Norovirus - Help me calm my fears!!

CBlover, BSN, RN · Feb 18, 2016

I can't calm your worries. Wish I could. I had it and it is BAD. It spread through my whole family and group of friends. It's extremely contagious. I would wear gloves constantly and a mask and gown most of the shift if I were you. It's hard to beat that bug. Hard.

idodialysis · Feb 19, 2016

Change your shoes upon entering and exiting your facility.

dishes, BSN, RN · Feb 19, 2016

Norovirus lives on surfaces. Do you have disposable disinfectant wipes at your workplace? If not, ask your employer to stock them ASAP, (the ones with bleach if possible). Are housekeeping staff wiping all the surfaces in shared rooms using a new disposable cloth for each area? or are they using the same reusable cloth? Housekeeping, along with all of the staff should use disposable cloths to frequently clean shared surfaces such as; computer keyboards,telephones, chair armrests, tabletops, door knobs etc. Also, everyone should use gloves, gloves and more gloves.

Jensmom7, BSN, RN · Feb 19, 2016

Wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands. I can't say it enough.

Most of my patients are in a facility, on the memory care unit. Many of the residents are very friendly and love to hug.

On a good day God knows where their hands have been lol. There were a few cases of vomiting and diarrhea, and the staff started sanitizing surfaces like crazy.

I think we all used hand sanitizer every time we passed any of the dispensers for a few weeks. I'm not particularly germ phobic, but I'm not about to court noro virus.

dishes, BSN, RN · Feb 19, 2016

The alcohol-based hand sanitizers are ineffective against noro virus. @justanurse, is your workplace following the CDC noro virus outbreak guidelines?

justanurse95 · Feb 19, 2016

Yes we have the bleach wipes that we use frequently! Hopefully they're helping!

justanurse95 · Feb 19, 2016

As for following CDC protocol, I'm not sure as I haven't been there for several days and at that point it was just getting started

OCNRN63, RN · Feb 19, 2016

I can't help you either, other than to d the basic infection control measures. I had it once and wound up hospitalized. I wouldn't want that again.

kbrn2002, ADN, RN · Feb 20, 2016

Cripes, that bug is scary fast spreading. Almost worse is how fast it hits. One minute you are fine and congratulating yourself on not getting sick when everybody else is, the next minute you are violently ill. Other than the usual wash your hands and use bleach wipes there isn't much else I can suggest.

Good luck, I hope you are one of the lucky one's that gets missed.

SororAKS, ADN, RN · Feb 21, 2016

In 2014 I worked at a facility that had this, it spread like wildfire. I followed CDC protocol and got sick. But I know others that didn't get sick. I'd just do what you are doing.

ktwlpn, LPN · Feb 21, 2016

Hello, I'm a fairly new nurse at a large LTC facility. In the past week we have had a large outbreak of Norovirus at work. We've had at least 15 staff call in, or go home sick, as well as many sick residents. I'm scheduled to work tomorrow and Saturday. I'm generally not a germaphobe AT ALL, but my worry is that I'm supposed to be on an airplane to Florida on Sunday night. I can't get sick now! Any other week, I would just do my best to avoid getting sick, and if I get it, I get it, but the thought of being sick on vacation has me a little paranoid. Does anybody have any advice to calm my worries? Tips to decrease the likelihood of getting sick? I know handwashing is obviously the number one way to prevent it, but is there anything else I should be doing? Thanks in advance!

OMG!Nothing worse than getting sick on a great vacation.I think I would call off....