Children getting sick in Disney World

[dbal]

We were there last week as well and my dh got sick too! He said his stomach felt 'off'. Then the next a.m. he had diarrhea. He was a trooper though and headed off to the parks. He ended up getting worse and we went back to the hotel where he had a fever/upset stomach for the rest of the night.
I don't have any theories but don't you think if it was the h20 - then almost everyone would get something? It's the worse though isn't it? After all the planning and prep work you do; the one thing you have no control over (besides the weather) is getting sick.

 

[Lives4Disney]

I am really glad someone posted this!!! We ALWAYS get sick at the world. I keep thinking it's just a cooincidence - but come on!!! It always happens. I bring tons of wipes, purell, and we ALWAYS wash well after the bathroom stops and before we eat. I don't know what we do wrong!! I even bring dixie cups as I heard on tv that when hotels are really full, sometimes the glasses in the rooms don't get washed properly or at all for that matter. YUCK. We don't touch those things anymore.

Can't be going from cold weather to hot. We went in August this year. Hot to hot. I don't think it's the excitement, as this time my daughter got it 2 days after we returned home. Not even 48 hours at home and she threw up all over herself in bed. After that it just spread through our household. In February, she was sick our last night at WDW. I was sick our 2nd night home and then my other daughter. Bluck.

So many trips have been ruined by sickness!!! HELP! What else can we do to prevent this? It has me rethinking our next trip! I just feel like I cannot deal with the stomach flu again for a long time. It is the worst.

 

[Dizzy for Dsny]

My son got sick in 2003 at WL. He was fine until he swam in the pool on the second day and then went into diarrhea and vomiting. I was convinced he had the flu. I managed to get him under control with my natural medicine kit I had with us and then he managed with an upset stomach instead of the diarrhea and vomiting. But, then 2 days after that, he wanted to go swimming again and within 1 hour of swimming he was sick again with uncontrollable diarrhea and vomiting. At that point, my DH and I started correlating the fact that everytime he swam he got sick. My DH also brought up the fact that because the ducks use the pool so frequently at WL, that there has got to be duck feces mixed in the water or bacteria from the ducks. Just because the pool has chlorine doesn't mean its up to standard. I also witnessed the second time my son went swimming that they pulled out I assume an animal from the gutter catch on the pool, because they tried to stay very secretive about how they got it out of the drain and it appeared to be rather large by how they used bags and towels to disguise. Who knows, but we were convinced it was the pool that trip.

We just returned from our trip last week and my son prefers not to swim until the last part of the trip, so in case he gets sick, it doesn't ruin his whole vacation.

I also agree with the water idea. My husband cannot drink any water away from home without feeling sick.

 

[HollisterSweetie]

I don't have any theories but don't you think if it was the h20 - then almost everyone would get something? It's the worse though isn't it? After all the planning and prep work you do; the one thing you have no control over (besides the weather) is getting sick.

I'm not sure EXACTLY how but there's something different about the water in different parts of the country. It has something to do with the chemicals. I've never had a problem with being sick at Disney World before (I usually bring bottled water)....but the one time i forget and drink tap water there, i get sick. I can't think of anything else it would be.

 

[crisi]

They are anti-bacterials, not anti-virals. Viruses tend to be much hardier.

Although, honestly, they will kill some viruses, and not all bacteria. Bacteria are becoming more resistant each day to this stuff.

Biology class.

 

[sskem96]

I know for a lot of people, the problem is the change in water or diet. I am one of those people. I'm sure there are a lot of germs being spread around a place like this too, so you should do your best not to spread yours and avoid picking up others. In case anyone is interested, this is our hospital's policy on hand washing and hand gel use for employees:

Hands must be washed with soap and water when:
Visibly dirty
Visibly soiled with blood or body fluids
After using the restroom
Before eating
Hands must be rubbed together for a full 15 seconds to be effective.
Hand antisepsis with alcohol hand gel is appropriate:
Before contact with patient
Before applying gloves
After contact with patient
After contact with inanimate objects in the vicinity of the patient
After removing gloves
Alcohol hand gel should be used when entering and when leaving any
patient room.

They have told us that if you are not going to scrub with soap and water for a full 15 seconds, the hand gel will kill more germs than washing.

 

[Jenn]

I just wanted to add that some kids just get stomach illnesses more easily than others. My niece and nephew tend to get an upset stomach if they are overtired, overactive, eating junk all day - which tends to coincide with vacations, also holidays, birthdays, etc. With my nephew especially, he just can't overdo certain foods. If he eats tons of ice cream for example, you can be sure he will be sick that night.

 

[minkydog]

My kids get upset stomachs any time we go on vacation, not just to Disney World. It has to be the difference in water. We rarely go on a real "vacation", more likely to Gramma's house, but still they get diarrhea. When we go to WDW, we take bottled water and we try to eat healthy food as much as possible so their "habits" stay normalized. We try to got to bed on time, limit snacking, not drink much juice, and lay off the fried food. And when on one gets sick, we just take a break from it all. I think the revved up vacation mind-set gets us all "going"...

