virus. AP if you can get your Dad to clean his hands before and after trips to the loo or use of commode and before and after he eats or drinks, it will help, although as I said its also spread by droplets in the air.
I am glad to hear that your Mum doesn’t need an op and wish your dad a fast and speedy recovery