Elementary school teacher Laura Thai-Jenkins was relieved when her six-year-old son recovered from him stomach flu in just a few days. It was just before Christmas, and she wanted her family to be healthy when they were together.
But just as her youngest was getting better, her middle child – her eight-year-old son – went off to a birthday party the Friday after Christmas. By New Year’s Eve, he had thrown up more than 10 times.
Two days later, her eldest son, 11, the virus got to her son and he started vomiting as well.
On the first Tuesday of the new year, Thai-Jenkins’ youngest son returned to school – and returned home with a fresh wave of the stomach flu.
Thai-Jenkins was at a loss. She took photos of her ill children and sent them to her mom, then posted another on Facebook to warn other parents of the bug that was evidently going around the kids.
Doctors across the country have seen and heard of cases like that of Thai-Jenkins’ family – where family members gather together for the holidays, only to result in the collective children vomiting as they open up gifts on Christmas morning.
The virus that is causing this year’s stomach flu, doctors warn, is worse than the bug that’s caused similar stomach flu outbreaks in Christmases past. While the number of people affected hasn’t necessarily gone up, the symptoms have become more severe.
Many children are suffering from 102 and 103 degree fevers, a temperature that’s unusually high for a stomach-related illness. Most other people who’ve suffered from the bug are also saying that “it’s more severe, lasting longer, and…worse.”
Health officials are now stressing – particularly before flu season peaks in February – the importance of hygiene, especially in public places.
Always wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water, use alcohol-based hand sanitizers when a sink isn’t available, wash and cook all your food carefully, clean and disinfect any affected surfaces, and don’t handle food if you’re sick.