Cathy--Dr. Mom

btw--hand sanitizer does kill comon viruses. They are hardy little buggers, but they are not immune to alcohol usually.

 

[SueM in MN]

Actually good old soap and warm water take care of just as many germs (bacteria and viruses) as do hand sanitizers, if not more. It's the temp of the water that does the most good. You should always wash your hands with very warm water since that's what actually kills most "germs".

crisi
They are anti-bacterials, not anti-virals. Viruses tend to be much hardier.

Although, honestly, they will kill some viruses, and not all bacteria. Bacteria are becoming more resistant each day to this stuff.

Biology class.

The alcohol products actually kill more germs than soap and water. And, the alcohol products DO kill bacteria and most viruses; including resistant bacteria like MRSA and VRE. The alcohol products are not allowed to claim that they kill bacteria because the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) does not have any accepted/approved tests for proving that the alcohol hand products kill viruses. Alcohol (when used for cleaning surfaces) is classed as an intermediate disinfectant, which means it inactivates bacteria, most viruses, most fungi, but doesn't necessarily kill bacterial spores.
There is no evidence that bacteria are becoming more resistant to alcohol. There is concern that they will become resistant to some other products because some of them (Triclosan) works against the bacteria in the same way that some antibiotics do.

For soap and water, the temperature of the water doesn't matter for killing germs (water hot enough to make a difference to the germs would be hot enough to burn your hands). The body oils on your hands hold soil and bacteria. Soap breaks down those substances and along with friction gets the germs off your skin. Soap tends to lather better in warm water than in cold water, so if you have a choice warm is better than cold. Also, warm water is kinder to your skin than either cold or hot water is. But the action of friction while rubbing the hands to clean them is much more important than water temperature.
Here's a link to a professional article about hand hygiene products made with alcohol and a link to an article about disinfectants.

 

[bdcp]

Well, since I have heard from friends with premature babies that their neonatal specialists told them that soap (not antibacterial soap) and warm water is the best thing to do before holding or touching a preemie, I guess I believed them. He also said that it's not really the soap, but the warm water than kills them. Pretty warm water can kill a lot of bacteria and viruses.

Here's a couple of links on that subject as well: http://www.healthyarkansas.com/flu/flu_2003.htm
http://www.applesforhealth.com/HealthySurvival/hwkfb6.html
http://edition.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/HQ/00407.html

I also found articles saying bacteria are becoming increasingly resistant to antibacterial soap. Alcohol based can be used too, but good hand washing is the most effective. They all agree the best way to prevent illness is hand washing. The CDC recommends it too.

I'm still convinced my son had food poisoning since no one else got sick from swimming or drinking the water there. Also on our next trip a few years later, we all swam, drank the water, etc and no one got sick then either. We stayed on site both times. We've also never been sick on any other vacation and we got on at least one per year, so I don't think it's the water. US water conforms to pretty much the same "rules". Overseas can be a different story depending on where you are going.

 

[airforcewife]

This is all pretty scary! I mean that would just be a nightmare! We were going to just fill water bottles up at the water fountains. But I don't think so anymore. I did buy hand gel to bring, but gosh, I'm worried about this now. There are more that just a few posts on this.

 

[meandtheguys2]

The alcohol products actually kill more germs than soap and water. And, the alcohol products DO kill bacteria and most viruses; including resistant bacteria like MRSA and VRE. The alcohol products are not allowed to claim that they kill bacteria because the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) does not have any accepted/approved tests for proving that the alcohol hand products kill viruses. Alcohol (when used for cleaning surfaces) is classed as an intermediate disinfectant, which means it inactivates bacteria, most viruses, most fungi, but doesn't necessarily kill bacterial spores.
There is no evidence that bacteria are becoming more resistant to alcohol. There is concern that they will become resistant to some other products because some of them (Triclosan) works against the bacteria in the same way that some antibiotics do.

For soap and water, the temperature of the water doesn't matter for killing germs (water hot enough to make a difference to the germs would be hot enough to burn your hands). The body oils on your hands hold soil and bacteria. Soap breaks down those substances and along with friction gets the germs off your skin. Soap tends to lather better in warm water than in cold water, so if you have a choice warm is better than cold. Also, warm water is kinder to your skin than either cold or hot water is. But the action of friction while rubbing the hands to clean them is much more important than water temperature.
Here's a link to a professional article about hand hygiene products made with alcohol and a link to an article about disinfectants.

Sue you are an awesome bundle of information! You often say, much more clearly than I can, exactly what I want to say!

