Bay Area doctors warn of rise in contagious illnesses ahead of Gasparilla
TAMPA, Fla. - Think a Gasparilla hangover is bad? Norovirus says "hold my beer."
The nasty infection is on the rise, can last for weeks on surfaces, and spreads easily. With a half million pirates coming together to party on Saturday for the Gasparilla Pirate Fest in Tampa, and chilly temperatures likely to drive revelers indoors or in tightly packed tents, Bay Area doctors worry local norovirus cases could climb to new heights.
More people getting sick
What they're saying:
"It's so hard to avoid if you're in a high-touch environment because if it can live for weeks on surfaces and it doesn't get killed with hand sanitizer," explains Tampa General Hospital Urgent Care Chief Medical Officer Dr. Paul Nanda.
Those recovering from a norovirus infection can also continue to shed the virus for weeks. Bathrooms, especially portable toilets stationed along the parade route, are high-spread environments. Without access to soap and water, revelers are even more likely to catch more than just beads at the pirate parade.
"Don't touch your nose or face and don’t share food and drinks," says Nanda.
What you can do:
Norovirus symptoms can set in quickly and include vomiting, diarrhea, extreme nausea, fever, chills, and body aches. The illness typically runs its course after a few days and Dr. Nanda says it’s important to stay hydrated, taking small sips of water to start while nausea persists, and to avoid anti-diarrhea medications like Imodium.
"They don’t help you clear the virus, which is what your body is working to do," explained Dr. Nanda.
Because of how readily it spreads, Dr. Nanda recommends those recovering from norovirus wait at least 48 hours from their last diarrhea symptoms before returning to public settings.
Why you should care:
Beyond norovirus, colds, flu and COVID-19 are all circulating at a high clip in the Bay Area as well.
TGH has seen an uptick in flu-related hospitalizations among vulnerable populations, including older and pregnant patients.
A call to your doctor or trip to an urgent care early on can be the difference in ensuring your entire household doesn’t end up suffering.
READ: Chilly Friday ahead, more freeze warnings early Saturday before big warmup
"For flu, we do have a couple of antivirals that work well, but the key part with flu is you really need to start those medications within 48 hours of the onset of severe symptoms of your fever," explained Dr. Nanda. "Two medicines that we prescribe are Tamiflu and Xofluza and they work really well as a treatment in terms of decreasing the duration and severity of your symptoms and also work in terms of prophylaxis, meaning if I come home and two of my kids have flu, I can treat the rest of the family with those medicines as a prophylactic so the rest of us don't get sick."
The best way to keep yourself from picking up any unwanted germs this weekend: wash your hands every chance you get, avoid sharing drinks and food, and if you’re sick: keep it to yourself and sit this one out!
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