This Just In
New Stomach Bug Sweeping the Country Gives Us Something to Fear Besides the Flu
I'm pretty much ready to buy my family hazmat suits and have them start wearing them full-time for the next couple of months. First there's the flu that has me shooting visual daggers at every kid who coughs in our vicinity, and now there's a new "vomiting virus" infiltrating the country that can keep you and yours home and miserable for days on end too.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today released a report that details this new strain of norovirus that is taking over in the United States and spreading through the world. More than 140 outbreaks in the U.S. since September have been caused by it, and more may be on the way.
According to USA Today, we have our friends in Australia to thank for this one as that's where's it originated. It's been dubbed the GII4 Sydney virus. With it comes things like "nausea, projectile vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain."
Since it's a new strain of the virus, it can potentially have a wider reach since people haven't been exposed to it before. And bonus -- it's extremely contagious.
There is some good news, however. While it's not a fun one to endure, it's not highly dangerous in most cases. The majority of people will fight it off without any kind of medical intervention after a couple of days. Of course, the elderly and others with compromised immune systems are always at the highest risk.
More from The Stir: 5 Surprising Ways to Prevent This Year's Nasty Flu
So it could be worse, but still, I'm so sick of all of the sick. And it's only January. The season for this stuff runs through March!
Actually my family has been pretty fortunate thus far, and besides a bad sinus infection I had last week, we've managed to escape anything else ... so far. But I live in fear and with lots of hand sanitizer just waiting for something to strike, as I know it has for many across the country. How many days until summer?
What kind of sickness has your family been hit with? Are you living in fear of sickness?
Image via bratha/Flickr
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ruby_jewel_04
nursemama88
Beth
purpleflower514
People get sick. Get over it, the world moves on.
Sarah
LovinJerseyMama
I absolutely hate throwing up but ill take this norovirus over the flu any day. 24 hours of crap coming out of both ends is better then a week of feeling like death
SaphireH
we had the orignal strain at xmas started with my aunts then when to my 3 year old daughter then me in the week before xmas and the day after xmas my husband got it thankfully neither of my boys got it and they say since there is more than one strain out there you can get it more than one. its good that its only a 24 hour deal but i dont do well with any stomach flu and neither does my daughter
bellacazzate
Could you contribute to the hysteria anymore than you have in this post? This is not extremely contagious. It's just as contagious as every other case of noro. Every year there is a new strain/multiple strains. Think of it like the flu shot... people get them every year because there is a New. Strain. When you get noro, you have about a 14 week window of immunity before another strain rears. Your anti-bacterial hand sanitizers will not protect you against a virus. Wash your hands. That's all you can do. Noro spreads when people do not wash properly and run amok with feces or vomit on their hands... that they then insert in their mouths. Warm, soapy water, sing the ABCs or the Happy Birthday song while you do it. 15-20 seconds. It's the only way to not contract it.
It's a terrible illness that can honestly be prevented and slowed by regular hand washing.
imamombygrace
whatever82
I hate fearmongering stories like these... this happens every year. Not news.