Is this the worst season we've had for noro?

[sdd]

Is this season the worst we've had for noro or have I just not paid attention before? I've never had a season where I was this afraid. Every time I hear someone say their "whole family is home with it" I figure my family's time is up and we're going to have it in the next few days.

I've read that a new strain comes out every 2 to 3 years and that year is worse than others, but I've never heard them talk this much about it before!

[jadeshine]

I've never noticed the media's hype before this year, because I thought I was the only person in the entire world with this phobia and I was just crazy, so I never paid attention before.

[DeadxxInside92]

I think this year it might be a bit more resilient. I don't think it's that much worse than your typical flu season. It really does feel as if everyone is dropping like flies. I never paid much attention to it either in the past although I wasn't obsessed with how it was transmitted. I did not even have knowledge of how it was transmitted until recently. I am beginning to think ignorance is bliss in that regard because I now seldom eat anything at all with my hands...

[Grace47]

The media hype would have you believe that this is the worst year ever, however, the CDC is saying that it is an ordinary year for noro and the new virus is exactly pretty much the same as the old one only fewer people have resistance to it, because it is new. However, it's no worse than any other year. It is slightly worse for respiratory flus. If you look at the key under the map on the Flu Near You website, you will see that the highest level they record of flu is 5%. If 5% of the population has a cold or flu, this is considered widespread, high level flu activity. 5% is 5 out of every 100 people being sick at any given time. This means 95% of the population has nothing whatsoever. Also, I think some people have no clue about the difference between fp and sv and just eating something that doesn't agree, so they say they had sv when it could have been anything that made them ill.

I have been an emet for a very long time and Christmas and right after Christmas are usually the times of highest noro. I think this is because large groups of people are getting together, traveling, etc. Also, people who do not normally cook or only reheat things in the microwave are suddenly inspired to bake a turkey and make a big meal when the rest of the year even boiling or frying an egg is a challenge and just pouring a bowl of cereal is the height of their culinary ability. I don't know the number of times I have talked to people who don't even know how to use a food thermometer, let alone own one. Heck, a lot of people are still cooking the stuffing inside the turkey. My whole family got fp over thanksgiving from improperly cooked turkey, but they all said they had noro. They did not. They had fp. Also with finances being the way they are, a lot more people are cooking at home especially after the spending season of Christmas. These people often do not have a clue about food safety and appear to have very little inspiration to learn. Heck, if people were even the slightest bit aware, they wouldn't leave the same wet dishrag in the sink for a week, let alone use it wash their dishes.

I think before hand sanitizer and all the public awareness campaigns, noro was actually worse. However, now, I think more and more people are not practicing food safety in the home and fp is more common. So when you hear a whole family has noro, the whole family may have eaten a pizza that had been left out overnight and they all really have fp!

IMO, shared work food is a big source of noro spread. It only takes one person who has it to use the bathroom, not wash their hands and not go home, and then eat a break room donut to get an entire workplace ill. I think a lot of avoiding noro is to avoid break room food and public water fountains. The old "oh I have to wash out my mouth and put it right on the fountain because I just v*ed" routine. I think this is how it often spreads at public schools where the kids have no alternative to getting a drink outside the public fountain.

This is just my opinion. There's no science behind it at all - just my personal observations.

[ditchy_jon]

There have been more reported cases, however in the UK, alot of these cases were from Cruise Ships and they had to test, ordinarily they wouldnt test for Norovirus. The press have made it into a huge thing, and I know in my experience I must chat and speak to 100-150 people every day and I know two people who definitely had norovirus. When you look at it, this is not alot at all. I hang around with 20 people who I call my group of friends and including me which makes 21, not one person got norovirus.

Its hasn't been a great year for norovirus but hopefully there will be a vaccine for it round the corner. They say possibly 2014-2015.

