Why is noro so violent?

[hairyfairy]

Iv`e read descriptions of the symptoms of norovirus, & people vting 10 or more times, & projectile vting. Iv`e never heard of that with other svs. What makes noro so much more severe than other bugs?

[jbsmom]

I am no expert and I have no scientific evidence to back this up but, I have done some reading on it and i think that its because the make up of the noro virus is so diffierent. It has like a a different shell that doesnt match other viruses. Thats why it can survive hand sanitizers and only takes a few of the virus to infect a person. I will try to find where i read it so i can give you more specific information.

[JellyBn83]

I just read that and I am happy to say (a little pat on my back) it didn't bother me! Surprisingly, I knew pretty much all the information so it wasn't new, so maybe that is why. Or maybe it was the fact that I have been working on my CBT and what not. But I can see HOW it could bother people! So if words bother you and if you are like me and can get a clear picture in your head (there are NO pictures on this except of the the actual norovirus) then be warned!

[sage]

Jelly is referring to an article link by another member but I deleted the post as it was far too frightening (and not even scientifically accurate) for posting here.

secondly, norovirus is not "violent." That's just an unhelpful way of referring to it. Hurricanes and tornadoes are violent. The guy who shot 20 children was violent. Norovirus is just a normal harmless virus. Yes, it causes vomiting and sometimes that can be quite forceful because you're sick with billions of viral particles and you need to get them out. I had noro and did not vomit 10x, or 30x or anything like that. That's because I did not try to drink water until vomiting had stopped for 2 hours. If you take a sip every time you're sick you will get sick again. If you don't once your stomach is empty you won't be sick again.

As well, there is no such thing as another type of stomach virus. Norovirus is the term now for all Norwalk-like viruses, or all "stomach bugs."

i know the press particularly in Britain are going crazy reporting noro this year but we should really all thank God they haven't had a school shooting. If they did, you wouldn't hear another word about it. Honestly guys, the more you obsess over this the worse your phobia is going to get. I understand the fear, I really do. But all this anxious focus on norovirus isn't helping.

[Cynna]

Thank you for explaining it.

[JellyBn83]

Jelly is referring to an article link by another member but I deleted the post as it was far too frightening (and not even scientifically accurate) for posting here.

secondly, norovirus is not "violent." That's just an unhelpful way of referring to it. Hurricanes and tornadoes are violent. The guy who shot 20 children was violent. Norovirus is just a normal harmless virus. Yes, it causes vomiting and sometimes that can be quite forceful because you're sick with billions of viral particles and you need to get them out. I had noro and did not vomit 10x, or 30x or anything like that. That's because I did not try to drink water until vomiting had stopped for 2 hours. If you take a sip every time you're sick you will get sick again. If you don't once your stomach is empty you won't be sick again.

As well, there is no such thing as another type of stomach virus. Norovirus is the term now for all Norwalk-like viruses, or all "stomach bugs."

i know the press particularly in Britain are going crazy reporting noro this year but we should really all thank God they haven't had a school shooting. If they did, you wouldn't hear another word about it. Honestly guys, the more you obsess over this the worse your phobia is going to get. I understand the fear, I really do. But all this anxious focus on norovirus isn't helping.

So that is probably why it didn't bother me! Oye! I thought that the parts that I didn't "know", was just that, I didn't know it, but maybe it is the fact that it is wrong.

[Cynna]

So proud of you Jelly for not getting upset. Pat on the back. You are kicking emets a...

[Kinetic]

I actually lurked and read that article earlier...honestly it was kind of uneceasary and hard to read. Too visceral for my liking.
Anyway, i dont think noro is violent - i had it as a child and gagged a lot before actually vomiting. The only time i have ever been uncontrollably ill was from motion sickness.

