Survive winter vomiting virus/Norovirus
Winter vomiting virus/norovirus is on its way back and will bring with it a particularly nasty bug, which causes vomiting and diarrhoea.
The best way to avoid the dreaded winter vomiting bug is to stay well away from sick people but if you're stuck in an office, got kids to feed or shopping to do you can't exactly live like a hermit until it disappears.
So how can you avoid the norovirus and what should you do if you're unlucky enough to be struck down by it? Our top 10 tips, using advice from NHS Direct, can help.
1. It may seem like common sense but always wash your hands well with soap and water after using the toilet, especially public ones.
2. Clean any kitchen worktops or bathroom surfaces you've touched with a disinfectant spray. This includes door handles and stair bannisters. Remember to throw out the cloth you use to wipe these sides down too. Germs can last for up to three days on unwashed surfaces and projectile vomiting can spread the germs up to 10 feet away!
3. Don't keep a bucket by the bed or with you in front of the TV. Unless you disinfect it every time you're sick it will stay as a breeding ground for germs. Try to get to the bathroom.
4. Always flush the toilet after you've used it but make sure you put the lid down so that the water, and whatever else, doesn't splash out.
5. Change your clothes or nightclothes after you've been sick and if you're sat around in a dressing gown or with a towel near you wash these as well.
6. Make sure you change your bedsheets as often as possible and wash them immediately on 60°C. Try not to leave them in a laundry basket.
7. Don't prepare food for anyone else for at least three days after the symptoms have gone.
8. Sip fresh water as often as you can, or drink rehydration fluids. Don't do this when you're being sick though as you're not able to retain the fluid.
9. Don't go back to work or school until 48 hours after the symptoms have gone.
10. Try to come into contact with as few people as possible, just for the two to three days you're being ill and the two days after.
Where next?
- NHS Direct
- Winter vomiting virus/Norovirus: the facts
- What's the best diarrhoea medication?
- Get all the facts on gastroenteritis
- Remedies for gastroenteritis
- If you're pregnant and worried whether vomiting will harm the baby, read our expert advice
- Have you had winter vomiting virus? Are you worried about getting it? Talk about it with other women in Chat
By Vicky Woollaston
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nauseated, about 1 year
im sure this is what i have the start of,been feeling very sick but not actually been sick as yet and now my son says today he feels the same,so im keeping him home from school.makes you feel pretty rough but will soon pass i hope!!
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Mary Moore, about 1 year
My two year old grandson started being sick 3 days ago and yesterday the 7 month old baby started. My daughter has now started being sick too and I'm worried I'll catch it as I'm going to have to look after them all. I asked the chemist if they sold face masks but they sounded surprised I was asking for something like that. Surely face masks would help contain the spread in infected households?
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