Public Health Update on Viral Gastroenteritis

ArchiveFeb 29, 2012

4 min read

Avoid contact with those who are ill.
Keep sick children out of schools/nurseries; stay away from work until 48 hours after the symptoms have stopped.
Wash your hands often, especially if you care for a sick person: Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water or use alcohol- based hand cleaner especially after using the toilet. You can also use antiseptics such as Dettol or Savlon.
Control flies by ensuring sanitary premises, including proper collection and disposal of garbage.
Drinking water must be safe; use desalinated, bottled or boiled water.
Disinfect cisterns by adding 2½ ounces of bleach for each 1,000 gallons of water in the cistern.
Soiled disposable diapers should be placed in a garbage bag and securely tied. The bag should then be placed into a securely covered container for collection.
Toilets should be disinfected after use by sick persons, so that others will not contract the illness.
Do not share towels, cups, or food with sick persons.
Wash your hands often, and always after using the bathroom and playing with pets and before eating or preparing food. Clean the whole hand, under your nails, between your fingers, and up the wrists:
Wash for at least 15 seconds. Don’t just wipe. Scrub well.
Rinse, letting the water run down your fingers, not up your wrists.
Dry your hands well. Use a paper towel to turn off the faucet and open the door.
Always wear rubber gloves to clean and disinfect the toilet and keep them for this use only. Wash your hands thoroughly after removing the gloves.
Toddlers’ potties and toilets, including the flush handle, toilet seats, toilet door handles and wash basin taps should be cleaned frequently, at least once per day, or more often when a person has diarrhea and when the toilet is in frequent use.
A diluted bleach solution is recommended – (e.g. 1 part bleach diluted in 10 parts water) or according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Always wash your hands before handling food. Handle the food as little as possible. Serve food fresh and if any is left over, store it correctly in a refrigerator. Try not to ask people to visit you for a meal or drink whilst there is anybody with gastroenteritis in the house.
If your work involves looking after children, sick or elderly people, or involves handling food, you must STAY OFF WORK while you are ill.
All staff should be excluded from work until 48 hours after the symptoms have stopped.
Children should stay away from school/nursery until 48 hours after the symptoms have stopped.
Gastroenteritis is commonly called the “stomach flu”. It is an inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, which includes your stomach and intestines.
Gastroenteritis can be caused by several different types of viruses, including Noroviruses, rotaviruses and adenoviruses. Viral gastroenteritis is common in the winter. Reported outbreaks occur in institutions such as nursing/residential homes, schools and nurseries.
Gastroenteritis can also be caused by many different bacteria, e.g. Salmonella, Campylobacter, Cryptosporidiosis. The bacteria that cause gastroenteritis can be acquired from contaminated food or drink, or from the environment.
Nausea and vomiting
Watery diarrhea
Fever and chills
Abdominal pain
Blood in the stool (in severe cases)
Viral particles can spread from person to person by the droplets produced by violent vomiting and disperses viruses into the air.
The bacteria and viruses can also be spread from person to person by close contact with someone who is ill with the infection, especially if hygiene is poor.
People with gastroenteritis have harmful germs in their stool. When they don’t wash their hands well after using the bathroom, they can spread the germs to objects. If you touch the same objects, you can pick up the germs on your hands and transfer them to your mouth.
Gastroenteritis can be spread through consumption of food or water contaminated by stool or vomit of an infected person.
Viral gastroenteritis is usually a short illness lasting usually 1-2 days
Bacterial gastroenteritis can last for much longer, depending on the organism responsible for the illness.
The incubation period for viral gastroenteritis is between 24-48 hours. A person is infectious during the acute stage of the illness and for up to 48 hours after the diarrhea and/or vomiting has stopped. Therefore affected persons should stay away from school/work until 48hours after the vomiting and/or diarrhea has stopped.
The incubation period for bacterial gastroenteritis can vary from a few hours to several days. Bacteria behave in different ways, however affected person should observe the general exclusion advice as above. If certain bacteria are identified as the cause of the illness, additional precautions may be advised.
Gastroenteritis often goes away without treatment. In some cases, symptoms are gone in day or two. In others, symptoms linger for weeks.
Get plenty of rest
Drink lots of liquids to replace water lost through diarrhea and vomiting. Plain water, clear soups, and electrolyte solutions are best. (You can find electrolyte solutions in most drug stores). Avoid carbonated drinks, alcohol, coffee, tea, colas, milk, fruit juice and sports drinks. These can make symptoms worse. If nausea and vomiting make it hard for you to drink, try sucking on ice chips.
Until the diarrhea clears up, avoid eating fruit and all dairy products except yogurt. They can make diarrhea worse.
You may be admitted to the hospital if your symptoms are very severe.

Published February 29, 2012