Airborne SV*?

[tojohn]

On the news today they reported an outbreak of illness of people who ate at a local restaurant (Dinosaur BBQ) nearly 300 people got sick.


After an investigation by the county health department they ruled out food poisoning and said it must be an AIRBORNE STOMACH BUG.


WHOA!!! I thought sv could not be airborne. Is this something new, maybe something I haven't heard of. I starting to freak out here. what could make so many people so sick and it's not FP?Edited by: tojohn

[madisonsmom]

SV are not airborne. You should read the sv q&a at the top of the forum.


A person or persons who were preparing the food could have been sick. They were probably not hygenic and really should not have been at work sick.


The only way you can "catch" a stomach virus is to ingest it.


I have read that if you are near a person who is v*, maybe the droplets can infect you but I dont *think* they have conclusive evidence of this.Edited by: madisonsmom

[johnlp]

On the news today they reported an outbreak of illness of people who ate at a local restaurant (Dinosaur BBQ) nearly 300 people got sick.


After an investigation by the county health department they ruled out food poisoning and said it must be an AIRBORNE STOMACH BUG.


WHOA!!! I thought sv could not be airborne. Is this something new, maybe something I haven't heard of. I starting to freak out here. what could make so many people so sick and it's not FP?

I think we all read the post on here that it is not passed via air in saliva and respitory secretions, but I am reading more that it is spread via respitory now! [img]smileys/smilies_12.gif[/img]


I'm not trying to be the profit of doom, but I don't know what to think anymore. I'm about to the point of touge kissing the next person who has it so I can have it and get it over with (provided I don't v*).


Damn you emet! Damn you to HELL and take the sv* with you!

[madisonsmom]

Well if you have the germs on your hands and touch yours eyes or nose then you can be infected. But I dont see how its possible to "inhale" it. I mean that goes in your lungs (if you breathe through your nose) not your digestive system.


I dont know about saliva.


It is NOT like the respiratory influenza virus or TB...it cannot be transmitted that way and float in the air across the room to you with you just being in the same room as someone sick...unless they are v* in front of you.


That restaurant incident almost has to be because of a sick employee preparing food because you CAN transmit it that way.Edited by: madisonsmom

[tojohn]

I don't know other than what was on the news and they said it several times,airborne stomach bug, and if the county health department doesn't know well shouldn't they?


I dont know who to believe anymore.

[johnlp]

Reassuring![img]smileys/smilies_01.gif[/img]


Thanks![img]smileys/smilies_04.gif[/img]


As long as there is hope I can cope!


Hey, that would make a nifty bumper sticker quote! [img]smileys/smilies_04.gif[/img]

[katsamsmom3]

John...i agree with you....damn the emt....it makes me angry to have a phobia like this!!! I hate this time of year and i feel like i cant alwasy enjoy things because of it!





Rebecca

[Girlygirl1980s]

Tojohn, where do you live?

[johnlp]

Dallas / Ft. Worth, TexasEdited by: johnlp

[madisonsmom]

I don't know other than what was on the news and they said it several times,airborne stomach bug, and if the county health department doesn't know well shouldn't they?


I dont know who to believe anymore.

The news and media tend to "play up" these things. There is NO SUCH THING as an airborne stomach virus. It may seem this way because these are very contagious. It is not like the flu where you sneeze and cough and the virus is suspended in the air. Where did this happen? Was the health dept on TV?


I am a RN and have been around people who have been sick with a sv. Not necessarily right next to them but they were sick but I didnt come in contact with either of the excretions and I have not gotten sick. You simply cannot get sick by just standing next to someone. You would have to have to ingest the virus. I take precautions, as many of us do, and I just have not gotten it this way. For example, my daughter had a sv with only diarrhea. She was in diapers at the time and I changed everyone of them and NEVER got sick.


Things like colds, TB, influenza, these are airborne. The viral particle can "float" until it dries out. These viruses are very light and are able to float. The only way ia sv could be considered "airborne" is if you are next to a person who is v* (and that is not something that emets do) then yes, the particles are suspended in air for a VERY short time and land on surfaces which you could touch... if you dont wash your hands thoroughly then yes...you can get it. It doesnt take many particles to become infected.


Please try not to worry. These types of viruses are not like typical "airborne" viruses.


Edited by: madisonsmom

[tojohn]

I live in central New York state and for the last two days news reports have been calling this an "airborne stomach bug" tonite however they are saying it's "something viral" and the county health commissioner is now saying an employee may have contaminated the food by coming to work sick. They are also saying now that up to 600 people some from as far away as california who ate there last weekend are reporting illness.


I don't know if the news is getting better or worse.

[crimgoddess]

^^ Double word to what Madisonmom is saying. My boyfriend is also an RN, and hasn't caught one stomach virus from work in the year and a half that we have been together, and he has had patients who were actively displaying symptoms.


*amber*

[madisonsmom]

Im not going to lie...I get REAL nervous when someone is sick with a stomach virus. I take precautions... like we all do.


