[FreeRangeMum]

When I was growing up we never got true 'gastro' (both ends, really unwell etc). Generally once every few years one of us would have a couple of spews, a bit of a rest, and then be fine. It rarely spread through the house, and was generally all over within 4-6 hours. Most people I've spoken to were the same. (Not rose-coloured glasses as I've checked with mum & dad lol).

The last 5-10 years I've noticed that gastro seems a lot more prevalent, severe and contagious. I have some friends who have it through their house several times each year, it is a more severe illness (ie. both ends for 24 hours +), and rips through the entire house within days.

It freaks me out as I'm a vomit phobic, which mum puts down to hardly ever been crook as a child.

So what do you think? And why? I've considered the widespread use of childcare, but my brother and I did go to full time daycare and still rarely got tummy bugs as a child....

[Oriental lily]

Yes I think it is.

Not sure why though.

[lozoodle]

I think it is because people don't seem to take it seriously. They think "oh it was just a bit of diarrhoea" and take their kid anyway. Kid then passes it onto everyone else who get it. But the problem is what is "just a runny poo" for one will be non stop vomiting for another. I think the way individuals are affected by a virus makes the difference.

Exclusion periods are a joke too. 24 hours is not long enough.

[brazen]

yes, absolutely

i consider us lucky if we go more than 12 months without it. yet can't remember having it as a kid, not til i was 21yo!

[MrsLexiK]

I don't, I think it is the way each family/person deals with it and what they are suspectable to. I have had gastero once in my life and food posioning once. My sister had it much more often then that. I remember a neighbour being admitted to hospital because of it. I think my neice and nephew have had it once or twice but then I have another neice who has had it so many times (yet her brother hasn't)

[JRA]

I must admit having never had it as children, and my son never has had it, it continues to shock me the number of people on EB who have children that seem to have gastro.

[lozoodle]

I think a lot comes down to hygeine etc too.

The kids seem to get it more often (both have had it twice, second time quite mild) from daycare and I think in that sort of environment its hard to control because kids are there when they shouldn't be, and it gets passed on that way.

But I've only had it once that I can remember as an adult, and even when DP had a shocking dose of it, I didn't get it off him because I was super careful and just refused to be anywhere near him. It can be more difficult when its your kids who have it because you are physically touching the vomit and dealing with nappies etc, so if you aren't super careful its really easy to get it.

[zande]

It certainly seems to be yet it's only hit our house once in my kids' lives and only one DD got it (the other DD hadn't been born yet LOL) but myself and my DH didn't get it. It was over in 24 hours at most and we've never had it in the house again. My DDs are 9 and 6, DD1 was 2.5yo when she had it.

Yet I know of families that get it again and again and like you say OP it goes through the whole family and it's a few day-long event.

[PrincessPeach]

I think it is & it seems to be a combination of people not taking it seriously enough & having very poor hygene.

[FrogIsAFrogIsAFr...]

I'm almost too nervous to post in this thread and possibly tempt fate !! We've had a pretty lucky run, with 11 and 7 year old children, I reckon they've been pretty lucky. There are several families I know who just keep on being affected by it, though. One of my friends ended up refusing to go to the public pool or play cafe when the girls were younger, because her daughter would always end up with gastro.

I'm not sure if it's more common, but it does seem to affect some families more than others, and I have no idea why.