Last Fall (in the northern hemisphere), I took a graduate class called "Global Health" as part of my quest to get a Masters in Political Science. In that class, I did a presentation on the current state of health in New Zealand. (We had the chance to pick the country that we wanted to research and I thought it would be helpful to know how healthy - or sick - Kiwis were before we actually stepped foot in the country.)
Not surprising, as a developed country, New Zealand is plagued with your typical "developed" country health problems: high incidence of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, as well as problems associated with smoking and alcohol. What is surprising, however, is that New Zealand also has its share of scary viruses ... which brings me to the point of this blog post:
Dunedin is currently being attacked by norovirus. AGAIN.
What is the norovirus?
According to the CDC, "noroviruses (genus Norovirus, family Caliciviridae) are a group of related, single-stranded RNA, nonenveloped viruses that cause acute gastroenteritis in humans." In other words, it's a yucky virus that anybody is susceptible to if some dirty person doesn't wash their hands and they happen to have the virus.
Gross gross gross gross gross.
The CDC also says that norovirus clinically presents in humans as "acute-onset vomiting, watery non-bloody diarrhea with abdominal cramps, and nausea" and it can last from 24-48 hours.
Double and triple and quadruple gross!!!
So, this is my desperate PSA to everyone out there (most of all to the people of Dunedin):
When you go to the bathroom, PLEASE WASH YOUR HANDS!!!! It doesn't take more than 1 minute. Maybe even 2 if you're thorough. (What's wrong with you!!!) If you aren't sure how to properly wash your hands, I've included a link here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Pkjv96MYss
Now you don't have any excuses because it's a youtube video - NOBODY is excluded from this PSA! Yes, everyone can wash their hands!!! YES WE CAN! YES WE CAN!
I know, you might think that I sound condescending or a little angry. I'll be honest. This is a major pet peeve of mine. If you ask any of my friends how I feel about this, they can tell you all about it ... I think that some of them might be more adamant about this issue than me! And friends, I won't even begin to tell you how many times I've been to the bathroom here and heard the person next to me leave the bathroom WITHOUT even turning on the water to feign handwashing. Dirty!!!!
So, I hope this a lesson to all of us. Wash your hands. If you do, you won't spread dirty, viral poo around and people won't get sick. End of story. Sorry, I had to do it. And not just norovirus, either ... many other scary, disgusting kind of viruses can be stopped from spreading just by washing your hands! Imagine that?!
If you're wondering why I said that Dunedin is being attacked again, read this story from the Otago Daily Times: http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/19838/new-wave-norovirus-hits-hospital. Just last week the Dunedin Hospital was closed because of an outbreak. It's closed again. And we work just across the street from it. And today I have to pick up some paperwork from my midwife at the front desk. Please pray for me. (ETK)
Not surprising, as a developed country, New Zealand is plagued with your typical "developed" country health problems: high incidence of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, as well as problems associated with smoking and alcohol. What is surprising, however, is that New Zealand also has its share of scary viruses ... which brings me to the point of this blog post:
Dunedin is currently being attacked by norovirus. AGAIN.
What is the norovirus?
According to the CDC, "noroviruses (genus Norovirus, family Caliciviridae) are a group of related, single-stranded RNA, nonenveloped viruses that cause acute gastroenteritis in humans." In other words, it's a yucky virus that anybody is susceptible to if some dirty person doesn't wash their hands and they happen to have the virus.
Gross gross gross gross gross.
The CDC also says that norovirus clinically presents in humans as "acute-onset vomiting, watery non-bloody diarrhea with abdominal cramps, and nausea" and it can last from 24-48 hours.
Double and triple and quadruple gross!!!
So, this is my desperate PSA to everyone out there (most of all to the people of Dunedin):
When you go to the bathroom, PLEASE WASH YOUR HANDS!!!! It doesn't take more than 1 minute. Maybe even 2 if you're thorough. (What's wrong with you!!!) If you aren't sure how to properly wash your hands, I've included a link here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Pkjv96MYss
Now you don't have any excuses because it's a youtube video - NOBODY is excluded from this PSA! Yes, everyone can wash their hands!!! YES WE CAN! YES WE CAN!
I know, you might think that I sound condescending or a little angry. I'll be honest. This is a major pet peeve of mine. If you ask any of my friends how I feel about this, they can tell you all about it ... I think that some of them might be more adamant about this issue than me! And friends, I won't even begin to tell you how many times I've been to the bathroom here and heard the person next to me leave the bathroom WITHOUT even turning on the water to feign handwashing. Dirty!!!!
So, I hope this a lesson to all of us. Wash your hands. If you do, you won't spread dirty, viral poo around and people won't get sick. End of story. Sorry, I had to do it. And not just norovirus, either ... many other scary, disgusting kind of viruses can be stopped from spreading just by washing your hands! Imagine that?!
If you're wondering why I said that Dunedin is being attacked again, read this story from the Otago Daily Times: http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/19838/new-wave-norovirus-hits-hospital. Just last week the Dunedin Hospital was closed because of an outbreak. It's closed again. And we work just across the street from it. And today I have to pick up some paperwork from my midwife at the front desk. Please pray for me. (ETK)
1 comment:
Ewwwwwwwwww, yucky !
Post a Comment