You really have to consider the source when you hear things like this. I know I do. The news is not always accurate.


I really hate this time of year too. As hygenic as emets are we usually make it through the bad season just fine[img]smileys/smilies_02.gif[/img]


I am really reluctant to eat out this time of year because of this.Edited by: madisonsmom

[worrygirl]

My dtr has been sick with sv before and v*ed while I held the trashcan for her and also at times when I've been in the same room with her. I think it is extremely rare to get itviaairbourne.

[HDogg]

The news isn't accurate and exaggerates things?!?! You are kidding?????!!!!!!! *drips heavily with sarcasm* [img]smileys/smilies_05.gif[/img]


I have never in my life heard of an airbourne sv. I think it's all BS. But if there is such a thing, then we can add the following to the Official Emetophobia Bite Me Thread:


Airbourne sv*s, real or imaginary, can BITE ME. [img]smileys/smilies_04.gif[/img]

[gumdropper1]

Yes, the Norwalk virus is quite potent as an airborne virus. It starts with the sneezing or vomiting of an infected person. Those tiny water droplets can become airborne and stay airborne for a very long time. They have studied cases of the spread of Norwalk and found that when a person vomits in a crowded room, the chances of others becoming infected are directly proportional to how close they were.


This pic shows the aerosolization of a sneeze.





[img]uploads/images/gumdropper1/C6D_sneeze.jpg[/img]

[johnlp]

Well, now I just lost my will to live![img]smileys/smilies_07.gif[/img]

[madisonsmom]

Yes, the Norwalk virus is quite potent as an airborne virus. It starts with the sneezing or vomiting of an infected person. Those tiny water droplets can become airborne and stay airborne for a very long time. They have studied cases of the spread of Norwalk and found that when a person vomits in a crowded room, the chances of others becoming infected are directly proportional to how close they were.


This pic shows the aerosolization of a sneeze.





[img]uploads/images/gumdropper1/C6D_sneeze.jpg[/img]

If a person vomits in a crowded room then some people will get it. No doubt about that. But if you are just near someone sickthan no you cannot get it. This case that the original poster is talking about is a case of a sick employee handling food.


If a person with a stomach virus sneezes...it is SO iffy to whether it will be spread. If they JUST got done v* then its possible if they sneeze right afterwards...and you would have to be close to them.


Respiratory illnesses are spread via sneezes and coughs and not handwashing. When you sneeze the droplets are coming from your respiratory tract, not your digestive tract. So this pic is kind of inaccurate in my opinion when it comes to the spread of noroviruses or any type of gastro virus because they are not v* in the air. The particles that are spread in the airfall MUCH quicker than a respiratory virus. Like influenza, it stays in the air MUCH longer...a stomach virus would not stay in the air long. You would more likely get it from touching the surfaces around where the person was sick. With influenza some people v*...if fact people v* from many different things. It doesnt always have to be a stomach bug. You must come in contact with the v* or diarrhea andswallow it to become infected. It is spread by hands more than anything else.


Gosh, if it was airborne like thatand spread by sneezes I would be sick all the time and so would everyone else!


I am not trying to debate here but many people have high anxiety levels and this just makes their anxiety escalate even higher. [img]smileys/smilies_01.gif[/img]Edited by: madisonsmom

[marieb73]

On the news today they reported an outbreak of illness of people who ate at a local restaurant (Dinosaur BBQ) nearly 300 people got sick.


After an investigation by the county health department they ruled out food poisoning and said it must be an AIRBORNE STOMACH BUG.


WHOA!!! I thought sv could not be airborne. Is this something new, maybe something I haven't heard of. I starting to freak out here. what could make so many people so sick and it's not FP?

OMG Where do you live? I am originally from Syracuse NY and that is the home of the Dinosaur BBQ! I used to eat at that place all the time when I lived there. It was awesome!

[Girlygirl1980s]

I live in the Rochester area, and I saw it on the news today. They referred to it as a "virus." I heard nothing about it being airborne. I sure hope it isn't. I'm not all that far from Syracuse. [img]smileys/smilies_03.gif[/img]

[stormchaser97]

A little clarification on the airborne phenomenon might be in order. Recent NV outbreaks recently promted me to break out my pub med database access and check out the journal articles (i'm a gradstud. in a med school) The airborne situation the scientist are referring to in the papers on NV I read (recent ones)is the "aerosolization" that "could" occur when somone V* (up to 20 feet) infection of other people from this aeroslization could result from either a person to close getting that in their mouths, eyes, or nasal passage and then having it go down their throat into their digestive tract or touching a surface that wasn't properly cleaned after the episode then touching their eyes, nose, or mouth. Both studies I viewed described proximity to the V* as the determining factor, not contact with the persons themself. The farther you are from the V* when it happens, the less likely you are to have probs with this type of sv* So for someone paranoid like me if I was around someone when the did it from an sv* I'd wash my hands and face.Just an FYI, thought it might help straighten things up.Made me feel a bit better anyway when I read it awhile back anyway.


