Help solve a spouse debate on germs, sickness and Disney

[DVCcurious]

But the thing is she wore the gloves all the time, so I just thought "maybe she just has a thing about dirt"

 

[DisneyOma]

Well, based on incubation period, 4 doctors are fairly certain that I got mono from my last Disney trip.

Disney trip required 2 vacation days.

Mono required 20 vacation and sick days combined.

I will be paying MUCH more attention to handwashing and not needlessly touching handrails on my next trip, ESPECIALLY since mono leaves your immune system compromised, making you more succeptible to illness.

Wow. That wasn't easy to do. Mono is spread through direct contact with saliva and the virus only lives on surfaces as long as they remain wet. You would have had to touch something that someone with mono had just licked recently enough that it hadn't dried yet and then put your hand right into your mouth. Ick.

That's pretty much what I was going to say! Even when we have a case of mono at our local high school, it never seems to spread among strangers. Usually a couple get it, and maybe a friend or two, and maybe a sibling. The PP must have had quite a trip

I didn't take any special precautions on my last trip and ended up with walking pneumonia on my last day. You get that many people crammed in together, especially lost of little kids, and it's a breeding ground for bacteria. Not to mention the recycled air on the planes so many of us travel there in! Use that hand sanitizer and wipe those Quick Service tables down!

Walking pneumonia takes about 10 days to develop from a lung infection. How long was your trip?

 

[Debbie7452]

Last time I went to Disney, I found out a few days before that my immune system was low. I was worried, but took normal precautions and was careful about hand washing. I never got sick. It was super crowded when we were there.

 

[kandb]

Wash hands often and especially before eating. After spending thousands of $$$$$, why risk getting a nasty stomach virus while at Disney? Better safe then sorry.

 

[cijay]

We're truly curious your thoughts and experiences on this and if either approach really makes a difference... what approach do you/your family use and what have been the results on getting sick or not during or after your vacation? Thanks!

Touch anything and everything you want - just don't touch your food or face before washing your hands. Otherwise, you're just as much at risk from your airplane tray table or magazines.

 

[fla4fun]

Yet another reason not to lick a stranger's face.

I also got mono after traveling one time (not to Disney but to the Indy 500). My doctor said I probably picked it up from a water fountain. That was the end of me drinking from public fountains.

My sister got mono from a drinking fountain at school when she was a kid. None of us has used a public drinking fountain since then either. Of course, seeing someone use one as a "baby bidet" doesn't really encourage drinking from one either, lol!

With the ability to get filtered water from QS restaurants upon request, there isn't much need of drinking fountains at WDW.

 

[jnjhuddle]

Wow, I used to think I was a germophobe...then I read through this! I'm going to classify myself in the middle of the road category. Don't rub hand rails, wash after bathroom and before eating, don't touch your face, etc.

For those of you using the hand sanitizer after every ride. Did you know that if you don't wash your hands with soap and water after using it every 2 or 3 times, then it's basically useless?

12 hour hand sanitizer? Seriously? What an interesting marketing ploy. I would seriously be mores afraid of whatever chemical you are putting on your skin (your largest organ) and absorbing into your system then any germ out there.

Colds and flu are spread by droplet so unless you are wearing a mask everywhere you go, you aren't avoiding this particular illness with all your vigilance.

I'm a nurse and have worked in a hospital since 1994 in labor and delivery, so I work with relatively young people and have to do admission histories on lots of people. The biggest difference I see today that I wasn't seeing 20 years ago is the amount of people with anxiety. It's almost epidemic. Hakuna matata people. Let's stop making our kids crazy.

 

[GaryDis]

Did you know that if you don't wash your hands with soap and water after using it every 2 or 3 times, then it's basically useless?

I've never heard that. Could you elaborate, please? I always thought that alcohol was a very reliable germ killer. Which is not to say that you shouldn't be washing as well, since the hand sanitizers don't remove dirt, and washing is more effective.

 

[Abbyroad05]

I was constantly on my daughters to wash their hands and stop touching everything this trip. Last year my youngest got sick the day we were leaving, made for a great plane ride home..this year, I come home with a terrible cold go figure! Then a couple days after we got home my oldest had a bug. I expect now. Doesn't matter how diligent you are. Doesnt stop me from washing hands or barking at the kids to do it. Worth the risk!

 

[Accident]

I've never heard that. Could you elaborate, please? I always thought that alcohol was a very reliable germ killer. Which is not to say that you shouldn't be washing as well, since the hand sanitizers don't remove dirt, and washing is more effective.