[AoD]

Jelly is referring to an article link by another member but I deleted the post as it was far too frightening (and not even scientifically accurate) for posting here.

secondly, norovirus is not "violent." That's just an unhelpful way of referring to it. Hurricanes and tornadoes are violent. The guy who shot 20 children was violent. Norovirus is just a normal harmless virus. Yes, it causes vomiting and sometimes that can be quite forceful because you're sick with billions of viral particles and you need to get them out. I had noro and did not vomit 10x, or 30x or anything like that. That's because I did not try to drink water until vomiting had stopped for 2 hours. If you take a sip every time you're sick you will get sick again. If you don't once your stomach is empty you won't be sick again.

As well, there is no such thing as another type of stomach virus. Norovirus is the term now for all Norwalk-like viruses, or all "stomach bugs."

i know the press particularly in Britain are going crazy reporting noro this year but we should really all thank God they haven't had a school shooting. If they did, you wouldn't hear another word about it. Honestly guys, the more you obsess over this the worse your phobia is going to get. I understand the fear, I really do. But all this anxious focus on norovirus isn't helping.

That's not exactly true, while they did classify all Norwalk-like viruses as norovirus these are just a class of non-enveloped viruses with similar properties and genetic makeup. There are several other viruses of much less intensity which are also considered to be stomach bugs (the medical term is viral gastroenteritis). These will include rotavirus, adenovirus, etc. which typically cause mild illness in adults (v* once or maybe not at all and some d*) and are less virulent. The term "stomach bug" can also apply to other pathogens such as bacterial infections (salmonella) or protozoans (cryptosporidium). Norwalk-like viruses are extremely hardy and virulent partly because they are non-enveloped viruses. The others cause the milder types of stomach flu.

[Cynna]

Oner.....I think you were referring to the torture as being plain old v... or feeling like you are going to v...

Oner...I am a little confused about what point you are trying to make. Are you trying to say that noro is not as harmful that some emets make it out to be????

[JellyBn83]

So proud of you Jelly for not getting upset. Pat on the back. You are kicking emets a...

Thanks! I have my moments!

[Kinetic]

I think noro is not as bad as we make it out to be (in the grand scheme of things anyway). But compared to the regular flu, even before I was emet, noro was rather uncomfortable and much moreso than influenza was (IMO, not trying to be scary). Its probably because it drains you of nutrients much faster than influenza due to the vomiting and diarrhoea.

[Cynna]

The actual answer is the virus is good at what it does. For a virus, it is efficient. That does not in any way mean that everyone is going to get it or v.. from it. Some seem to have natural immunity. Some never v.... One day it will be defeated with a vaccine.

[gumdropper1]

it causes vomiting and sometimes that can be quite forceful because you're sick with billions of viral particles and you need to get them out.

That is not quite right. The vomiting is not to eliminate the virus particles. The vomiting happens because the virus inflames the GI tract. Neither vomiting nor diarrhea eliminates the virus. It only spreads them further. Doug

[Cynna]

From what I read, Doug is correct.

[Grace47]

Having lived through a Cat 5 hurricane and several tornadoes, you are right, Sage, noro is not anaywhere near as bad as all that. As unpleasant as it is people seldom die from it and it certainlly doesn't take your home, all your belongings and destroy everything around you. I would much rather live through a noro than another cat 5 hurricane. At least, I still have my family, my home, and my stuff afterwards. Plus, it only lasts a day or two with the worst part normally being the first 12 hours. Thanks for putting things in perspective, Sage.

[Cynna]

Where do you live Grace? My dad is north of New Orleans.

Sorry you had to go through all of that

[Grace47]

I was stationed at Homestead Air Force Base during Hurricane Andrew. It was over 20 years ago and the thought of it still makes me cry. I live in Kansas, so tornadoes are a part of life here. They don't scare me so much. For one thing, there is no sitting for days praying they won't hit you. For another, in a few hours one way or another, it's all over. But hurricanes are like a major flood, tornado and tsumani all at the same time. And you have to just sit there and wait and pray for days hoping it doesn't hit you. Awful!

I hope your dad made it through Hurricane Katrina okay. I knew several people down there who were able to get out, but their homes were very damaged. I got out before it hit, but going back was like driving through a nuclear bomb zone. I have deep empathy for anyone who has to live through that.

