Stomach virus question

[Elizabeth86]

How long after a family has a stomach virus would you avoid visiting in their home? My mom and sister are at the end of a stomach virus and I want to make sure NOT to get it. How long is reasonable to stay away?

[Night Elf]

You know, this is one of those types of questions my kids would ask me, and I would respond by telling them I'd have to get back to them and then I'd call my mom. I see this as a mom question but one I don't know for sure. 🙂

In school, we had to stay away until we were fever free for 24 hours but I don't recall there being a time limit set on a stomach virus. Off the top of my head, to protect myself, I'd give it 48 hours. I'll be watching this thread to see what others answers. I'm way curious now. 

[Kassia]

I would try to wait two weeks after symptoms are gone.  If they are vigilant about hand washing, maybe sooner.  And, if I had to use their bathroom, I'd be extra careful with my own hand washing.  Oh, and obviously, I'd be extra cautious with washing hands before eating.  

 

Edited March 25, 2022 by Kassia

[mmasc]

I’d wait two weeks before going into someone’s home because norovirus can live on surfaces for that long. 

[kristin0713]

I’d wait two weeks. 

[Katy]

Norovirus lives two weeks. Type A Influenza is causing a lot of GI symptoms this year too, but the flu lasts only a few days on surfaces. 

[Night Elf]

Well, I was totally wrong! 🤣 I learned something new today. 

[Catwoman]

Another vote for 2 weeks!

[Spryte]

Wow, timely question, I was wondering the same thing. 
 

Two weeks, ouch. Better safe than sorry though. I don’t want a stomach bug!

[Kanin]

6 hours ago, Kassia said:

I would try to wait two weeks after symptoms are gone.  If they are vigilant about hand washing, maybe sooner.  And, if I had to use their bathroom, I'd be extra careful with my own hand washing.  Oh, and obviously, I'd be extra cautious with washing hands before eating.  

 

Me too. I once got a stomach virus from a family that had been feeling fine for 4-5 days. Never again! 

[Elizabeth86]

Thanks. 2 weeks sounds reasonable. That's what I was thinking. Also, it may be that my dad may pick it up too we will just have to see. I just wanted to be sure. I'm almost phobic about stomach viruses. I'm pretty phobic about vomit and I am terrified of 6 puking people. I am such a weak mom. 😂

[Kassia]

50 minutes ago, Elizabeth86 said:

Thanks. 2 weeks sounds reasonable. That's what I was thinking. Also, it may be that my dad may pick it up too we will just have to see. I just wanted to be sure. I'm almost phobic about stomach viruses. I'm pretty phobic about vomit and I am terrified of 6 puking people. I am such a weak mom. 😂

I totally understand.  I have emetophobia and have always been terrified of the stomach flu.  DH handled the kids when they had it (and took care of me too).  He had a kidney stone last fall and was vomiting a lot - he has no idea how much that traumatized me.  

 

ETA - I hope your dad stays healthy!

Edited March 25, 2022 by Kassia

[Bootsie]

I would not wait 2 weeks to visit.  Kids would be able to go back to school after not vomiting or having fever for 24 hours.  If there are other people in the household who might become ill, I would probably wait 48-72 hours.  I would be extra careful about washing hands thoroughly and I would not eat food that was handled while anyone was ill.  Within two weeks, they could have picked up something else that they don't even know that they have and be contagious by by the time I visited; that would seem overly cautious to me.  (Unless, of course, I knew that they had a history of not being relatively careful in sanitizing when someone in the family was ill.)

[Elizabeth86]

1 hour ago, Bootsie said:

I would not wait 2 weeks to visit.  Kids would be able to go back to school after not vomiting or having fever for 24 hours.  If there are other people in the household who might become ill, I would probably wait 48-72 hours.  I would be extra careful about washing hands thoroughly and I would not eat food that was handled while anyone was ill.  Within two weeks, they could have picked up something else that they don't even know that they have and be contagious by by the time I visited; that would seem overly cautious to me.  (Unless, of course, I knew that they had a history of not being relatively careful in sanitizing when someone in the family was ill.)