My friend who is a nurse says the same thing. At the hospital they are only allowed to use hand sanitizer up to 4 times before they must wash their hands with soap and water. Something about everyone working there was getting sick easier when they first started to make it available.

 

[jnjhuddle]

I've never heard that. Could you elaborate, please? I always thought that alcohol was a very reliable germ killer. Which is not to say that you shouldn't be washing as well, since the hand sanitizers don't remove dirt, and washing is more effective.

Using hand sanitizer multiple times without actually washing with running water will give you a buildup of emollients. (For me, this is after 2 or 3 uses, but I guess it may take someone else 4 or 5 uses). This buildup wil prevent the sanitizer from penetrating the bacteria and doing its job. Same is true if their is dirt on your hands, as you have pointed out. No substitute for good hand washing.

Most people (kids) don't use the sanitizer correctly anyway, which is to rub vigorously to activate and let dry completely before touching anything. I see most parents just doing a quick wipe with the sanitizer on their child's hands and that's about it, thus rendering it ineffective.

Unless your child is immunocompronised, IMO, using hand sanitizer after every single ride and after they touch something is a bit OCD. Teach good hygiene and use common sense. Hand sanitizer has its place and if you can't find a sink, by all means use it, but it's no substitute for good hand washing.

 

[rinnythepooh]

Someone in my family almost always gets sick after a Disney trip. We call it the Disney funk. This Monday (10/12) was our last day there, and my husband woke up with a cough. He has felt really bad since we came home. This past summer was the first time we went and nobody came home sick!

We try to stay vigilant about washing our hands and using sanitizer. I am all the time telling the kids to get their hands off the handrails. We have seen some pretty unsanitary things done at WDW and always wonder who was holding that handrail before us! Ewww!

Or licking it. As I witnessed two weeks ago on the bus back to our resort.

 

[LaughinPlace289]

I do nothing different. As any civilized human should, I wash my hands after using the restroom and before eating. I don't worry about hand rails or rides or anything like that and I have never had a problem.

 

[5kidsmommy]

I am in the not doing anything different at Disney than in my regular life. I wash my hands after going to the bathroom and lots of other times and always before eating. Don't touch my face and stuff like that. I tend to not get sick very often, so I guess I'm not super paranoid. Oh the other thing I try to do is get plenty of rest and stay hydrated, even at WDW. A working body is better able to stay healthy.

 

[yankeepenny]

I try and be careful about what I touch, eye transplant person here. I find however that the long plane ride down and back is what tips off my getting sick, which happens every time I am in the happiest place on earth.

 

[::Snow_White::]

Wash hands in bathroom and before eating, use hand sanitizer if it's been a few hours or I feel particularly gross. I don't worry about rails or anything unless they look disgusting. Don't think I've ever gotten sick. However, I make it a point to wash my hands asap if ever end up touching the ground to sit down for parades and fireworks.

I worked at Disney for 6 months and only got a mild cold once.

 

[GaryDis]

Using hand sanitizer multiple times without actually washing with running water will give you a buildup of emollients. (For me, this is after 2 or 3 uses, but I guess it may take someone else 4 or 5 uses). This buildup wil prevent the sanitizer from penetrating the bacteria and doing its job. Same is true if their is dirt on your hands, as you have pointed out. No substitute for good hand washing.

Thanks, that makes much sense.

 

[Stefecatzz]

I wash my hands after entering the park having to touch my finger to get in, after rides because there's always a restroom nearby & before meals of course. It's too convenient to be walking by a restroom & not stop in to quickly wash your hands. I normally wash my hands more than others it seems at home too so it's not unusual to me.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I'm a nurse and have worked in a hospital since 1994 in labor and delivery, so I work with relatively young people and have to do admission histories on lots of people. The biggest difference I see today that I wasn't seeing 20 years ago is the amount of people with anxiety. It's almost epidemic. Hakuna matata people. Let's stop making our kids crazy.

That's a really big jump from the use of hand sanitizer to the prevalence of anxiety disorders.

 

[klmall]

Fourteen trips for me; 11 for DH and 10 for DS and our only illnesses were three colds for DH who used to smoke and a horrible 24 hour bug for DH and me the last trip. And interestingly, this last trip was the only one that we truly tried to use hand sanitizer after rides etc. I think it was just our turn to get sick and I'm hoping none of us ever have to spend valuable park days in the bathroom again! Since we drove this last trip we can't blame it on the airplane either.