I had most of the symptoms of the norovirus on Wednesday at around midday to Thursday ~8 am (norovirus symptoms: https://www.cdc.gov/norovirus/about/symptoms.html). On Wednesday, I woke up at ~3 am feeling totally fine (yeah, I have an awkward sleeping schedule), but by late morning or nearly midday, I suffered 2 incidences of diarrhea, had a mild headache, mild dizziness, a mild fever, mild body aches, tender abdomen, and inability to eat anything except water. I spent most of Wednesday lying in bed. I could not sleep from Wednesday to Thursday morning.
By Thursday late morning, I felt a lot better, which meant I only felt slightly tired and slightly dizzy. My abdomen was only a bit tender, and I regained my appetite, but I had to eat slowly. I normally finish a meal within 30 minutes, but, on Thursday late morning, I needed a little over 1 hour to eat brunch. By Friday morning, I felt nearly normal or just a bit tired. My abdomen and digestive system still felt a bit tender. By Saturday early afternoon, I felt completely normal.
I’m not sure about the source of the infection (transmission of norovirus: https://www.cdc.gov/norovirus/about/transmission.html). The norovirus is highly infectious, and it could be transmitted by air, by infected surfaces, by vomit, by feces, by infected food, etc. Once the norovirus infects a person, the person usually suffers symptoms after 12 to 48 hours, and then the person recovers within 1 to 3 days. The norovirus is most contagious when an infected person has symptoms or feels sick and during the first few days after recovery. I do NOT have actual microbial analyses, thus, I will depend on probability analysis.
This week, my step-sister and her baby visited from Sunday to Thursday, and she is the most likely source of the norovirus. She possibly got the norovirus from her sick husband. My step-sister said her town of residence (Truckee town, Nevada County, California) has a norovirus outbreak, and news reports said neighboring towns and cities have norovirus outbreaks. However, San Diego has higher rates of norovirus infection at its military bases, its cruise ships, and schools. The norovirus is common throughout all of America during all seasons, but the highest infection rate is during winter season and at medical facilities and nursing homes. The norovirus is the most common cause of food poisoning in America. In other words, my step-sister is not the only source of the norovirus.
“Preventing Norovirus Infection” (https://www.cdc.gov/norovirus/preventing-infection.html). The first line of defense against the start and spread of any infection is correct hygiene and sanitation: properly minimize microbial growth, and avoid sick people. If you must deal with contaminated objects and sick people, then use the proper techniques and tools:
* Use a breathing mask, nonporous and disposable gloves, pants, and effective cleaning tools (soap, water, and diluted bleach solution).
* Avoid or minimize direct contact with infected persons, avoid bodily fluid exchanges (e.g., vomit, urine, coughing, sneezing, saliva, blood, and genital excretions), and avoid fecal contamination.
* Do not constantly breathe the same air especially with the infected person.
* Do NOT allow a contaminated object or infected person to be near or to touch other people’s food, drinks, eating utensils, serving utensils, and cooking utensils: “Norovirus and Working with Food” (https://www.cdc.gov/norovirus/food-handlers/work-with-food.html).
* Moderately wash with soap and water your hands and other body parts, and use the appropriate cleaning chemicals for objects (e.g., tables, counters, electronics, toys, clothing, pillows, and bed sheets).
The second line of defense is medication in the form of antimicrobial creams, drugs, and vaccines. However, as of now, there are no vaccines and drugs to treat the norovirus infection.
Babies, toddlers, and senior citizens are more vulnerable to the norovirus infection, typically suffer more severe symptoms, and could be killed by the infection. Older kids to middle-aged adults usually heal on their own without major problems. The infection is usually caused by an infected person and/or infected food. Raw food has a higher contamination rate than cooked food, because proper cooking temperatures (165 to ~310 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 15 seconds) destroys microbes. However, after cooking, the cooked food could be contaminated by a cook, waiter, random customers, and/or pests.
Anyhow, my step-sister was the first person to suffer symptoms, and she started feeling sick on Tuesday night (~9 pm or later) and threw up at least twice from Tuesday late night to Wednesday very early morning. The vomit creates a liquid infection and airborne infection, and this could be the source of infection for my step-father, me, and/or my mother. However, she vomited in 2 bathrooms when my step-father and I were sleeping in other rooms with closed doors, her first vomit occurred in the downstairs bathroom while my mother was awake in the family room (and my mother normally uses the downstairs bathroom), and my step-father was the second person to suffer symptoms starting at Wednesday early morning. This is interesting, because, under this aforementioned situation, a typical infection sequence would be my step-sister, then my mother, then my step-father, and finally me, but the actual infection sequence was my step-sister, my step-father, me, and finally my mother.
