Printable View
OK, there seems to be a bit of confusion here about it's spread...
Is the virus airborne ONLY when a person vomits, and if so for how long/far? Can it also be in the air when they pass a bm*? Can the airborn particles get into the eyes too?
Thanks... :)
J
It's not air borne but can spray spores if you are close to active v*.
OK, but assume someone takes a bm* in the bathroom - should I be concerned / close the door after they leave, and if so for how long are the particless airborne?Quote:
Originally Posted by jennnh
Thanks! :)
J
It settles very fast and when flushed it goes down, of you are concerned clean the toilet and counters in the bathroom with bleach solution!
Like Jennnh said, it's only airborne if you're close to a person while they are actually v*ing. The particles settle super quickly, so just make sure you wash your hands after using the bathroom or touching things in the bathroom. Otherwise, you can only get the virus by ingesting it.
im not sure if it spreads when you have D? i know if your close to someone V you might get it. happened to my wife last year.
There's an article on this site under "Information and Research" about norovirus and how it's spread. Written to be factual but emet-friendly! I also have the article on my website (link below in my signature line)
I would be very anxious about using a bathroom where someone had recently vted.
I understand that the virus is contagious while the victim is v*ing, but after those symptoms have finished, how is the virus still contagious for a few days? How can we catch it if the ways in which we catch this virus are not happening anymore? I hope that makes sense...
Even after a person is done actively v* and is feeling better, the virus is still shed for some period of time in the stool. That's why they recommend to be safe that someone sick with noro not handle or prepare food for others for at least 3-days after their symptoms have gone away. Realistically, as long as the person practices good hand hygiene, they shouldn't infect anyone, though.
Virus particles that were ejected during the illness that land on surfaces or are otherwise transferred to various surfaces (i.e. you touch a contaminated surface, then touch something else) can "live" (i.e. remain able to infect someone) for quite awhile -- I think they have been shown to live up to weeks. So for example, say someone v*, the particles land on the counter, and no one ever cleans the counter. Then several days later another person touches the counter, then eats something without washing their hands. That person could be infected with norovirus. But if that person had washed their hands before eating, however, they would NOT get the norovirus ...
Bleach is cheap and it kills the norovirus on hard surfaces. I've read conflicting things about lysol spray's effectiveness. Hand washing is probably the most basic way to prevent an infection -- just plain soap and water, the idea is to wash any virus particles away. Basically, any time you are going to eat make sure to wash your hands and you'll REALLY reduce your chances of getting norovirus even if it is in your house or office.
So essentially, if the person's house isn't cleaned well and if the person doesn't wash his or her hands after d*, those are the only ways it can spread? So in theory its safe to be around people whose symptoms have disappeared as long as they wash their hands after d*?
Quote:
Originally Posted by surfer777
pretty much yes, unless they V right in front of you, then you have a higher chance of getting it. but i wouldn't be kissing or sharing drinks for at least 10 days.
Yes, I think it is safe to be around a person who has had norovirus. You can't get it by the person breathing on you or coughing. It isn't in the respiratory system. Airborne transmission HAS been shown to occur, but to be infected thru airborne transmission you would have to literally be standing very close to someone while they are actively v*.
I read the study that is cited for the idea that noro can be airborne. It involved people at a dinner party. Someone v* from norovirus and apparently the rest of the dinner party continued eating in the same room (can you imagine? ewwwww.) Several people in the same party got sick within 36 hours. The closer they were to the sick person, the more likely there were to get sick. But you can see how that was probably a worst case scenario: not only would they have breathed in the airborne particles, they were also eating in an area where the particles probably settled ...
There's no evidence that noro can be spread by breath or coughing. I suppose you could get it by kissing a sick person if they had v* on their lips, but otherwise I don't think it is in saliva -- it basically exists in your digestive tract. To be safe, I'd probably avoid letting the person prepare food, handle my utensils, and I wouldn't share a glass for at least a few days.
The CDC has good scientifically based information on norovirus: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/revb/...-factsheet.htm
OK I have another contagious/incubation question...when people say incubation can be anywhere from 12-48 (or 72?) hours depending on how much you ingested, does this mean that the more you ingested the quicker the symptoms show up? And the less you ingest the longer it takes for the symptoms to appear/it may not even show up?