Quote Originally Posted by jbsmom View Post
All very interesting answers. I have read that excerpt about Norwalk Ohio in the past. I know that is where they discovered it and named it. I was thinking more along the lines of yearly outbreaks like the one we had here in japan this year where more than 90% of our military base was infected. I know that the virus is present year round and the reason we catch it more in the winter is because we are indoors with others. But someone got it first and started the outbreak. I guess I was wondering where that person picked it up. Is it just always present in the environment waiting to strike? If so then if the virus only lives a short time on surfaces how does it survive long enough to infect someone and where does it begin? I am thinking like mdgirl fecal oral route.
The virus can survive days or weeks on a hard surface, possibly much longer on a soft surface like fabric. Cold doesn't kill it, only heat. So it does stay in the environment for quite a while. It would make sense that kids pick it up first as they play outside and put dirty hands/toys in their mouth all the time. Then they transmit it to the adults in their family. Also, even when there aren't full-blown outbreaks there are almost always a few people sick with it at any given time so if they aren't careful they can infect other people. Same thing with colds, the virus doesn't die out and still gets transmitted because there's always someone sick, even outside of outbreak season. Like I said earlier, our modern cramped living is to blame for how easily it transmits now. I mean, if someone gets sick in a crowded subway in New York for example, they'll potentially infect dozens of people. If someone gets sick in their car in a rural area, they most likely won't infect anyone or very few people they come in contact with afterwards.