If you run a Sioux Falls daycare, host big dinner parties, or just live in a home that takes time to cook a meal together, it’s imperative to the safety of everyone you’re feeding to keep a clean kitchen.
Preventing food poisoning in your home isn’t a common concern, but all it takes is theimproper handling of one batch of ingredients for Norovirus to make itself at home..
Norovirus spreads quickly, it’s nasty, and we’d prefer that you didn’t have to experience it (or serve it to anyone else). Here’s how to make sure Norovirus doesn’t pull up a chair at your table.
What is Norovirus?
Oh, how to describe this delicately… A quick way to define Norovirus is by telling you that in Ireland and the United Kingdom, it’s called the winter vomiting bug.
Basically, Norovirus is the most common cause of viral gastroenteritis (inflammation of the stomach and small intestine causing combinations of diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain). It can be transmitted by fecal contamination of food and water, by contact with an infected person, or by airborne contact.
In the United States, Norovirus might be the root cause of almost half of all instances of food borne gastroenteritis (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Symptoms usually come knocking 12 to 48 hours after exposure.
So, suffice it to say, stopping the spread of Norovirus infections is important to staying healthy and preventing food poisoning.
How Am I Vulnerable?
It’s possible Norovirus could infect your family when:
- Eating food contaminated with Norovirus
- Touching contaminated surfaces/objects, then touching your mouth
- Direct contact with an infected person
Having lots of children around – especially the ones that don’t know to wash their hands – can increase the risk of infection. That makes daycares, preschools, and early elementary cafeterias particularly vulnerable.
Once you’re infected, there isn’t a quick way out – no drug, no cure. Your best bet is rest and rehydration.
If you already know your kitchen is compromised, let Intek disinfect it »
Preventing Food Poisoning
As we said, this stuff spreads fast. Strands can be deactivated by sufficient heat or chlorine-based disinfectants, but the virus is less susceptible to common cleaning supplies, like alcohols and detergents (American Journal of Infection Control).
To stop the spread of Norovirus, you’ll want to:
- Thoroughly wash all fruits and veggies, and fully cook your proteins
- Properly store all groceries
- Don’t prep food if you are (or might be) infected
- Wash clothes and fabrics contaminated by vomit or fecal matter right away
- Frequently wash your hands
Be strict when you teach children to scrub their hands with soap and water, especially after visiting the bathroom. Remember that hand sanitizer isn’t a substitute for washing your hands, and – like your commercial disinfectants – it won’t work against Norovirus.
Send Norovirus Packing
Since most commercial cleaners aren’t effective, if your kitchen might be infected, we suggest using our SteraMist™ Sioux Falls services to wipe out any strands of Norovirus. Remember, the SteraMist™ system has been shown to disinfect and decontaminate areas threatened by infection.
Think of this as the nuclear option. SteraMist™ gives you full piece of mind that disease and contamination have been dealt with.
The process uses an atmospheric cold plasma arc to activate a hydrogen peroxide based solution – which is science for creating a super-cleaning spray that doesn’t leave behind residue or fumes, and won’t damage the surfaces it cleans.