[Cynna]

My dad evacuated. His roof had to be replaced, but he could live in the home during the repair. They did not flood. My stepsister lost everything. She lived in St Bernard. Flood and tornado. I went last Christmas and you can see see damage that has not been torn down. They just had another one this year. The wait to see if the home was destroyed or trying to get in touch with someone in the area is horrible.

We get tornadoes here, but not like Kansas. There was a bad one last year in Henryville and others areas near Kentucky. I am near Indy. When the weather channel issues a high torcon for the day, I get so anxious. It is so random.

I do not remember a lot about Andrew. My mom had just died and I think I was in a fog then.

[Grace47]

It was a long time ago. I'm so sorry about your father and sister. Tornadoes, honestly, don't bother me much. I know I am prepared and I have a basement. I have never actually been hit by a tornado with 20+ years living in Kansas and Texas. They never took down the old civil defense system here, so there are alarms when tornadoes are around. Having lived around them most of my life, I can just sort of sense when they are coming. They have a distinct smell and feel to them. I always know when they are coming and when to hide. I can't explain it. It's a Great Plains thing.

[ewilkins]

Yes, Doug is correct. The virus basically just has to die..it's not vomited out.

[AoD]

Then why is the number of people who die from noro negligible compared to people who die from influenza?
300 people a year from noro vs 30000 people from flu, something doesn't seem right here.

The unpleasantness of symptoms has no correlation with morbidity and that holds true for several diseases. The reason why influenza is deadlier than stomach illnesses is this: although a stomach illness is very unpleasant and you do get dehydrated, most people will not get dehydrated to a point where it is dangerous except for infants, those with kidney problems and the elderly. So, very few people, and it is easy enough to rehydrate those people either through oral solutions or IV solutions. So, while very unpleasant to have your digestive system contract from one end to the other, keeping you from sleep and feeling nauseous and unable to replenish your energy through food, morbidity is easily prevented. In the case of influenza, you can still eat and drink and sleep (difficult when you are v* and having d*) so the symptoms are not as disruptive but the risks of complications are still higher. Severe fever can be deadly and it isn't necessarily easy to bring down. Even healthy young adults can get dangerous complications (pneumonia, for example) and those are harder to treat than just plain old dehydration. More people are "at risk" including those with respiratory diseases and it can effect affect the heart (I went through that the last time I got the flu). So that's why you see few deaths from noro even though the symptoms are more annoying, whereas the flu kills more people.

[Kinetic]

Then why is the number of people who die from noro negligible compared to people who die from influenza?
300 people a year from noro vs 30000 people from flu, something doesn't seem right here.

Oh I see your point, but I was merely implying that noro is a more unpleasant experience to the average person, keeping in mind emetophobia as a bias in this case.
Obviously the flu there is risk of developing infections far more serious like pneumonia and such. The thread was titled 'why is noro so violent', hence i interpreted it as more of the degree of disruption to everyday life/activity/wellbeing. Remembering my OWN experience, noro left me feeling drained far moreso than influenza. Frankly both are not the party of choice.

[ewilkins]

And some of the noro deaths are a result of severe dehydration. Continuous v can result in an electrolyte imbalance. It's not common, but this can cause death if not treated. I think death-related noro cases are pretty rare overall though.

[summerdazies]

Also, "natural selection" - this may be a bit frank/graphic or unsettling so please bear that in mind. If you wish to read, highlight the text below.

<br><br><span style="color:#ffffff;">My biology teacher in high school said that she once was walking with a friend, who pronounced "I feel sick" and promptly projectile vd. &nbsp;My teacher said that she marveled at the evolutionary design of that illness. &nbsp;So from my perspective, I think the answer to "Why is noro so 'violent'?" would be that if it weren't, it would not be nearly as prevalent. &nbsp;The sudden, projectile v and relatively high virulence allows the virus to perpetuate. &nbsp;It's a "smart" design.</span>