Should we cancel our trip? Norovirus scare..

[Cutea]

Hi everyone!
I'm new, and so glad to have found this forum...

Here's the situation: my parents came down with a stomach virus (probably norovirus) yesterday, and my husband and I are supposed to visit and stay with them in 2 weeks (13 days, to be exact). Needless to say, I am terrified out of my mind.

They live in a small 2-bedroom condo, with one main bathroom. I've read many articles about norovirus and how it stays on surfaces for 2 weeks or longer, and I've read about people going to stay with family who recently had it and everyone comes down with it.. I'm seriously considering canceling our trip altogether. What do you think? It would be costly to cancel the flights, but I don't want to risk my husband and I getting sick. Even if they disinfect, noro can live on towels, dishes, basically everything in the house. We can't afford to stay in a hotel for the entire time, although this option crossed my mind.

I've been a wreck about this, because I know my parents would be really disappointed, and it will cost us hundreds to cancel the trip.. This is like my worst nightmare. I have also been waiting for a vacation for months (this is my spring break- I work in public schools). Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[mdgirl1977]

can you stay in a hotel?

[Cutea]

can you stay in a hotel?

I wish we could...it might be really expensive, but maybe we should anyway

[psalm139]

Could you reschedule the visit?? My mom is very flexible with me if her or my stepdad are sick she knows it upset me so we usually just reschedule

[MaybeBaby]

If they got it on the same night it's more likely to be food poisoning which is not contagious. But if it is noro two weeks is the perfect amount of time to wait to see someone. So I wouldn't worry as much. My best friend and her child and her husband got the Sydney strain October 2012 and my daughter went there for childcare. I kept her out for a week and a half, had my boyfriend watch her since he works the morning shift. Sent her back and she never caught it, even playing with the same stuff her 1 year old was playing with. I went there to pick her up every day and I didn't catch it either. I also know for a fact she didn't bleach her whole house.

[Cutea]

If they got it on the same night it's more likely to be food poisoning which is not contagious. But if it is noro two weeks is the perfect amount of time to wait to see someone. So I wouldn't worry as much. My best friend and her child and her husband got the Sydney strain October 2012 and my daughter went there for childcare. I kept her out for a week and a half, had my boyfriend watch her since he works the morning shift. Sent her back and she never caught it, even playing with the same stuff her 1 year old was playing with. I went there to pick her up every day and I didn't catch it either. I also know for a fact she didn't bleach her whole house.

Thank you SO much for telling me this! I wasn't sure if 2 weeks would be long enough...I wish it was food poisoning, but my mom got it first and then my dad got it a day later. Unfortunately, we can't reschedule the visit because this is the only vacation I get until July. I've been wrestling with it all day.. my husband thinks I'm overreacting and crazy, but he doesn't understand how it feels to have this fear.

[Dairyfreelife]

No, I don't think you should. It won't last that long on towels. Biggest risk is sometimes it lingers in the stools and 13 days is plenty. Go, see your parents, enjoy their company, have fun. Don't let this stupid phobia get in the way of your time together. They won't be around forever. Enjoy them while you can. Wash the dishes before eating off them if it concerns you and maybe bring along extra towels or purchase cheap ones so you don't have to use theirs. Buy a can lysol III once you arrive if it would make you more comfortable to disinfect a bit, like handles and such. Wash your hands frequently and keep them out of your mouth and you won't get sick.

[Syrup]

I really think, no I KNOW, that you will be fine. If you're really concerned have your mom buy bleach and clean the bathroom and kitchen surfaces before you arrive or you could clean them yourself when you get there. As far as strains that last for 2 weeks, that's usually Rotavirus which adults rarely catch anyway. 99% of cases are in children. Remember that MOST people don't worry about stomach viruses and MOST of the time, even in households where people don't go overboard cleaning everyone doesn't catch it. 2 1/2 weeks from now I am 100% sure there isn't going to be anything for you to catch. You are totally safe. Go. Enjoy your trip!!!! Don't let something like this get in the way of your happiness and family time!

[Cutea]

Thanks for your advice, everyone... I probably shouldn't keep reading all the CDC and medical articles about norovirus, but they all say that people can excrete the virus for 2 weeks, and it can live on surfaces for "weeks"... Lysol and other cleaners don't kill it, btw.. only bleach or hydrogen peroxide.

I guess we'll take the chance. I'll make sure my parents bleach everything, and I'll probably bring some peroxide wipes with me (yes, I'm that scared: I bought a container of them on amazon).

[AoD]

Ask your parents to wash and dry the towels with the hottest cycles, if they have a sanitizing cycle use that. That should kill it. Honestly, if you do a once-over of easily contaminated surfaces with bleach you should be fine. If you're really worried, soak the cutlery and dishes in a diluted bleach solution for about ten minutes and rinse well. I did that when my roommate had a stomach virus last year and I didn't catch it. Yes, people can excrete the virus for two weeks, but keep in mind that after the initial bout of d* the virus won't spread easily from the toilet to the rest of the bathroom as it will mostly be contained in the stools.

[mrsjacks]

I think the claims about how easily it's transmitted are largely overblown. They make it sound as if it floats on the wind and infects everyone within a hundred yard radius. Yes, it's contagious, but it's only because most people aren't conscientious about hygiene. They have d* or v* and don't wash their hands or surfaces in the bathroom, and that's usually how it's transmitted. I say go and have fun. Take your own towels and pillow cases and maybe even disposable cups and utensils if you'd feel more comfortable. Then get there and Lysol the crap out of everything LOL

[Syrup]

Lysol III absolutely kills the virus, if you're that concerned it's really easy to just spray everything down with a can to kill it. You DO need to stop reading all of that junk on the internet. Everything states that AT THE MOST the virus can last for 2 weeks. That's not average or even common. The 'peak' for particles shedding in stool is 48 hours after symptoms appear in an individual (which is usually just as they are beginning to feel better). EVERY DAY after that there are fewer and fewer particles being shed. Same for particles on countertops, etc. they get weaker and weaker. Remember that just because the particles are there or even being shed does not mean that they are strong enough or enough of them to make someone sick.

FYI, my parents are visiting from out of town, my father was sick a week before arriving. He's now been here for close to a week and nobody in my family has caught anything from him.

You're totally safe and are going to be FINE!

[kitbuddy]

Yes, the media definitely makes me more fearful. There was an article a few years back titled "Why Washing Your Hands May Not Be Enough," and in the article, it stated that your best hope of prevention was...washing your hands. UGH. They'll also report myths as fact. I thought it was airborne for years thanks to news reports.

[mrsjacks]

Yes, the media definitely makes me more fearful. There was an article a few years back titled "Why Washing Your Hands May Not Be Enough," and in the article, it stated that your best hope of prevention was...washing your hands. UGH. They'll also report myths as fact. I thought it was airborne for years thanks to news reports.

I've read everything from claims that bleach doesn't kill Noro, and that you have to wash your hands for three minutes. What the?!

[mrsjacks]

Yeah, I think the whole, "can be infectious up to two weeks after" mostly applies to children (because, let's face it, children are wonderful, but they're also super spreaders of viruses) and "can infect you from touched surfaces up to two weeks after" would really only apply to people with super weakened immune systems, such as cancer patients or the elderly.