hoping this will help with noro anxiety.....

[olschesky]

i know it's that horrible time of the year where noro seems to be everywhere......i just wanted to share something that might help some of you with your anxiety......

i am 59 years old and have had emet since i was 8........i found out just a little over a year ago that this is a phobia that i have......and that i'm not alone. until i found this site i just thought i was a little crazy . one of the first things i learned in coming here is that noro is not airborne.......i had lived 50 years of my life petrified of even breathing during noro season. i was never a big hand washer.....why would i bother? ......i thought it was airborne........i'm also a smoker which means my hands are always near my mouth.....touching cigarettes that go in my mouth. i've worked in offices, waited tables and now i own a cleaning business where i go into apartments after college students have moved out.....i clean the nastiest bathrooms without gloves......and then smoke........never giving it a second thought.........i've ridden subways in nyc...used bathrooms in grand central station, gas stations etc. and never had a problem.........

i am more aware now about washing my hands......but still pretty much only wash them when i get home from work or before i start to cook........not even after using the restroom.......gross i know......

i'm just hoping that some readers will get some relief in knowing that just because you touch something or leave the house doesnt mean you will get noro......

sorry this went on soo long

[JustLacey]

Thanks! I didn't know Noro wasn't airbourne!
I still worry about Noro, but not so much, I just overwash my hands. I heard that blood group O- have natural immunity to the Norovirus, so I just use my normal routine, & my family aren't prone to noro either, which is a plus point! xxx

[ashleyn]

Thanks! I didn't know Noro wasn't airbourne!
I still worry about Noro, but not so much, I just overwash my hands. I heard that blood group O- have natural immunity to the Norovirus, so I just use my normal routine, & my family aren't prone to noro either, which is a plus point! xxx

actually people with blood type 0 get noro the worst.scientist say that when people with blood type o get noro they get it the worst out of everyone and that people with blood type ab i think get the milder cases.


New research suggests that there is a connection between Norovirus infection and a person’s blood type. A, B, and O phenotypes are determined by the presence or absence of carbohydrate antigens on glycolipids and glycoproteins found on the surface of mucosal epithelia as well as RBC’s. In this study, individuals with type O phenotype were found to be most susceptible to Norovirus infection. Individuals who express type B antigen (B and AB phenotypes) were at decreased risk of infection. When these B and AB phenotypes were infected, they were more likely to be asymptomatic

[CherBirdie]

Thanks for this, it is comforting! I imagine you have a stomach of steel and an incredibly strong immune system.

[Midnight Dream]

Thank you so much for this I will keep this info in mind (Y) x

[ren2005]

thanks for posting this! I hope what my boyfriend had was noro and NOT an airborne stomach virus.

[ButterfliesInHerEyes]

I have Type O blood and I've only ever had a stomach virus (I guess it was?) twice in my life. I'm 47 years old. Not even sure it was noro because it's not like I went to the doctor. Both times only lasted through the night and I was fine the next morning. So I'd say that's mild?

[JustLacey]

actually people with blood type 0 get noro the worst.scientist say that when people with blood type o get noro they get it the worst out of everyone and that people with blood type ab i think get the milder cases.


New research suggests that there is a connection between Norovirus infection and a person’s blood type. A, B, and O phenotypes are determined by the presence or absence of carbohydrate antigens on glycolipids and glycoproteins found on the surface of mucosal epithelia as well as RBC’s. In this study, individuals with type O phenotype were found to be most susceptible to Norovirus infection. Individuals who express type B antigen (B and AB phenotypes) were at decreased risk of infection. When these B and AB phenotypes were infected, they were more likely to be asymptomatic

Eeeh, I got a gift through the post, from Ohio, just now! It's a panic! So kind, I'll send one back, aye?

[Natiebear]

actually people with blood type 0 get noro the worst.scientist say that when people with blood type o get noro they get it the worst out of everyone and that people with blood type ab i think get the milder cases.


New research suggests that there is a connection between Norovirus infection and a person’s blood type. A, B, and O phenotypes are determined by the presence or absence of carbohydrate antigens on glycolipids and glycoproteins found on the surface of mucosal epithelia as well as RBC’s. In this study, individuals with type O phenotype were found to be most susceptible to Norovirus infection. Individuals who express type B antigen (B and AB phenotypes) were at decreased risk of infection. When these B and AB phenotypes were infected, they were more likely to be asymptomatic

I have to say i don't know if the scientists may be a little wrong here. I have only had sv twice since i was a toddler and bot times it was mild. The first time i was 14 and v* just once second time i was 3 months pregnant and had morning sickness and only had 2 v* episodes. It was a sv* i know cause others caught if from me. They were way sicker the i. So i think everyones differant. Oh im type O blood also.

