I’m fearing of a green Christmas
Gastrointestinal illness is the holiday tradition no one wants to revisit
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 16/12/2018 (1948 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
It’s a holiday tradition. Only one Katrina Profeta would rather not observe.
Yet try as she might, her child always falls ill this time of year with a stomach bug.
“Since he started school, it’s like clockwork that he gets sick around Christmas,” says the 29-year-old mother of a 10-year-old son.
“It’s a bit of a running joke with my family.”
What’s more is the sickness comes with little warning.
“He basically turns super white, and a minute later he’s projectile vomiting.”
That spontaneity has led to some unforgettable — though clearly not idyllic — holiday memories.
“One time… he got sick during the middle of service and projectile-vomited everywhere in the church, and I’m not exaggerating when I say ‘everywhere,’ “ says the communications assistant with the Manitoba Nurses’ Union.
It’s likely most families have their own harrowing stories of children — and parents — up-chucking their Christmas cookies. In retrospect these tales of nausea stir a nostalgic giggle or a nervous laugh.
Yet they’re experiences nobody wants to revisit, even though it’s likely we all will.
While the holiday season is a cheery time for family and friends gather, we often have uninvited guests tagging along.
Gastrointestinal bugs like to congregate during the holidays, too.
“The whole holiday period you have people gathering, eating together and sharing all their respective germs,” says infectious disease specialist Dr. John Embil, director of infection prevention and control at Health Sciences Centre.
“Then you’ve got potentially improperly handled and cooked food that will be shared by all.”
In other words conditions are ripe for an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness — often called the “stomach flu.”
Yet the influenza virus, which generally infects the respiratory tract, usually has nothing to do with gastrointestinal upset.
Rather it’s a host of other viral infections such as norovirus or bacteria such as salmonella that can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever and a general sense that you’re the embodiment of death warmed over.
“Anytime you’ve got hordes of people meeting together and bringing food for potlucks, you’re always gambling as to… how it was prepared and with what care it was prepared,” Embil says.
Don’t want you or your family to fall ill? Well, the best defence is a good offence.
Kill germs with extreme prejudice.
That involves practising good handwashing, which most people do not do properly, he says.
As well avoid touching your mouth so you’re less likely to acquire a pathogen like the norovirus, which can attach to escalator rails and other public surfaces.
Safe food preparation is also critical to stopping diseases’ spread.
Improper preparation and storage of food often play a role in food poisoning caused by salmonella or other bacteria commonly found on raw meat or vegetables. As such, wash veggies and fruits thoroughly, and look out for recalls — like the recent North America-wide alert for romaine lettuce, contaminated by E. coli — in the news. (You can also get the latest food recalls from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency here.)
Cooking meat and other food to the proper temperature kills most viruses and bugs, Embil says. However, temperatures vary for different meats, and even for different cuts of the same meat. For example, poultry — breast, thighs and other cuts — need to reach an internal temperature of at least 74 C (165 F). But the internal temperature of a whole bird must hit 82 C (180 F). (By the way, a food thermometer makes a great stocking stuffer for households without one.)
Embil also recommends checking out online public health resources like the Government of Canada’s website to get the complete goods on safe food prep.
Another smart investment is alcohol-based hand sanitizer, which kills most harmful bacteria. It doesn’t replace handwishing — alcohol-based sanitizers do not kill the norovirus, for instance — it’s handy to use when you’re far from a sink to wash your hands.
However, some bacteria, such as the Staphylococcus aureus, make a toxin that can’t be killed by soap and water or alcohol-based sanitizers. Nor does its poison break down in the cooking process. Embil says this bacteria often infect fingernails and wounds on the hand, and can find its way into handled food.
“The bacteria multiply and make a toxin in the food that can’t be destroyed by heat, so even keeping your dishes at the proper temperature may always not protect you.”
Because the toxins are baked in, so to speak, the effects have a rapid onset. It often takes a few hours after ingestion to be afflicted with “truly horrific” symptoms, he says.
“It will make you want to vomit and have diarrhea, at the same time.”
Handwashing, however, remains important because it still can stop bacteria from spreading, but people with wounds on their hands and wrists should wear rubber gloves when preparing food, the Centers for Disease Control recommends.
Other illnesses often take longer to incubate after infection. The virus or bacteria need time to multiply to have a negative impact.
As such symptoms’ onset can take about eight hours to a few days. Fortunately the worst symptoms — vomiting and diarrhea — usually clear up within 24 hours. If they persist, without improvement, consult a physician, who may want to run tests to figure out what’s bugging you or your family members, Embil says.
Yet while diagnostics can identify the infection, it is much more challenging to determine its source, he adds.
Why her son falls ill every holiday is certainly a mystery Profeta wishes she could solve.
“I can get pretty paranoid thinking about it because I don’t know if I can commit to anything.”
Consequently, Christmas shopping often involves stocking up on Gatorade or Pedialyte. Both help prevent dehydration while restoring electrolytes such as sodium and potassium, which regulate nerve and muscle function. As well, she keeps plenty of soda crackers on hand, which are easy on a queasy tummy.
With the heart of the holidays nearly here, she is resigned to the possibility she will need these before the year is done.
“I’m hoping we can somehow avoid it, but I have a feeling that’s not going to happen,” Profeta says, adding she is uncertain whether they will attend a scheduled big family gathering.
Of course, if she or her son fall ill, family members will understand.
“They’ve seen it before, so it would be nothing new for them.”
joelschles@gmail.com
History
Updated on Tuesday, December 18, 2018 10:35 AM CST: makes clarifications, adds hyperlinks