| To be familiar with the best habits to prevent stomach flu, you need to have some fundamental information about the causes of stomach flu and why it is so transmittable.
Stomach flu, which is referred to as viral gastroenteritis or just gastroenteritis by medical professionals, is actually the result of a virus and so it isn't really a variety of influenza. That being said, the phrase stomach flu has become commonplace through the decades and is now universally accepted. The names stomach virus, stomach flu, gastroenteritis and viral gastroenteritis will all mean the same sickness for our purposes in this article.
Stomach flu begins when one of several possible types of stomach flu viruses finds an entrance into the digestive system - typically through the mouth. A stomach virus can float on air currents for surprising distances. When someone near you has symptoms of viral gastroenteritis, you can be certain the viruses are circulating, landing on lots of areas that are regularly touched by humans. Preventing stomach flu begins with cleaning and disinfecting such areas to keep them free of germs.
A stomach virus can also be directly transmitted from one individual to another. You can get stomach flu just by touching, kissing, or shaking hands with a person who is infected, even if signs and symptoms haven't appeared yet.
Eating anything that has been touched by an individual with stomach flu is another way to transmit germs. This is why many municipal health inspectors insist that restaurant employees wash their hands often. In your home, it's essential to make sure you don't share eating utensils, drinking glasses, or napkins with anyone who is sick. Any clothing used by infected persons should be laundered as soon as possible.
A number of foods may already contain the virus before you purchase them. Shellfish that come from sewage-contaminated water are an example. The virus can also get into untreated water in streams and lakes, so be careful when swimming.
As was mentioned above, conscientious and diligent hand washing is the best way to prevent stomach virus. The idea is to wash germs off your hands before you touch your mouth, which is something most people do unconsciously many times a day. Hand washing is especially important before a meal, and after you've used a bathroom or changed a diaper. You should keep your hands under running water for a minimum of twenty seconds and use soap abundantly.
Be sure to wash your hands after touching doors and door handles in a public place where a lot of people are going in and out - especially bathrooms, classrooms and conference rooms. It's even better to avoid touching doors or bathroom faucets with your bare hands. Try using a clean paper hand towel when you can to place some protection between your skin and the virus.
In recent years, a lot more alcohol-based hand washing gels have come on the market, and they offer protection against some types of stomach viruses, but not all. They should not be considered a dependable means of preventing a stomach virus.
A person with gastroenteritis definitely shouldn't cook food for others. If you frequently prepare meals for another person, you should wait for approximately 3 days after you no longer have symptoms before you begin cooking again. Regrettably, this can't always be accomplished.
Preventing a stomach virus takes conscientious planning. Time and effort is needed to keep germs from getting on floors, sinks, countertops and other places in your home or work space. A number of commercial disinfectants are available that are effective at destroying the major types of stomach viruses, and you should read the labels carefully when you use them. You can also make a disinfectant at home by mixing some bleach with water - fifty parts water to one part bleach.
So far, two types of vaccines have been approved that are formulated for viral gastroenteritis prevention, but they don't work against all types of the virus. Talk to your health care professional to learn more about these vaccines.
Learn more about stomach flu prevention by clicking on stomach virus prevention. You can access dozens of articles about stomach flu and other stomach trouble by clicking on what to do about stomach problems.
Neal Kennedy is a retired TV and radio journalist with a special interest in health and fitness topics. |
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