They could pick up something else us, but I'm just terrified of the stomach virus. I don't imagine they would have the stomach virus again so soon so there is that.

[kbutton]

If they are good about cleaning, probably 48 hours. My husband recently had what was probably Noro (probably picked up at work even though he's super careful), and none of us got sick. He had his own bathroom, and he cleaned it with bleach. 

I don't trust everyone equally. 😉 

[kristin0713]

1 hour ago, Bootsie said:

I would not wait 2 weeks to visit.  Kids would be able to go back to school after not vomiting or having fever for 24 hours.  If there are other people in the household who might become ill, I would probably wait 48-72 hours.  I would be extra careful about washing hands thoroughly and I would not eat food that was handled while anyone was ill.  Within two weeks, they could have picked up something else that they don't even know that they have and be contagious by by the time I visited; that would seem overly cautious to me.  (Unless, of course, I knew that they had a history of not being relatively careful in sanitizing when someone in the family was ill.)

The thing is that you can still be shedding norovirus for two weeks. I’d be ok being in contact with a person after a few days, but not sharing food, eating food they prepared, or being in a home where it went through the family for two weeks. 

[Elizabeth86]

3 hours ago, Kassia said:

I totally understand.  I have emetophobia and have always been terrified of the stomach flu.  DH handled the kids when they had it (and took care of me too).  He had a kidney stone last fall and was vomiting a lot - he has no idea how much that traumatized me.  

 

ETA - I hope your dad stays healthy!

I'm glad you understand. I had people tell me after I had kids, I'd get used to it. 4 kids now and still not used to it. I vividly remember the first time my first child threw up. I also vividly remember the first stomach virus. I was first trimester with my 3rd and I'm always so sick and weak during pregnancy anyway. Still traumatized. Ugh. Side note, 3 people in our house have a cold so we are just going to avoid each other for a while.

Sorry you struggle with this too. It's very inconvenient. 

[Kassia]

50 minutes ago, Elizabeth86 said:

I'm glad you understand. I had people tell me after I had kids, I'd get used to it. 4 kids now and still not used to it. I vividly remember the first time my first child threw up. I also vividly remember the first stomach virus. I was first trimester with my 3rd and I'm always so sick and weak during pregnancy anyway. Still traumatized. Ugh. Side note, 3 people in our house have a cold so we are just going to avoid each other for a while.

Sorry you struggle with this too. It's very inconvenient. 

 I also have 4 kids and had a stomach virus (caught it from my other kids) in my first trimester with my third pregnancy (fourth kid since my second pregnancy was twins).  My kids are all grown and I never got used to it.  I am absolutely terrified of vomiting - either doing it myself or being around anyone else who is or about to.  I did have a close friend who felt the same way and the phobia did ease for her but it never did for me.  

[Mom_to3]

Oh I hate stomach bugs and vomiting with a passion. One of my kids is very susceptible and was hospitalized for over a week with lots of testing after a vomiting issue. And I tend to faint while vomiting, which is pretty scary and actually quite dangerous. Once, when my DH once started feeling nauseous and we lived in a tiny apartment with 3 kids, he slept in his office and we bagged and bleached his clothes and he took a shower once he was better. Next kid got it anyway (we believe because we had forgotten to clean his glasses and watch!). 

At any rate, I have done research on this in the past. It's very difficult to figure out the fomite survival rate of norovirus because they need to use related viruses to study it. It does look like norovirus can survive for quite a while, on surfaces though. In one case study, people who replaced a carpet after a couple of weeks caught it. So 2 weeks should likely be a minimum lol.

[Elizabeth86]

1 hour ago, Kassia said:

 I also have 4 kids and had a stomach virus (caught it from my other kids) in my first trimester with my third pregnancy (fourth kid since my second pregnancy was twins).  My kids are all grown and I never got used to it.  I am absolutely terrified of vomiting - either doing it myself or being around anyone else who is or about to.  I did have a close friend who felt the same way and the phobia did ease for her but it never did for me.  