[Elski]

Thanks Olschesky! It's always good to read something that puts things into perspective xx

[ButterfliesInHerEyes]

You know, I wonder how many people that prepare our food etc don't wash their hands after using the bathroom.... and here we are washing our hands raw and hand sanitizing TO DEATH......

[runner1998]

I have Type O blood and I've only ever had a stomach virus (I guess it was?) twice in my life. I'm 47 years old. Not even sure it was noro because it's not like I went to the doctor. Both times only lasted through the night and I was fine the next morning. So I'd say that's mild?

I don't think most people get tested after having a stomach virus because it is self-limiting and so short in duration (~24 hours) that most people don't have a good reason go to doctor. So definitely it's hard to say how common noro actually is. Some people who report having a stomach virus may actually have food poisoning -- the symptoms are very similar and it could explain an outbreak amongst a group of people in close proximity in the same relatively limited period time if they ate from the same contaminated source.

An article I read in a medical journal said type B blood (either being type B or type AB) confers an immunity advantage to genotype one noroviruses (which includes the Norwalk virus), but they don't think it confers the same immune advantage to genotype two noroviruses. So while being a B or an AB is an advantage, it doesn't make you immune to all noroviruses.

I think the other thing is with social media, we're now much more connected and because we are super sensitive and aware of it as Emets, it makes it SEEM like there are a lot more people coming down with stomach viruses than there actually are.

[grrlga30]

Dont you think the phobia is so much worse with all the social networking?? i mean before facebook..ect i never knew many people that had it, unless someone close to me caught it..and the blood tpye thing is weird because my daughters dad is b and he catches sv atleast twice a year...me and my dad and husband are all type 0, and havent had it in years, my dad got it this year and he said it was his first in 30 years..

[Midnight Dream]

Agreed ^^^^ x

[hairyfairy]

I get very anxious about noro being on computer keyboards & other stuff that I touch when I`m out & about, but I`m very careful not to put my hands near my mouth, & use hand sanitiser.

[ButterfliesInHerEyes]

Dont you think the phobia is so much worse with all the social networking

Yes absolutely! When I was younger (I'm 47 now) I didn't even know there was a "flu season" because people didn't talk about it... it wasn't advertised on TV... the flu didn't make the news.... and we didn't have flu shots. And you know what? Everyone was healhty. I don't remember anyone having the flu. Don't remember any flu outbreak in school or anywhere in the community. I'm sure individual people got it but it wasn't this horrible thing that it's made out to be now. AND we didn't have hand sanitizer... nobody had anything frozen in their lunch box to keep food fresh. We packed a lunch in a paper bag and kept it in a warm school locker from morning until lunchtime... and nobody got sick. I don't recall anyone even washing their hands before eating. We'd go straight from gym class, with our hands touching the floor, gym equipment, etc., straight to lunch. Again, nobody got sick.

So yes, a little (or a lot nowadays) knowledge is a dangerous thing.

[Avath]

actually people with blood type 0 get noro the worst.scientist say that when people with blood type o get noro they get it the worst out of everyone and that people with blood type ab i think get the milder cases.


New research suggests that there is a connection between Norovirus infection and a person’s blood type. A, B, and O phenotypes are determined by the presence or absence of carbohydrate antigens on glycolipids and glycoproteins found on the surface of mucosal epithelia as well as RBC’s. In this study, individuals with type O phenotype were found to be most susceptible to Norovirus infection. Individuals who express type B antigen (B and AB phenotypes) were at decreased risk of infection. When these B and AB phenotypes were infected, they were more likely to be asymptomatic

Wow that was MEAN!



Thanks though, OP, that really helped. Just read an article on a news site about how the noro virus is kicking up to full speed around here and I was just starting to freak out and your post calmed me down some. Thank you!!!

[michellenukes]

Im AB Negative and my dad and brother are B. My mom and sister however are A type which kind of makes sense to me now. Everytime my mom or sister would get an sv* neither me my brother or dad would get it.

[olschesky]

i agree with butterflies.....i'm 59 and up until maybe 15 years ago i never remember hearing about sv all over the place......i'm sure it was....but now we hear about it......i agree that sometimes too much information is dangerous.......lol

[sdfl]

I wonder why they say those with O type are more susceptible? It seems flawed almost. I know two people with O types who have hardly if ever had stomach viruses.
I am type A and I have had more than anyone in my family.

[crystalmom]

Agreed....ignorance is bliss.