NOROVIRUS - YOU DON'T WANT IT!

Francine L. Shaw CP-FS.CFSM.FSP.FMP

When you go to the restroom do you wash your hands? I bet you silently responded, "YES!" Do you use soap? Again, "YES?!" Statistically speaking, it's not the case. "What?!" you say. That's right. One in three people that use the restroom don't wash their hands afterwards. EEEWWW....Then they touch the doorknob to open the door and leave the restroom. You know what that means....Yep, you may as well have not washed your hands either. Everything that was on their grimy little paws is now on your nice clean hands! PIGS, I say...PIGS! And, that's why you are now home in bed with norovirus....

Norovirus is the leading cause of gastrointestinal illness in both the USA and the UK. It is a miserable illness and misery loves company. To say one is miserable when they have this foodborne illness is putting it mildly. It's misery incarnate. One minute you're absolutely fine, and the next you think you're going to die - or that death would be preferable.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that each year noroviruses cause an estimated 21 million illnesses and 800 deaths. Approximately 80 percent of the infections occur between November and April, when people tend to gather in enclosed spaces with little fresh air circulating.

Nausea, 'projectile vomiting', and 'explosive' diarrhea are the usual symptoms - sometimes simultaneously; then stomach cramps, muscle aches, low-grade fever, headache, and fatigue, that can go on for days after the main symptoms dissipate. Even though norovirus typically lasts one to three days, an infection can be hazardous, especially for small children, elderly, and people with compromised immune systems. The greatest risk is dehydration stemming from the constant vomiting and watery diarrhea.

The virus spreads quickly in close confined quarters such as day care centers, schools, office buildings, retirement centers, hotels, and nursing homes, as well as on cruise ships. Most cruise ships try hard to prevent outbreaks, but norovirus is quite tenacious and often persists through their efforts. Most hand sanitizers don't kill the bug!

Frequent hand washing with soap and hot water - 100 degrees Fahrenheit - for at least 30 seconds, especially after using the toilet, is the best preemptive. Failing to wash your hands after using the restroom risks transference of the virus to foods, drinks, or utensils used by others - and let's not forget the doorknob you touched on the way out of the restroom! It only takes a small inoculation of norovirus to cause the illness and trust me....YOU DON'T WANT IT!

WASH YOUR HANDS! WASH YOUR HANDS! WASH YOUR FREAKIN HANDS!

We Don't Need to Panic. We Just Need to Be Smart.

EBOLA. The one word that evokes fear and extreme concern in every person I know. I myself have been on no less than ten airplanes over the past several weeks; traveling in and out of this nation’s busiest international airports, utilizing their restrooms and eating their food. To say that I don’t have the same concerns everyone else has would be a total fabrication. As I’m sitting on a chair waiting for my flight and someone sneezes, I think about it. As I’m on the shuttle and I’m on my way to my car in the express lot and another person coughs, I think about it. I’m human. Besides that, we’re inundated with media coverage that’s been flashing all over the screens in the terminal I was just passing through! I couldn’t forget about it if I wanted to…EBOLA!

If this is the mindset of the travelers how do the employees feel? And, it’s not just at the airport. We stop at hotels, restaurants, rest stops, what’s one to do? 

According to WHO, the World Health Organization, this infection is transmitted by direct contact with body fluids and tissues of infected animals or people. During an outbreak, those at higher risk of infection are health care workers, family members, and others in close contact with sick people and deceased patients.

If food products are properly prepared and cooked the Ebola virus is deactivated through cooking and cannot infect humans. Basic hygiene measures, including regular hand washing and changing clothes and boots before and after touching infected animals or contact with raw meat and byproducts, can prevent infection in people. Sick and diseased animals should never be consumed, cautions WHO.

Public restrooms are not typically fun to clean anyway (I’ve cleaned my share). However, extra caution should be taken when cleaning them during this troubling time:

• Wash hands in hot, soapy water before using or cleaning the restroom. Understand that anything you touched prior to entering the restroom may have already been contaminated.

• Avoid placing items on the restroom counter or floor. Germs and bacteria will be transferred from the surface to your hands when you pick up the items.

• When using the restroom stall, always use toilet paper to touch door handle before and after use; as well as to flush toilet.

• Use paper towel to turn on and off manual water faucets.

• Use a toilet seat cover.

• If cleaning an extremely soiled restroom, take additional precautions (gloves should always be worn) i.e. goggles avoid skin contact with soiled items or surfaces.

• Wash hands after cleaning restrooms.

Spread of this virus can be controlled through the use of recommended protective measures in medical facilities, public gatherings, and burial ceremonies or at home. Take precautions and TRAIN YOUR STAFF!