What a thing for us to have in common. I am also afraid of vomiting. I was always so nauseous during pregnancy, managed to not vomit.

[mommyoffive]

Wow, I had no clue about norovirus, but now things are making sense in my head.  I had a horrible time once when dh was on a work trip to China.  I was home with all the kids ( i can't remember how many I had at that point) and they all got a stomach bug and a few of them had never puked before so it was super traumatizing.  I called dh and begged him to come home and help me, but of course he couldn't.  I was sick, they were all sick.  Puke puke everywhere.  I ran out of towels, sheets, and blankets.  2 kids were sleeping with me and the baby woke up next to me and puked on me while hysterically crying and then the next youngest started puking at the same time.  

Before getting pg I hated puking.  Just had a few bad experiences with it as a kid.  Then I had hyperemesis with each pg.  I puked all day everyday.  It was horrible my first pg because the doctor just told me this was what it was like being pg.  I lost 30 lbs each pg and going in to the first 3 I was a size 0 so I looked like I was dying.  Puking now puts my head back to being so sick in pg and the really dark and lonely place my head was at in those times.  If dh is around he mostly handles all the kid puking because my gag reflux is also really weak from that.   I am just not a good mom with all the gross stuff. 

 

Anyway when the kids all got sick while dh was gone we were sick off and on with this stomach bug for like 6-8 weeks.  Just keep going around and around to all of us.  Even though you would try and clean things, it was impossible with littles.  I wanted to go 24 hours without anyone puking before I would leave the house in the car.  

[Bootsie]

4 hours ago, kristin0713 said:

The thing is that you can still be shedding norovirus for two weeks. I’d be ok being in contact with a person after a few days, but not sharing food, eating food they prepared, or being in a home where it went through the family for two weeks. 

I haven't really been in other people's homes much in the past two years, but before that, there would have been many times I would have been in someone's home for a meeting, meal, card game, baby shower and have no idea of whether someone in the family had had a stomach virus a week earlier.  Family members--yes I might know.  But, many people I know don't share all of their medial history over the previous two weeks before I visit them.  In fact, if I were having an event in my house and someone in the household had had a stomach virus 10 days earlier, I would not have thought to contact all of the guests and let them know that.  It just would have never occurred to me that so many people would not want to come into my home for two weeks.  

[popmom]

5 hours ago, kristin0713 said:

The thing is that you can still be shedding norovirus for two weeks. I’d be ok being in contact with a person after a few days, but not sharing food, eating food they prepared, or being in a home where it went through the family for two weeks. 

Agree. Children shed live virus longer than adults. My understanding is that adults aren’t contagious/shedding after a few days. 
 

My protocol to prevent spread is to limit the virus victim to one bathroom during and at least a week after being sick. The patient must inform me every time they poop—even after they are “well”. Then I clean every possible surface that could be contaminated in that bathroom with bleach or hospital grade disinfectant. Of course the patient must wash hands thoroughly, too, before touching anything. Knock on wood…I have been able to  prevent anyone else in the household from catching it. I can’t prevent that first infection, but I can contain and prevent anyone else from getting it.

I wish more people understood how it’s spread—fecal-oral route. 
 

Signed, mom of 4 kids who WILL catch the stomach virus if there is a single viral particle within 50 miles. 😕 My kids would bring it home 2-3 times a year! I even had a child hospitalized for a week from it. That’s when I really educated myself and got super serious about preventing the spread. 

If mom and sister aren’t bleach cleaning and/or washing hands thoroughly, wait at least 2 weeks. If they are adults and have been careful to clean and wash hands, I’d say there is little risk in visiting. Especially if you thoroughly wash hands and don’t touch your mouth or food before eating. 

 

Edited March 26, 2022 by popmom