How can we prevent these stomach viruses?

[susy]

I have read about alot of people getting flus and viruses on their trip. What can we do to prevent this? Any doctors or other experts????

 

[wheatenwalker]

Wash your hands A LOT! Bring wipes and use them before you eat or drink anything.

 

[Luv2Roam]

It may be expensive, but I also suggest drinking bottled water. Not saying their water is bad, your system just isn't use to it.

 

[Belle5]

We have found that when we eat at buffets we end up with more stomach problems.

 

[ceecee]

Use antibacterial wipes/ gels a lot. There are tons of germs on those bars you hold onto waiting in line and riding the rides. And needless to say wash with soap and water prior to snacks and meals. We haven't had any problems with the water, but I guess a lot of people do. I am now wondering about the buffets...............we usually only do one of these.

 

[CDisney]

If you do catch one of these stomach viruses, your best bet is to take a day off and rest - don't try to push it. We just got back Aug. 11 from a two-week vacation and the bug bit six out of eight of us.

When the first one was stricken, we tried to go to the park and take it slow, but we lasted only two hours. With the subsequent victims, a day of rest was prescribed and they recovered more quickly.

 

[KCritter]

Repeat after me: Wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands.....

Don't eat or touch your face, nose, mouth or eyes unless you have just washed your hands.

Wash your hands even more frequently after visiting an attraction that requires touching where others have touched (Buzz Lightyear's, or Disney Quest).

Bring along some hand lotion because your hands are getting chapped from washing them so much!

 

[Luv2Roam]

Just a thought too. About 1.5 years ago I had a very bad intestonal (sp?) virus. (Not from or at WDW.)
I went to the doc: the prescription I rec'd was a Pepcid type med. The doc said taking two Pepsid pills was the same as this prescription. I was so bad I had to take that and gulp Pepto too. But they worked.

CORRECTION: I changed the OTC med to Pepsid. Just shows read everything with caution. Sorry.

 

[TIGGER36027]

PRAY!

 

[casmanuel]

Stomach virus or "24-hour bugs" are more often bouts of food poisening. In addition to careful hand washing before you eat anything and after each trip to the bathroom, be careful about the foods you eat. Don't eat anything that has been sitting out after cooking. If you eat at counter service or fast food restaurants during off hours, make sure they give you freshly cooked food. Be wary about buffets: make sure the food is hot.

 

[wendy74]

I agree with everyone-WASH HANDS FREQUENTLY! Take the hand sanitizer in a bottle and use it when you can't get to a bathroom but good old soap and hot water is always better for killing germs. Before you leave I would also recommend going to your local drug or convenience store and buying a bottle of Emmetrol. It comes in a liquid and looks and tastes like bad cough medicine however it works. If you take it at the first sign of a nautious(sp?) stomach and then slow down and take it easy for the rest of the day then it will usually keep the bug from really developing. Also you will be eating out non-stop and most people's stomachs are not used to fast food and sugar for 5 or 6 days in a row so it seems only natural that you could have stomach problems. I would recommend that you alternate between sugary snacks and fruit, drink bottled water instead of soda all day long and when you eat at a sit down restaraunt think about what you ate that day and what you will eat tomorrow and try to order something a little lighter (I know that's hard). One last thing, if you or a family member gets sick go back to the room for the day and rest! It never ceases to amaze me at the people who drag sick children to a park or themselves when they are sick and then endup getting everyone around them in line or behind them at the buffet sick. Alot of viruses are airborn so be courteous to other people who want to enjoy their vacation and stay away from the parks.

 

[SueM in MN]

As long as your hands are not visibly soiled, the alcohol hand sanitizers are as good as soap and water (and are actually the preferred method for hand hygiene being recommended for hospitals). Many of them have moisterizers built in so they are not going to dry your hands out that much.
I really have to agree with wendy74 about sugary drinks. Most people are not used to that much concentrated sugar. Even if you drink diet drinks, the carbonization can upset your stomach.
Here's a link to Foodborne Illness info from the Center for Disease Control. It includes info on when to consult a doctor with symptoms of foodborne illnesses and when it is best not to treat diarrhea with medications to stop it.

 

[LuvTigger]

I have a sort-of related tip, but more cold-related, particularly for those flying into Orlando.

A friend of mine worked at a hospital and said the reason so many people get sick when they fly (aside from the obvious--a plane is full of re-circulated germs), has to do with dryness. He said that the way that the germs invade the body is usually through the nasal cavities (i.e. nostrils) which become dry and actually form tiny cracks, allowing bacteria into the body. He suggested a nasal mist, which usually is just saline solution. I have also used a thick moisturizer which works well too. I decided to just carry a nasal mist with me on planes and a kleenex to provide a little privacy!!

Also, drinking water instead of colas and alcoholic beverages makes a difference too.

 

[TinkerbellRules]

***the alcohol hand sanitizers are as good as soap and water (and are actually the preferred method for hand hygiene being recommended for hospitals).**

Actually, that's the opposite, at least at the hospital I worked for. You should always use soap and water WHEN possible, washing for at least 15 - 20 seconds, rubbing your hands together the whole time. Antibacterial cleansers are actually hurting us more than helping. They make the bacteria more resistant to antibotics because people don't use them properly. I only use them when there isn't anything else I can use. Our Infectious Control person told us this in a training session. Makes sense.

 

[SueM in MN]

I am a Certified Infection Control Specialist in a hospital with more years of experience than I want to admit to. I have read a lot about hand hygiene (the new term the Center for Disease Control is using that includes hand washing and use of hand sanitizers).
The antimicrobial (germ killing) soaps and sanitizers that can cause problems with resistance don't contain alcohol; most of them contain a chemical called CHG. That's the common antimicrobial you will find in antimicrobial soaps that anyone can buy in the drug or grocery store.
Overuse of antimicrobial soaps and overuse and misuse of antibiotics are leading to resistance.

The alcohol hand sanitizers have been used for years in Europe without any problems with resistance (and alcohol itself has been used as a sanitizer without resistance problems for much longer). European Hospitals even use alcohol hand sanitizers for surgical scrubs in place or soap and antimicrobial soaps. American Hospital have been moving toward alcohol in the past 5 years and are just starting to use it for surgical scrubs.
American hospitals are getting away from using antimicrobial soaps and are using mild soaps to clean the hands when they are visibly soiled. Alcohol does not do a good job of removing soil, so if your hands are visibly soiled, you need to wash them first with soap and water. Then you can use the alcohol hand sanitizer to kill the germs.

The newest research shows they are better than soap and water IF the hands are not visibly soiled, because alcohol hand disinfectants do kill the germs and don't destroy the lipids (the oily components) of the skin the way soap and water does. This means that the hands stay in better condition and people are more likely to clean them as often as they should.

 

[TinkerbellRules]

Sorry, Sue. I re-read your post and saw you said "alcohol". I'm so used to people using the antibaterial soaps and cleaners out there that I missed what you said. Too much time on here and everything looks the same

 

[SueM in MN]

I thought you might have missed it, that's why I put alcohol in blue type when I replied. It's easy to misread a word here and there. I swear sometimes a word changes itself before I get done reading a post.
It's even worse when I know I spelled words right and they mis-spell themselves when they post. LOL

 

[TinkerbellRules]

Sue: I know what you mean about words changing after you type them. I spelled antibacterial wrong in my previous post. It's a never ending battle