Published: November 19, 2008 04:57 pm      

Stomach bugs and viruses: ’Tis the season to use extra caution

I felt a crawly feeling when fellow reporter Charles Owens said the words “stomach flu.” I’ve had appendicitis, pneumonia, chicken pox and a bash on the head with a hoe, but nothing has inflicted as much misery on me as a bout of stomach flu.

Last week the Cumberland Plateau Health District reported that increasing numbers of people were experiencing gastroenteritis, an infection caused by a variety of viruses. When you catch it, expect vomiting or diarrhea.

My experiences started when my nephews A.J. and Alex were born. Little children have a wonderful way of catching new bugs from their playmates and bringing them home. Toddlers who can’t talk and barely walk are a bioterrorist’s dream come true. They’re highly mobile, they have hands, they frequently touch everyone and everything, and they can’t tell you they’re sick until that fact becomes painfully obvious.

By the time we noticed that A.J. or Alex wasn’t feeling well, whatever payload of germs they were carrying had been spread around.

The mislabeled “stomach flu” is extremely contagious. It’s transmitted person-to-person. Having direct contact with any person showing symptoms or handling anything they have touched can pass the virus along. Naturally, that’s how I picked up the stomach demon; being a good “Unk,” I played with them and handled their toys.

I remember one post New Year’s Eve event that made me think I had food poisoning.

A.J., who was still a toddler, my sister Karen and my brother-in-law Jimmy were visiting Mom and Dad during the holidays. Everything was wonderful, but A.J. had picked up a bug somewhere. Karen patiently gave him liquids and I played with him and kept him distracted. He handled his illness pretty well and bounced back with astonishing ease. I dismissed the idea that a bug that can make a toddler pensive and a little feverish was anything for an adult to worry about.

Oh, how we fool ourselves.

I was living in Princeton at the time. When I returned home in early January, I ate leftover New Year’s Eve goodies for dinner; meatballs, chips with dips and some cheese fondue with French bread. I went to bed feeling just fine.

But I woke up a few hours later and felt like I had been poisoned. I’ll skip the gruesome details, but I was violently ill.

By morning I felt as if I had fallen off a cliff. I ached and I couldn’t even drink water without getting sick again. I thought I had gotten food poisoning, but then I remembered A.J.’s illness and realized that I had been flattened by a 2-year-old.

A few years later I had another bout of stomach flu; my nephew Alex was the possible vector. Like the first experience, it lasted about two days.

Gastroenteritis can cause serious dehydration, especially among very young children and the elderly, physicians in Virginia said.

Dr. John Dreyzehner, director of the Cumberland Plateau Health District, said the recommended way to stay hydrated is by drinking water, diluted clear fruit juice or athletic beverages. The key for sick individuals is the take small steady sips of clear liquid, he said.

I stayed home each time the stomach flu assaulted me. While I have better sanitary habits than a toddler, there was still that chance I could infect the entire newsroom. I managed to down some water and soon shook off the stomach bug, but I was left aching and worn out for several days.

Before I returned to work, I made sure I had sanitized everything I was wearing and carrying, and I frequently wash my hands whenever I’m feeling even a little under the weather.

Now that the holidays and family gatherings they inspire are here, it doesn’t hurt to take hand washing, covering one’s nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing, and being careful when handling food a little more seriously.

A.J. and Alex are now going on 13 and 10 respectively, so now they wash their hands and cover their mouths when coughing.

It’s been years since they infected me with anything.

Regular hand washing, keeping hand sanitizer within reach and being mindful when coughing or sneezing can go a long way toward making sure the holidays are joyfully uneventful — not times when getting sick becomes the memorable event.

Greg Jordan is a reporter for the Daily Telegraph. Contact him at gjordan@bdtonline.com