My step-sister’s baby did not get sick. Her baby had the benefit of antibodies from breast milk, and her baby only ate breast milk. In other words, her baby did not consume possibly contaminated food. My step-sister’s husband started feeling sick on Monday and started recovering on Tuesday. If he infected her on Sunday, then she should have shown symptoms between late Sunday to Monday to early Tuesday (based on typical infections, but not all infections follow a typical pattern). In other words, her husband is a possible infection source.
My step-father got sick on Wednesday early morning, and felt worse on Thursday. I got sick starting on Wednesday shortly before midday, and I started recovering by Thursday morning. My mother started feeling sick on Wednesday after 7pm and felt worse on Thursday. My step-sister, step-father, and/or I possibly infected my mother.
All 4 of us ate takeout food from a Middle Eastern restaurant on Sunday. The 3 of them (my step-sister, step-father, and mother) ate at a Chinese restaurant on Monday, but I did not attend and did not eat from that restaurant. Both restaurants could be an infection source, but this is less likely. If the Middle Eastern restaurant was the norovirus source, then all 4 of us should have shown symptoms between late Sunday to Monday to early Tuesday (this is probability analysis that is based on typical symptoms). The Chinese restaurant has been frequented by my mother, my step-father, and me for many years, and we never had any food poisoning there. In addition, I showed symptoms before my mother, but my mother recently ate there and I did not. If the Chinese restaurant was the norovirus source, then a typical infection and symptoms sequence would first involve my mother, my step-father, and my step-sister, and then they would infect me, but this did not happen. In others words, the Middle Eastern restaurant and Chinese restaurant were lower probability sources of the norovirus infection.
On Tuesday from around 11 am to around 4 pm, my mother, my step-father, my step-sister, and I went to Balboa Park. My step-sister and step-father bought and drank coffee over there. My mother shared some coffee with my step-father. This could be sources of the norovirus infection, but, if it were, then the typical sequence of infection and symptoms would first include my step-sister, my step-father, and my mother, and then at least one of them would infect me. However, this sequence did not match the real-world sequence. Furthermore, coffee is typically boiled being serving, and boiling temperatures destroy the norovirus. Coffee containers are usually enclosed, thus, an external infection does not easily travel into coffee containers. If the coffee was not boiled or the coffee was kept at warm to cold temperatures for too long, then that could cause an infection.
Another source of the norovirus or whatever infection I got could be a Mexican restaurant: “El Indio Mexican Restaurant” (https://www.yelp.com/biz/el-indio-mexican-restaurant-san-diego-3). Based on scientific examinations, at least many Mexican restaurants across America have poor hygiene and sanitation, which lead to higher rates of various types of food sickness or food poisoning. Mexican restaurants serve lots of raw good: salsa, guacamole, chili peppers, lettuce, and cheese. To make matters worse, Mexican restaurants normally serve finger foods (e.g., burritos, tacos, sandwiches, chips, and french fries), frequently provide community utensils (e.g., serving ladles at salsa bars), and frequently offer community foods (e.g., salsa bars with a variety of salsa, carrots, and chili peppers). The less usage of utensils plus the higher usage of community utensils and foods increase the probability of spreading contamination.
My step-father recommended this Mexican restaurant, so we went to it for a late lunch or early dinner at around 4pm on Tuesday. The food tasted good, but I’m guessing the salsa, guacamole, chili peppers, lettuce, cheese, and/or chips was/were the source of the food poisoning. The salsa bar’s community utensils and the restaurant workers are also possible infection sources. I ate the most salsa and chili peppers by far. My step-sister and step-father ate good amounts of salsa. My mother barely ate any salsa. This could explain why my step-sister, step-father, and I suffered the symptoms before my mother, why I suffered the most intense symptoms, and why my mother was the last to suffer symptoms. My mother possibly started with the smallest infection and/or she was possibly infected by my step-father, me, and/or my step-sister.
