Tag Archives: contagious

The Notorious Norovirus

Image Source: The Buglish

Google “norovirus” and you’ll probably come across headlines such as New Norovirus Strain Rips Through the US, Norovirus: Why washing your hands isn’t enough, or ‘Super Bug’ Norovirus Invades U.S., Symptoms Appear in 48 Hours. Sounds terrifying.

So what’s the deal with the norovirus? It seems like within a few days the norovirus has managed to steal the spotlight from influenza (flu virus). While “norovirus” may sound unfamiliar, most of us have probably gotten sick because of the notorious norovirus. According to the CDC, there are about 20 million norovirus cases each year in the United States. That means about 1 in 15 Americans will get the norovirus this year!

The more common names of norovirus illness are “food poisoning” and “stomach flu.” However, not all food poisoning cases are caused by the norovirus. Also, the stomach flu is not related to the flu (influenza). Norovirus causes gastroenteritis, which is inflammation of the stomach and intestines.

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You can probably guess the symptoms for norovirus illness: diarrhea, throwing up, nausea, and stomach cramping! Ew. Fortunately, most people get better in 1-2 days. Other, less common symptoms may include low-grade fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, and general sense of fatigue.

In addition, norovirus can cause dehydration. Symptoms of dehydration include a decrease in urination, a dry mouth and throat, and feeling dizzy when standing up. If infected, make sure to drink plenty of fluids like water and Gatorade. Try to stay with your normal diet as much as possible, but try to avoid foods that are high in fat and sugar. Also avoid spicy foods, alcohol, and coffee for 2 days after all symptoms have disappeared.

Aside from eating foods or drinking liquids contaminated with norovirus, you can also get it by:

  • Touching surfaces or objects contaminated with norovirus and then putting your hand or fingers in your mouth.
  • Having direct contact with a person who is infected with norovirus (for example, when caring for someone with norovirus or sharing foods or eating utensils with them).
Don't Infect. Disinfect. Photo by Alyssa Llamas

Don’t Infect. Disinfect. Photo by Alyssa Llamas

People with norovirus are contagious from the moment they feel sick until at least 3 days after they recover. If you’re experiencing any of the above symptoms, hide in your room. I’m kidding, but not really. Stay home and get better! Unfortunately, there is no vaccine nor treatment for norovirus.

So, what are we supposed to do? Do we stand a chance against this SUPER BUG that has RIPPED THROUGH THE U.S.? Follow these tips from the CDC and hopefully you won’t catch the norovirus (or it won’t catch you!).

  1. Wash your hands! I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it: Clean Hands Save Lives! Make sure to wash your hands with soap and water after using the bathroom (#1 AND #2) and before eating!
  2. Take care in the kitchen! Carefully wash fruits and vegetables, and cook oysters and other shellfish thoroughly before eating them. Check out A Recipe for Safe Cooking!
  3. Do not prepare food while infected! People with norovirus illness should not prepare food for others while they have symptoms and for 3 days after they recover from their illness.
  4. Clean and disinfect contaminated surfaces! After throwing up or having diarrhea, immediately clean and disinfect contaminated surfaces by using a bleach-based household cleaner as directed on the product label. Clorox wipes? Buy them. Use them.
  5. Wash laundry thoroughly! Immediately remove and wash clothing or linens that may be contaminated with vomit or stool. Handle soiled items carefully—without agitating them—to avoid spreading virus.

By ALYSSA LLAMAS

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Sneeze Like a Lady

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Welcome to the getPHYT Finishing School for Young Ladies and Gentlemen. Today’s lesson will be hygiene etiquette. Like saying “please” and “thank you,” hygiene etiquette is easy and it truly makes the world a better place. Upon completing this lesson, you will know how to help prevent the spread of illness and disease.

You should always practice good hygiene etiquette, but it is especially important when you are sick. The CDC explains that “serious respiratory illnesses like influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), whooping cough, and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)” are spread by coughing, sneezing, and unclean hands.

I am confident that if you follow these 4 steps from the CDC, you will be on your way to becoming a proper and healthy lady or gentleman.

  • Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
  • Put your used tissue in a waste basket.
  • If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve, not your hands.
  • Wash your hands after coughing or sneezing. And make sure to wash them for at least 20 seconds (or the duration of the “Happy Birthday” song sang twice).

Remember, practice makes perfect.