Articles where published in the journal of Epidemiology and Infection.

[rubysoho120]

A little clarification on the airborne phenomenon might be in order. Recent NV outbreaks recently promted me to break out my pub med database access and check out the journal articles (i'm a gradstud. in a med school) The airborne situation the scientist are referring to in the papers on NV I read (recent ones)is the "aerosolization" that "could" occur when somone V* (up to 20 feet) infection of other people from this aeroslization could result from either a person to close getting that in their mouths, eyes, or nasal passage and then having it go down their throat into their digestive tract or touching a surface that wasn't properly cleaned after the episode then touching their eyes, nose, or mouth. Both studies I viewed described proximity to the V* as the determining factor, not contact with the persons themself. The farther you are from the V* when it happens, the less likely you are to have probs with this type of sv* So for someone paranoid like me if I was around someone when the did it from an sv* I'd wash my hands and face.Just an FYI, thought it might help straighten things up.Made me feel a bit better anyway when I read it awhile back anyway.


Articles where published in the journal of Epidemiology and Infection.

Wait so is the article saying that they arospray from the v* person can go down your throat or in your nose and into your digestive system and make you sick? Or that it can land on your face and such and you can transfer it into your mouth nose or eyes that way and then get sick?

[stormchaser97]

[/QUOTE]


Wait so is the article saying that they arospray from the v* person can go down your throat or in your nose and into your digestive system and make you sick? Or that it can land on your face and such and you can transfer it into your mouth nose or eyes that way and then get sick?[/QUOTE]

They're saying it "could" infect you if you're within a certain range feet. They put a big qualifier on it in the article emphasis on "could", and go into a big discussion about the probability of that happening, which is not likely. Plus that's only</span> V*, not sneezing like was mentioned, and these aren't episodes where someone is using the trash can or toilet which would obviously contain it. The most likely way they think it happened was aerosol from v* to anothers hand, no washing</span>, to mouth etc. In each</span> of these articles the researchers always site how difficult it is to say that's what happened for sure because the studies were done on groups where they couldn't determine another source. Now as a person who's done some writing for scientific papers, and knows how grants and publications work. It means that they are SPECULATING, and posing it as a possibility cuz they couldn't find another source, they even acknowledge that could be a possibility in the article. Plus researchers are expected to may NEW contributions in their papers if they want to get funded again.

These data were based on actual outbreaks and not controlled studies, and you know how controlled an elementary school is (one of the sites). You already saw with the BBQ case they went from not being able to find the bacterial source to saying it was viral. Just wait a bit and they'll tell you what they find out, ignore it til they quit using "think" and "might" as qualifiers. So I wouldn't worry about it too much, and the face washing thing was advice for if you're going to worry anyway. But I can tell you from personal experience with my mom and grandma when I've had sv* (including NV) when I was little, being right there beside me, neither of them ever got it (through about 4 episodes each, multiple v* each episode)

[stormchaser97]

Oh just some other info, over 1000 people ate at the restaurant that day and which means a pretty good portion of them didn't get sick and the 600 being reported is actually the total number who got sick from this source AND contact with sick people from the source. Only about 270 some of those people were actually at the restaurant, the rest were ppl. those people infected. I like those numbers, it means only 27% of people who were in the restaurant got sick, and sick people only infected an average of 1.1 other people (likely most infected none, and a few unsanitary ppl caused a few). Not good, but they're making it sound a lot different til you read the fine print. If it really was being "spread through the air" a lot more would have gotten it.

Edited by: stormchaser97

[xxsophiaxx]

no1's alone. I hate this time of year. for many reasons. This is the month I became emet. in the year 2000.

[madisonsmom]

Thank you!


You really have to be wary of the media!

[tojohn]

Wow it is just incredible the stuff you can learn from people on this site,I guess it is better to be well informed. Fyi this morning the Dinosaur BBQ re-opened to huge crowds even with all this news the good food and biker attitude is still fun.

[madisonsmom]

You can bet I wont eat there![img]smileys/smilies_03.gif[/img]

[marieb73]

My take on it is this:


Onondaga County, where this restaruant is located, has a a strict glove policy for food workers. I know becauseI used to live there. I think they are trying to pass it off as airborn because maybe this restaurant wasn't abiding by the glove policy.

[stormchaser97]

My take on it is this:


Onondaga County, where this restaruant is located, has a a strict glove policy for food workers. I know becauseI used to live there. I think they are trying to pass it off as airborn because maybe this restaurant wasn't abiding by the glove policy.

That's an important thing to note. If the Health Dept. can't precisely
pinpoint a food source of contamination, or employee, then they can't
say it was passed in the food or the restaurant would probably sue them
for hurting business without just cause/accurate info. So the health dept. has to
watch its words very carefully. You know, like news casters say "person of interest" instead of suspect [img]smileys/smilies_02.gif[/img]



(note: i did read somewhere where a source said the owner sent several
ill employees home....hmm.... do we still thinks it wasn't food even if
they can't pinpoint it)
Edited by: stormchaser97