Based on scientific evidence, Mexican restaurants have a history of food poisoning due to various higher risk factors (e.g., outdated hygiene and sanitation; the frequent usage of raw ingredients; the regular serving of finger foods; and the common usage of salsa bars that provide raw ingredients, community utensils, and community access):
* 2015 at San Jose, California: “San Jose restaurant food poisoning: Number of illnesses rises to 141 in Shigella outbreak” (http://www.mercurynews.com/2015/10/23/san-jose-restaurant-food-poisoning-number-of-illnesses-rises-to-141-in-shigella-outbreak/)
* 2017 at Seattle, Washington: “Food Poisoning Investigation At Popular Capitol Hill Mexican Restaurant: King County” (https://patch.com/washington/seattle/food-poisoning-investigation-popular-capitol-hill-mexican-restaurant-king-county)
* 2015 at multiple locations in the USA from the Chipotle restaurant chain due to E. coli, salmonella, and norovirus:
** Minnesota and Wisconsin: “Chipotle addresses multiple illness culprits” (http://www.cnbc.com/2016/02/08/chipotle-blames-norovirus-outbreaks-on-sick-employees.html)
** Massachusetts and California: “Chipotle store closed for second day on norovirus fears” (https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2016/03/09/chipotle-store-closed-norovirus-fears/81521094/#)
** Many more states: “Another Chipotle Closes Due To Norovirus” (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/chipotle-norovirus-illness-food-safety_us_56e02e89e4b065e2e3d4370b)
Mexican farm workers in Mexico and the US are also expected to work in toxic, pesticide-heavy farms; work while sick; work with small compensation; and work and live in unhealthy facilities:
* Part 2 out of 4 stories: “Desperate workers on a Mexican mega-farm: 'They treated us like slaves'” (http://graphics.latimes.com/product-of-mexico-labor/)
* “Poisoning Workers at the Bottom of the Food Chain” (http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2012/06/pesticides-farm-workers-poison-epa/)
In summary, I think the highest probability source of the norovirus infection was my step-sister’s husband who infected my step-sister, and then she infected my step-father, my mother, and me. The second best guess is the Mexican restaurant’s salsa bar, raw ingredients in its dishes, and/or employee(s). The lower probability source of the norovirus infection was the Middle Eastern restaurant, the Chinese restaurant, or the coffee cart at Balboa Park. The cause could also be something else that I did not notice (e.g., random strangers with the norovirus infection).
Random updates:
* Recently, the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the White House, and members of his team assaulted peaceful protesters. Erdogan insisted his thugs did the right thing, but video records prove they violated the laws in the US Constitution’s Bill of Rights: “Turkish Embassy brawl: Warrants issued for Turkish agents, Canadians” (http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/06/15/16-charged-in-dc-brawl-at-turkish-embassy-last-month.html).
* I call total bullshit on this claim by Nintendo: “[Nintendo of America president] Reggie [Fils-Aime] says making political statements is for others to do, Nintendo wants people to smile and have fun” (http://nintendoeverything.com/reggie-says-making-political-statements-is-for-others-to-do-nintendo-wants-people-to-smile-and-have-fun/). Nintendo games have a long-term tendency of being politically correct for younger gamers.
Nintendo games normally censor or restrict bloody violence, spilled organs, amputated body parts, decapitations, sexual themes, cussing and very insulting language, alcohol and other recreational drugs, and other adult memes. Nintendo games normally have simple themes (e.g., cute artwork, characters that look like stuff animals or kids toys, heroes and heroines who are kids to teenagers to young adults) concerning great power struggles between a good rebel entity vs a bad established entity, or a good established entity vs a bad rebel entity, and any power struggle is about politics. Saying politics does not matter is like saying gravity does not matter. You make not care about politics or gravity, but it will affect you.
In addition, political concepts could be entertaining, boring, funny, frustrating, offensive, educational, etc. Political concepts have pros and cons like anything else. This politically correct culture at Nintendo is why PC games, Playstation games, and Xbox games tend to be favored by older and hardcore video-gamers, while Nintendo games tend to be favored by younger and/or casual video gamers. The recently sold Nintendo Switch is suppose to sell to a much larger variety of gamers, and short-term sales data confirm this, but long-term results are much more important. If Nintendo wants to continually sell to “younger or older” and/or “casual or hardcore” gamers, then Nintendo needs to provide games that contain a variety of political messages. One group of games could sell to younger and hardcore gamers, another group of games could sell to older and hardcore gamers, a third group of games could sell to casual gamers, etc. If Nintendo forces its customers to only play or mostly play a certain type of game, then Nintendo is playing politics.
* Amazon.com is buying Whole Foods grocery store for $13.7 billion. That means Amazon.com is taking another step out of countless steps towards being the major seller of nearly everything: miscellaneous household goods, electronic hardware and software, movies and TV shows, books and magazines, automobile parts, highly processed and packaged foods, . . . , fresh foods.
This acquisition could be a method for Amazon.com to establish traditional, physical superstores across the nation sort of like Wal-Mart, Target, and CostCo. Initially, Wal-Mart and Target usually sold very little fresh foods, but nowadays, both superstores sell lots of fresh foods. This is a fierce competition of superstores.