Vomiting Bugs and the Joys of Autumn

Hang on, that wasn't supposed to happen!

As much I would have liked to don my cosy parka, scarf and wellies and get out for a picturesque, idyllic family walk in the woods this week, instead I found myself heaving into a bucket, surrounded by equally bilious, retching kids, bottles of Dettol and Dirolyte sachets.

The dreaded 'winter vomiting bug' - aka Norovirus - had struck again...

Armageddon... It was horrendous

For 48 hours, my house descended into complete chaos. The short spaces of time in between feeling wretched myself were spent mopping up, sponging down and administering sips of water to my feverish, projectile-vomiting kids.

The moans of despair filling the house would have been comical had we not all felt so utterly hideous. At one point my son actually asked me if we had contracted Ebola. Now that would not have been funny in the least, but it did make me stop feeling sorry for myself and I'm sure it helped to speed up my recovery!

A quick Norovirus recovery

Luckily, the one and only positive of Norovirus it that it's all over within 48 hours and we were all back to normal pretty quickly.

Once the house had been bleached and scrubbed down to within an inch of its life, I could finally put away the hand sanitiser and crack on with the rest of my week.

Unfortunately though, this has been a year-on-year occurrence in our area, with vast swathes of the local community dropping like flies from it. Where on earth does it come from, and where does it go all summer? I've got visions of it peering evilly from under a black cloak, ready to pounce as Autumn approaches, having spent the summer in hiding - perhaps on the Costa del Sol!

Strange new bugs and viruses

Seriously though, there does seem to be an increase in strange viruses these days. It seems everyone I speak to at the moment has experienced some odd stomach bug, cold, or indistinguishable ailment. I suppose it's a measure of the easily accessible world we live in.

Where once the medical fraternity could contain diseases and viral infections more easily, now bugs are free to travel with us quickly on planes, boats and trains. Keeping track of them all must be a near impossible task, and new strains are emerging and evolving all the time.

According to Bill Bryson's 'A Short History of Nearly Everything' (my bible when I need to sound vaguely intelligent), it's a miracle we all haven't been obliterated by a super virus already.

That's a cheery thought, and it seems to have brought me neatly back to the subject of Ebola... I'll take another dose of Norovirus please!

Jayne, Working Mum and Freelance Editor