With norovirus blowing up across the country, I thought it would be a good time to talk to you about how to avoid it. This is a bit of a schtick with me because I know this as a fact: infectious diseases do not have to run rampant in a first world country. We have plenty of access to clean water, clean environments, and plenty of nutritious foods. But they do, because people just have to go to the public library after shitting their brains out for a week. Apparently, the library can’t wait. Which is ironic on its own, because the way I hear it is kids don’t read books anymore. I guess people are saving up their annual Instagram-library trip for the week after norovirus.

Do I sound angry? It’s because I’m seething. Nobody should watch their child’s lips turn blue from chills interfering with their breathing because of a totally avoidable illness, but that’s just where I found myself last year after a trip to the public library. (I take 50% of the responsibility for my kids contracting this awful bug)

So today we’re doing a little Q&A format, which is different than a lot of my posts, but I’ve recently been encouraged by my inner circle to let it rip in the health department. So, fire in the bowl hole!

How is Norovirus spread?

Norovirus, is, in a word, a contact virus. I’m just going to call it like it is: if you’ve got norovirus, you have been exposed to another person’s vomit or feces. That’s right. You’ve eaten someone else’s poo particles. The church answer is: it’s primarily spread through food, water and surfaces contaminated with it. Surfaces that are harboring the virus are called fomites. It is also possible to contract norovirus with direct contact with an infected person (obviously), or the aerosols of their vomit.

What’s the Norovirus incubation period?

If you’ve ingested another person’s puke or poo particles, it’s going to take you out pretty quickly. Incubation is about 12 to 48 hours, which means if your toddler licked a door handle in the morning, you might have a pukey little human by the evening or within the following couple of days.

How long is it contagious?

Studies have shown that norovirus can be contagious for a few weeks after you feel better. That’s because it sheds in the poop of a previously infected person. Good thing you’re here because you’re about to have all the power to stop transmission of this nasty little booger.

What kills it?

There are only three cleaners that effectively kill norovirus. Bleach, Hydrogen Peroxide and Force of Nature. If it claims to “kill 99.9% of germs” that simply means it kills 99.9% of whatever it was tested against. You’ll have to do some digging to find out what, exactly, the challenge organisms are for whatever product you’re using. If it doesn’t very clearly say “norovirus,” then you cannot be sure that it will kill it. Norovirus is a nasty bug. Claiming to kill COVID-19 should not be a metric of how effective something is, because COVID isn’t very hard to kill.

And, no, the secret is not to use disinfectant in your hands. Don’t do it. Just say no. Now that we’ve cleared that up.

How can you avoid it?

Are you ready for the big secret on how to avoid norovirus? I’m not sure. You had better sit down. Drumroll please.

Handwashing.

That’s it! You can avoid this literal shit show by washing your hands for 20 seconds before you eat, drink or touch your face. For anyone 5+, have them count to twenty and remind them to wash in-between their fingers. Anyone under four should have help, and between 4 and 5, you’ll have to use your own discretion about how much you need to monitor bathroom time. Paper towels are great for norovirus season, but if you’re adverse to them because #trees, then make sure you’re rotating your drying towel often. Like daily.

If you’re anywhere with communal toys and your children are playing with them, scrub up before you leave. And for the love of God do NOT give your mouthing/teething baby any toys that you are not 100% confident are sanitized. In fact, just don’t take them anywhere right now if it isn’t totally necessary to your daily survival. It’s not worth it, it doesn’t build their immunity, and you’ll all be miserable. If the in-laws are giving you a hard time about going to blady blady blah, this is not the time to care. Because guess who will NOT be there to help you clean up the bodily fluid tsunami? The in-laws.

OMG! Should I use antibacterial soap?!

No. Do not use antibacterial soap because they often have hazardous chemicals in them, reduce your good bacteria, dry your skin out, and leave you more prone to infection. Any run of the mill soap is good, but I prefer AttitudeLiving because it is EWG-Verified not to have any weird long-term effects to your health.

What about hand sanitizer?

Hand sanitizer won’t cut it here. Like I said, norovirus is a tough beast to kill and the isopropanol in hand sanitizer isn’t going to even touch it. Similar to the antibacterial soap, it will knock down your good bacteria and make it easier for norovirus to flourish on your/their hands. Don’t fall for this false sense of security.

But my kids go to school/daycare….

If your kids are at school, I so feel your pain. I went to public school, and my mom was a public-school teacher. I was sick all. the. time. The best you can do is remind them to wash their hands after going to the bathroom, before and after eating lunch, and before they leave school. And then babysit their handwashing as soon as they get home. Leave those germs behind. Just remind them of how they felt last time they puked and that norovirus will mean a lot more puking. You could also give them this little demonstration at home and hopefully it’ll stick better. What kid doesn’t like glitter? I haven’t met any.

Daycare is a bit of a mixed bag. If someone at daycare has norovirus, see if you can arrange for your kiddo to be home until the smoke clears. If you can’t, you will want to do some poking about how frequently they rotate their toys and how they sanitize them (and what they’re using). Caution though! People get really defensive about their cleaning methods – even when they have NO CLUE what they’re doing. Maybe just email the director and ask for the cleaning protocol and research it yourself. You’re less likely to get accosted. Ask me how I know.

But what if someone in your house has it…

If someone in your house has it, refer to my earlier post about surviving norovirus. It’s got all sorts of tips and tricks to help you mitigate the biohazard disaster in your home.

Good luck, soldier.

At the end of the day, we all hold the power to stop disease transmission. Wash your hands, don’t go anywhere when you’re sick, and all these nasty boogers will stop spreading around like wildfire. You’ve got this. Be a trendsetter. Be the change.