By ALYSSA LLAMAS

Hand + Foot + Mouth

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Equals disease. Wait, what? Can you get it by putting your hand or foot in your mouth? Foot in mouth? GROSS. No, no, no. Let me clarify: Hand, food, and mouth disease (HFMD) is a viral contagious illness that commonly affects infants and children. Most cases of HFMD appear in the spring, summer, and fall. Just like its name, HFMD affects the hand, food, and mouth. An infected person  could have a rash, mouth sores, a combination of symptoms, or none at all. Symptoms include:

  • fever
  • poor appetite
  • malaise (fancy term for “feeling vaguely unwell”)
  • sore throat
  • painful sores in the mouth
  • skin rash with flat or raised spots on the palms of hands and sole of feet and sometime on the buttocks (rash may blister, but won’t itch)

Anyone can get HFMD. Once a person gets HFMD, he or she develops immunity to the specific virus that caused the infection. But there’s a catch! You can still get the disease if you’re infected by a different HFMD-causing virus. These viruses can be found in an infected person’s nose and throat secretions (saliva, sputum, or nasal mucus), blister fluid, or feces. HFMD spreads from an infected person to others through:

  • close personal contact (kissing and hugging)
  • the air by coughing and sneezing
  • contact with feces
  • touching objects or surfaces that have the virus on them

Unfortunately, there is no specific treatment for HFMD, but over-the-counter fever reducers/pain relievers, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen, can be taken. Also, you should also drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration. HFMD usually isn’t serious. In fact, most patients recover in 7 to 10 days without medical treatment. Though complications are not common, a person with HFMD can develop viral meningitis, polio-like paralysis, or encephalitis (brain inflammation) (CDC). Since there isn’t a vaccine to prevent HFMD, it’s important to reduce your risk of getting the disease. The best offense is a good defense.

  • Wash your hands. Seriously, clean hands save lives.
  • Thoroughly clean objects and surfaces that may be contaminated with a HFMD-causing virus. Invest in Clorox wipes.
  • Avoid close contact with people who are infected. That means no hugging or kissing your HFMD-infected boyfriend or girlfriend.

And just in case you were wondering, hand, foot, and mouth disease is NOT the same as foot-and-mouth disease. Foot-and-mouth (aka hoof-and-mouth) disease affects cattle, sheep, and swine and is not a threat to human health. For more info on foot-and-mouth disease, visit USDA: Animal and Plan Inspection Service.

 By ALYSSA LLAMAS

Whoop! There it is.

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WHOOP! There it is…in Washington. Washingtonians are currently in the midst of a whooping cough outbreak. It’s only May and there have already been 1,100 confirmed cases. “That’s 10 times as many as this time last year, and health officials fear the number may rise,” reports NPR.

Whooping couch (also known as Pertussis) is a very serious and contagious illness caused by Bordetella pertussis. Pertussis is spread by coughing or sneezing while in close contact with others. One person coughs or sneezes the bacteria out and another person breathes it in (gross). So make sure to cover your nose/mouth when you sneeze/cough. And please, wash your hands!

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Pertussis starts off with the typical cold symptoms: runny nose, congestion, sneezing, cough, or fever. But after 1-2 weeks, the cough gets really bad. “Pertussis can cause violent and rapid coughing, over and over, until the air is gone from the lungs and you are forced to inhale with a loud ‘whooping’ sound‘” (CDC). What does it sound like? Click here to find out. Babies may have apnea, which is “a pause in the child’s breathing pattern” (CDC). If that happens, take him or her to the hospital asap.

Though whooping couch is highly contagious, it’s also preventable and treatable. Getting vaccinated is the best way to prevent pertussis. Parents should also keep infants away from anyone who has cold or cough symptoms. In the United States, DTaP is the recommended pertussis vaccine for children. It’s a combo vaccine that protects kids against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis. 3 for the price of 1? What a steal. Here are the vaccination recommendations from the CDC:

  1. infants and children: For max protection, a series of 5 DTap shots are given over the course of 4 to 6 years.
  2. pre-teens/teens: The protection power of the vaccine they got as kids may have decreased, so it’s recommended they get the Tdap booster vaccine.
  3. pregnant women: “By getting Tdap during pregnancy, maternal pertussis antibodies transfer to the newborn, likely providing protection against pertussis in early life, before the baby starts getting DTaP vaccines” (CDC).
  4. adults: If they didn’t get the Tdap vaccine as preteens or teens, then they should get one dose of Tdap.

That list pretty much covers everyone. According to the CDC, about 1 in 5 infants with pertussis get pneumonia. The CDC explains that “many infants who get pertussis are infected by parents, older siblings, or other caregivers who might not even know they have the disease.” So protect your loved ones and yourself and make sure your vaccinations are up-to-date.

Though pertussis vaccines are very effective, they aren’t 100% full proof. If the pertussis bacteria is making its way through the community, there’s still a chance that a vaccinated person can catch the disease. If you or a child develops a cold or severe cough that just doesn’t go away, get checked by your doctor asap. Pertussis is generally treated with antibiotics. It’s important to get treated early on before the whooping starts.

WHOOP! There it is…the 411 on WHOOPing cough.

image source: canitbesaturdaynow.com

By ALYSSA LLAMAS