Sickness on recent WDW trip!

[3Mousketeers]

Wherever you have lots of people in close quarters you are going to have germs. I do keep purell with me for times when we can't wash our hands but hand washing is definitely the best precaution. We all had the stomach flu during our 2/05 trip to AKL. My son came down with it our first night so he clearly brought it with him from home. We bought clorox wipes and lysol just to spray everything down in the hopes of "sanitizing" the room for the next unsuspecting occupants.

 

[dizluvr71]

We just got back and everyone so far is a-okay. I dosed everyone the morning we left with Airborne. This stuff is great and seemed to do the trick to keep us all from getting sick.

In case anyone is interested here's what the Airborne package says:
Airborne Effervescent Cold Remedy
Developed by a school teacher
who was sick of catching colds in class!*
Crowded environments like Airplanes, Offices, and Schools are spawning grounds for germs that cause colds and sickness! Take at the first sign of a cold symptom or before entering crowded environments!*

AIRBORNE’S unique natural formula of seven Herbal Extracts, Antioxidants, Electrolytes, and Amino Acids, offers maximum vitamin and herbal support for hours!* Plus its natural ginger component helps fight nausea.*

 

[chrisn]

What a cute screen name. I don't think you should feel bad for posting your warning. People should be aware of these kinds of things. I know that germs are everywhere and you can get sick or catch things anywhere but we travel twice every year and have been to many different destinations and have never had the problems with illness that we have when we travel to WDW. We are all pretty healthy and even my children are very rearely sick. I could probably cound on one hand the number of times I've puked in my 36 year old life but roughly half of our trips there, I have hurled big! My husband NEVER gets sick. He doesn't get colds or anything. This last trip, I thought he was going to die or end up hospitalized with a nasty, nasty cold virus. I really believe that unfortunately, WDW is a breeding ground for germs. People are going to the parks sick or toting their sick kids along, not washing their hands thoroughly and running themselves and their immune systems down with lack of sleep and changes in eating habits so that when they go and continue push themselves and their familes to the limits, ILLNESS JUST HAPPENS. Really all you can do is get plenty of rest, drink PLENTY of water (BUT NOT THE TAP WATER), eat healthy and wash those hands with soap and water, especially before eating any meals which brings me to my last thought. BUFFETS. Some people don't wash their hands after a visit to the restroom. Parents let their kids run rampant touching all the food, touching the utensils after wiping their noses with the backs of their hands, coughing on the food, Eeeewwww...um ok, I'm grossing myself out. WDW is full of buffets and I think the majority of meals eaten with the exception of counter service are probably eaten at buffets. It's kind of unsanitary if you think about it. Ask me how many times I've seen a little kid, even my own grabbing something off the buffet with their hands then changing their mind and puting it back? Yes my family eats at buffets and we enjoy them and will continue to enjoy them but I'm willing to bet that at least some of the illness we've had from WDW has been from there! I don't believe in over doing the anti bac either but I do carry some wipes with us that way if we're not near a bathroom or just have grimy feeling hands, I can wipe us up and have them feeling fresh again. We LOVE WDW and have another trip planned for next year but will continue to be as vigilant as possible with the above mentioned items but sometimes even then, it doesn't seem to help. Here's to happy and HEALTHY traveling for everyone!

 

[andriade]

My son was 19 mos. old on our last trip in November. He got the most horrible virus. He had a 104 temp and an awful rash on his face. He threw up everything and had the runs. It was aweful. Epcot called us a shuttle and took us to Urgent Care.(One our insurance did not cover!) On the way out of the clinic we saw another baby coming in with the same awful rash on his face too. the doctor told us that it was going around WDW. We had to fly home the next day and took him straight to the emergency room back home. He wound up on an I.V. and getting fluids because he couldn't even keep juice down.

It was really difficult flying all the home with a sick child cross country.



Take antibacterial wipes and us them often. that's what I'll be doing next time!

 

[madscrapper]

I think it's amazing more people don't get sick while vacationing at WDW.

How many different countries are represented there on a given day.

Personal care varies from non-existent to wipes and gels.

I have seen people do some pretty disgusting things at WDW (many involving children, water and bodily functions).

For all the worldwide germs there, we have taken about 10 trips and have been pretty lucky (only one stomach bug).

Add in airplanes and barely disinfected hotel rooms and it's a bredding ground for germs.

I try to teach my kids to keep their hands away from their face and mouth and we do wash hands often with soap and water.

Jeannine

 

[monarchsfan16]

I guess we got pretty lucky. We were at WDW from 4/23-5/1, and no one in my family even got a cold, let alone that stomach bug. Including me. And I'm the one who catches anything and everything, and with all the allergy issues I'd had prior to the trip my immune system probably wasn't at its strongest while we were there. In all of my trips to Disney I've never gotten sick, and I get little sleep while I'm there, and probably bring plenty of germs with me.
I do agree that Disney is a breeding ground for germs. But so is every school, store, restaraunt, park, and other public place in the world. We've never lysoled anything in the room, and very rarely use the antibacterial gels. We wash our hands when we get the chance, but we don't make a special trip to the bathroom to wash our hands after each ride. We snuggle right up under the comforters, and walk barefoot across the hotel room floor.
And I'm not poking fun at anyone with my post, I'm just saying we've always been ok.

 

[Merriwind]

We've made many trips to WDW. Most, thankfully, we have all remained healthy, besides some colds and minor bugs. Two trips were different, however. When DD was 3, she got Rotavirus and spent 5 days in the hospital and at age 5, she wound up with walking pneumonia.

Sure, WDW is a breeding ground for germs, but so is every other place that attracts large groups of people--especially people from all different areas. Think about it--when you hold the lap bar on Peter Pan, how many other people touched that today. You could ask the same of every surface at WDW--or the mall, stadium, school, airport... I've seen kids sticking the queue chains in their mouths! The list of possible germ transmittal surfaces is endless.

That being said, a little common sense goes a long way and everybody needs to decide what works best for their families. I'll admit to some OCD tendencies. I don't like staying in hotel rooms at all. I bring my Lysol, bleach and Clorox wipes everytime. Does my spraying and cleaning really make a dramatic difference in the germ count? I have no idea, but it makes me feel better.

I carry anti-bacterial gel and have no qualms about using it--often. Our skin's primary purpose is to be a barrier against germs and other invaders. Putting scented alcohol (which is what those gels are) on your skins is simply topically cleaning it. Alcohol kills bacteria, just like soap. Your skin does not build up any sort of immunity to soap or anti-bacterial gels. (If it did, hospitals would not have anti-bacterial gel dispensers located every ten feet down every corridor with signs recommending visitors use the gel before and after visiting a patient.)

We also wash our hands every time we visit the restroom and before we eat anything. I also discourage DD from putting her hands near her face, especially her mouth. I do this everywhere, but am a little extra vigilant somewhere like WDW.

I case the point of this long post is simply to say that germs are everywhere and each person needs to decide what steps they want to take to stay healthy. It's the same with many choices in life.

Here's to good health for all--especially at WDW!

 

[MickeyMouth]

We have never gotten sick at WDW. (knock wood).
We just returned a few weeks ago. My friend and her family were there at the same time as us and 3 people in her family came down with a stomach virus. There is a lot of opportunity for viruses and bacteria to spread in WDW. People are coming there from all over the world. These viruses are usually spread through the fecal-oral route. Poor hygiene, pools, etc. are the culprits here. The best that you can do is practice good handwashing, try to eat healty, get proper rest and drink bottled water.