 

[wuv tigger]

We all picked up the Norovirus (sp?). It was only confirmed after we got home & dd who's 2 had to go to the MD. She LICKED the railings in MK. She was sick with AWFUL smelling BM's. Her tummy was icky for over 1 week. She didn't throw up @ all. BUT, she did give it to the rest of us.

It hit us the 2nd week of our vacation. We didn't go back to the parks as soon as we found out that we were sick. It wasn't fair to share this with other families. We were blessed that we were at our t/s & had w/d in our villa. It SURE came in handy!

Our peds' MD told us to use the hand gel BEFORE & AFTER all rides. This was the 1st time that any of us got sick & we hope it's the last! I am also going to pack the pop up wipes to clean all surfaces in the resort room.

Judy

 

[mjmcca]

The alcohol products actually kill more germs than soap and water. And, the alcohol products DO kill bacteria and most viruses; including resistant bacteria like MRSA and VRE. The alcohol products are not allowed to claim that they kill bacteria because the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) does not have any accepted/approved tests for proving that the alcohol hand products kill viruses. Alcohol (when used for cleaning surfaces) is classed as an intermediate disinfectant, which means it inactivates bacteria, most viruses, most fungi, but doesn't necessarily kill bacterial spores.
There is no evidence that bacteria are becoming more resistant to alcohol. There is concern that they will become resistant to some other products because some of them (Triclosan) works against the bacteria in the same way that some antibiotics do.

For soap and water, the temperature of the water doesn't matter for killing germs (water hot enough to make a difference to the germs would be hot enough to burn your hands). The body oils on your hands hold soil and bacteria. Soap breaks down those substances and along with friction gets the germs off your skin. Soap tends to lather better in warm water than in cold water, so if you have a choice warm is better than cold. Also, warm water is kinder to your skin than either cold or hot water is. But the action of friction while rubbing the hands to clean them is much more important than water temperature.
Here's a link to a professional article about hand hygiene products made with alcohol and a link to an article about disinfectants.

Thank you Sue. I was almost positive this was the case but I was researching it to make sure that nothing had changed since I took my last infection control class in the past year.

 

[SueM in MN]

Thank you Sue. I was almost positive this was the case but I was researching it to make sure that nothing had changed since I took my last infection control class in the past year.

Thank you mjmcca and meandtheguys2.
After I wrote it, I was concerned that I might sound like what one of my co-workers was called, a "Hand Hygiene Geek." I guess that's what I am though. I work professionally in Infection Control and it comes out in other things too.

 

[mjmcca]

Thank you mjmcca and meandtheguys2.
After I wrote it, I was concerned that I might sound like what one of my co-workers was called, a "Hand Hygiene Geek." I guess that's what I am though. I work professionally in Infection Control and it comes out in other things too.

I knew you were in Helth care after reading your post. It is a good thing to be a Hand Hygiene Geek. It does more than anll the antibiotics in the world for preventing infections.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Just a note about the tap water in Florida:

As a former Florida resident I know a bit about the water. Because the soil in Florida is very sandy, rain filters through very quickly down into the ground and then into the underground aquafirs (sp?). These underground pools are the source for the tap water. It is treated before it comes out of the tap, but there is far more particulate matter in the water than there is in water from states with more clay in their soil. The longer it takes the water to seep through, the more little particles are filtered out naturally. It makes sense to me that some people could be sensitive to the increase in "gunk" in the water. There may also be higher levels of water-borne bacteria (still ALLOWABLE levels, just higher than what you are used to at home). I know people with compromised immunity have to be careful with water, because the things in tap water that don't bother most folks can make them very ill.

I can also TOTALLY buy into the pool water theory. Public pool water is disgusting, and I would think ingesting even a small amount could make you very sick!

I thought most food poisoning had a pretty rapid onset. Maybe it depends on the type of bacteria.

Healthy holidays!!

 

[bdcp]

Food poisoning, depending on the variety, can hit you anywhere from a few hours to a couple of days after ingestion. The numbers I've seen are 6 to 36 hours.

 

[barb45]

My son and I got sick a few years ago with a respiratory flu. It was horrible and I lost 3 days on my UPH and he lost 2 and then of course my husband lost 2 because he was taking care of us. After that I thought we would look obsessive but we use purell after ever ride - I'm glad to hear we are not the only ones. A couple of months ago, I was at the chiropractor's office and saw a hand sanitizing hand lotion type product that is supposed to kill germs for 4 hours. I didn't buy it but I'm going to look for it again. The year after we got sick we used an entire can of Lysol on one trip but that seems a little excessive. I think all the sickness is from other people going into the parks sick. All you need to do is touch something they touched and then touch your face. I wish people would stay away when they are sick but I think that will never happen.

 

[eeyore0062]

I think it is all of the strange food from eating out all of the time, rather than germs. I ALWAYS get diarrhea when I go on vacation. I asked the doctor about it, and that is what he told me.

Kids are going to be exposed to germs no matter where you go, or what you do, and actually it helps them build a healthy immune system.