I went to the hairdressers today and the Manageress wasn't at work because she had the vomiting bug/norovirus. The Manageress lives next door to the hairdressers. I am a bit concerned that I might catch the bug, even though she didn't do my hair. I mean, I know you can catch it from the germs being on surfaces and then getting into contact with your mouth. I didn't put my hands in my mouth, but I did touch my face and the woman doing my hair has obviously touched surfaces that the Manageress touched only yesterday. Does anyone know if the germs live in your hair? I did have a hair in my mouth when I came out? Sorry I know this question sounds silly, but really worried about catching it. The towel used after washing my hair did touch my mouth slightly as well. Also the Manageress's Mum helped to blowdry my hair and she had been in to see her daughter this morning?

I take a zinc cough drop daily and I never get sick. Zinc is the key. There should be a superhero named Zincman!

There is no such thing as a "winter vomiting bug". People exchange more illnesses in the winter primarily because we're indoors more, buildings are closed up and there's less fresh air circulating as a result of windows being sealed up, etc.

Usually stomach upsets come from food poisoning or food sensitivities. People can also throw up from a lot of other conditions that are not catching like pregnancy, appendicitis, gall bladder attacks, gastric reflux, etc. There's some chance your manager might have a contagious illness but there's at least an equal chance she's not contagious.

The best way to avoid getting sick generally is to wash your hands, be careful how you prepare, cook, store and reheat food, be careful of the expiration dates on the food you make and eat, and keep your environment reasonably clean.

Being obsessively clean is not healthy though - some exposure to germs protects you in the long run by helping you to develop antibodies. So, don't be disinfecting everything in sight constantly. Do your weekly cleaning in your home, and it makes sense to clean a work bathroom that's shared by a variety of people on a daily basis. Wash your hands when you use the restroom, and between clients since you touch other people in your work. If someone's been sick in your workplace or home, it does make sense to do a good cleaning and wipe down shared surfaces like doornobs and shared telephones and things of that nature, but if you start acting like your manager has the plague you can expect not to be in your job very long. Be REASONABLE.

Your post sounds unreasonably worried and panicked over a normal occurrence of someone you know having been ill. In the worst case scenario, this bug makes it's way around your workplace and you each take a couple sick days to recover. Unpleasant but not the end of the world. Unless you plan to live in a bubble, you're going to encounter sick people. Take reasonable precautions, and do other people the favor of staying home if you are ill, but walking around panicked and worried makes no sense at all.

In the UK the Noroviurs is refereed to as the Winter Vomiting Bug.


Norovirus, better known as the winter vomiting bug, is the most common stomach bug in the UK, affecting people of all ages.

The virus, which is highly contagious, causes vomiting and diarrhoea. As there is no specific cure, you have to let it run its course, but it should not last more than a couple of days. If you get norovirus, make sure you drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration and practise good hygiene to help prevent it from spreading.

Further information from the NHS here: Norovirus - NHS Choices (http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Norovirus/Pages/Introduction.aspx)