[jbsmom]

I dont know if this is the worst year yet but i know it has been a bad year. Here in Japan they had outbreaks of Noro for the past couple of years. Outbreaks so bad that they have closed schools in cities so that they could stop the spread. This year was tough! I live on a very small military installation. The outbreak started in Tokyo and moved quickly our way. Over the holidays 8 teachers called in with it from my sons preschool. I heard people from other bases more than an hour away talking about how they got it twice! Regardless of whether or not this is the worst year, it has been a very bad year. I know that this virus traveled around the US as well. It all comes back to being EXTREMELY careful. Its hard when people around you are not emet because they are not as careful. As i am sure you know Noro is highly contagious and it only takes a few viruses to infect you rather than the thousands that it takes for other types of stomach viruses. If someone Vs in a restaurant everyone in the vicinity will more than likely get sick within a day or two. It becomes airborne when someone gets sicks or goes D. THis year i tried to wear a mask and washed my hands til the cracked. Ate almost nothing with my fingers. Kept my youngest out of preschool as much as possible. I think he got it a little bit but he just had D a few times and V only 2 times. My husband was in with him when he got sick so i wasnt around but i made sure that i bleached everything in the area just in case. Hubby was fine. I hope it stays away.

[SUM1]

I've seen it on the news, but so far I haven't got norovirus. I haven't had it for 3 years. I had had the flu twice this year, however, one in January then another this month, which I've sort of still got.

[jab788]

I haven't gotten it. The last time I was very ill was 9 years old (17 years ago), but I have no idea if it was noro. Everyone else in my family has avoided it for decades. We only get colds and the flu on occasion. I had something when I was 12 but I don't think it was a virus. I got sick once and was better as soon as it was over. Probably just a fluke. Sometimes I wonder if I had gotten sick more often in the past, would I be so phobic of it now?

If you want accurate information on the new strain and the severity of it, check government websites like the CDC. If you read Grace's response she mentioned the CDC has indicated the new strain does not seem to be worse than others in the past. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6203a4.htm. If you read a news story that claims otherwise, they are exaggerating to make the story more interesting. The CDC has nothing to gain from hype or sensationalism, so they are more credible when it comes to accurate health news.

[sdd]

Jab...have you ever looked into whether you are a non-secretor? 80% of the population secrets their blood type in their saliva and intestines (not sure how to explain this correctly but it goes something like that...lol) and 20% do not. The 20% are the non-secretors. Those non-secretors are immune to most noroviruses.

I have only v'd 3 times in my life (sadly, I remember each time like it was yesterday). so I am curious as to whether I am immune or not. I may just be a person who doesn't v, because I have had sv's that gave me d only.

I think sometimes that we have a phobia of it because we don't do it often. I v'd for the first time in 24 years this summer. Only once, and the rest of my family was doing it over and over. But, when it was over I said "That was it?" It wasn't that bad. But, alas...my phobia did not go away.

[jab788]

I actually have thought about taking that test. I may, just out of curiosity.

I'm like you. If I do catch something it's usually pretty mild. I'm happy to hear throwing up wasn't so bad for you. It's definitely not as bad as we make it out to be in our heads. Not nearly bad enough to cause us so much panic so often and worry ourselves sick! You will get better... we all can. Just have to work really hard!

[sdd]

Well, I just got my results back and I'm a secretor. So, no immunity here.

I guess I just don't v much. I remember v at 8, then not until 12 and then not until 36 (this year!). I mean, I do get some stomach cramps and d and usually a low grade fever, and I can usually set my clock by the symptoms. Stomach cramps for about 3 or 4 hours before the d starts. D about once every 1/2 hour for the first hour or 2, then once an hour for about 4 more. Then, I get the fever. I'm usually relieved when the fever starts because I know it's over.

No, it wasn't so bad at all. My poor husband was so incredibly sick. He couldn't sit up. Lucky for him, I v'd once and it was over. I had d and then the fever, but I was able to take care of our 3 month old and other 2 kids.

[Bmorebirds]

I'm not sure if it's worse than the past few years, but I've definitely noticed a pattern with myself where I tend to get sick about every few years or so. Nothing major, just a 24 hour virus. My whole family got hit by it too this year, but we're on the mend now. It only lasted a few days each and I feel better about my phobia since I've had it. Just keep practicing good hygiene and you should be fine! If you do catch it (which I DON'T think you will) you can count on the good people of this forum to be there for you!