8 Tips To Avoid Getting The Stomach Flu When Your Family Has It

The stomach flu is just plain nasty. Not to mention, it travels so fast, hitting people like lightening as it passes which is horror when a family member has it! In medical terms, it is known as the norovirus. Stomach flu can be got from contaminated food and water, from another person suffering from it and contaminated surface such as toilets, door handles, taps, etc.

Some of the symptoms of the stomach flu include:

Diarrhea
Vomiting
Abdominal pain
Fatigue
Nausea
Fever
Muscle aches
And more

The best way to control the stomach flu is not getting it in the first place! If you end up with the stomach flu, it’s agony for about 10 days or so! One of the most important things to do to prevent getting stomach flu is following the tips below:

# Wash your hands frequently

Yup, keep washing your hands every after visiting the restroom, touching door handles and stuff other people touch. Before eating anything, wash your hands properly. After coming into contact with other people (sick with the stomach flu or otherwise) make sure to scrub your hands with warm water and hand soap. Do not use hand sanitizers because they won’t work against the norovirus even if they’re alcohol based.

# Wipe down surfaces, door handles, taps, light switches, toilets and other such communal things frequently

Use bleach to clean these surfaces because light cleaning won’t do – the norovirus is hard to kill. For places that have been splattered with vomit, use a strong solution of ¼ cup bleach mixed with 2 ¼ cups of water. For door handles, light switches and surfaces, just use 1 tbsp of bleach in 2 ¼ cups of water. Use the solution to clean surfaces at least thrice a day, especially if you’re living in a home with a family member or two down with the stomach flu.

# Clothes of the sick person should be washed separately in the hottest water possible

This destroys the norovirus that’s definitely hiding in a little splatter of vomit or fecal matter (sorry gross) in the clothes of the sick person.

# Let the sick person use a separate bathroom, if possible

Let the guest bathroom or any other bathroom in the house be used only by the sick person. It should be cleaned properly – bathroom floor, tiles, sink, taps and toilet, with the bleach solution mentioned above.

# Don’t let the sick person handle/serve food

Also, don’t share the same utensils and cutlery used by the sick person. If possible, use disposable plates and utensils for the sick person to prevent the spread of the norovirus through dishes.

# Up your intake of alkalizing foods

The stomach flu virus thrives in an acidic environment! It does not like alkaline foods! So what you’re going to do is increase your intake of alkaline foods. Some of these include lemon water, apple cider vinegar, fresh fruits like apples, bananas, grapes, papaya, etc, vegetable like cucumber, olives, lettuce, okra, kale, bell peppers, avocado and more.

# Drink a ton of water

Flush your system with a lot of water. Water also alkalizes your body, making it hard for the norovirus to survive.

# Take raw Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)

In addition to taking a lot of water, take little shots of ¼ cup of warm water with 1 tbsp of Bragg’s apple cider vinegar and 1 tbsp honey every 12 hours. For children, use just 1 tsp of ACV. ACV is antibacterial and rich in probiotics that help balance the pH of the stomach. So many people have had success with ACV so you can’t miss out on this one!