Train shows, kids, germs, and sickness

Hey guys,

It's happened again that I have come down with a cold or flu or something after having a setup at a train show. My brother in law went to the show with me for one day and he also got it and then my wife got it from us.

This has not happened for a few years but in the past we have seen a similar pattern of getting sick not long after attending a show. Of course there are lots of kids at these shows and we think that exposure to kids could be the source. I do try to wash my hands as frequently as possible and also keep and use hand sanitizer in my tool box for in between hand washes. We always get our flu shots as soon as they are available.

Of course my wife is making the most of this and pushing for me to get out of the modular part of the hobby and just work on my home layout but I really enjoy the modular side of things and have many good friends in Ntrak.

I would be interested in hearing if others have experienced this type of thing and what have they done to try to give themselves better resistance to catching things at a train show. I can't be the only one, right ?

Looks like for the next show in September I may be quarantined in the RV for 1 week afterwards, just like the astronauts that went to the moon.

 

I feel your pain, for 30 plus years I worked outside for AT&T as a cable splicer and had maybe 2 colds. I retired and got a part time jod as a school bus driver and was sick every month the first year. After 6 years doing it I get maybe 1 a year, knock on wood.

 

That's the thing with the flu shots - they're made for the predicted stars of the show of that year. Sometimes they miss big. Sometimes they get it right, but then comes along someone with THE strain that wasn't covered, caught in some place hardly anyone ever goes to, in essence, all the most improbable cards fall into place and tag! You're it. Kids are the most proficient vectors in this kind of germ warfare (as witnessed by Ed's school bus driver experience).

Basically, it's unavoidable unless you stay far away from anyone with any kind of symptoms.

 

I never had that problem, made sure to drink lots of water and rest periodically during shows. I think people fatigue themselves by staying on their feet the whole show which makes them more prone to illness.

 

Short of avoiding it, the best first line of protection is a healthy immune system. Make sure you're taking an appropriate multivitamin regularly, and ramp up on vitamin C before the shows. Eat right, get your rest, etc. Basically, take care of yourself.

 

Train shows are just one source of the problem. Going to church is a very similar thing (and in church it's common to shake hands!) Or flying. People have various ways of coping, that's about all you can say. But with other sources of infection, it isn't reasonable just to cut out train shows.

 

The flu shot always makes me sick.

Orange juice and home made chicken soup, on the other hand, allow me to walk through the valley of the shadow of death and fear no evil, for I know my immune system is equipped to take on all comers.

The theory behind the flu shot is, it identifies the enemy so your immune system will be prepared for it. But sometimes, as Mike says above, the people who are trying to guess what flu strains will show up this year get it wrong, and your body wastes all its effort gearing up for the wrong enemy. Or the dead flu strains in the shot aren't as dead as they're supposed to be. In any case, it doesn't do you any good to identify the enemy for your immune system if you don't provide it with the ammunition it needs!

I'm with Rocket Jones. Boil your turkey bones and drink the broth, and load up on vitamin C before the show. That's called providing your immune system with a good stock of ammunition, so it's ready for anything!

 

Public conveyances' seat-back rails and safety railings, malls' door knobs or crash-bars, and shopping carts, light switches, even the produce we pick up and then set back in place in favour of items that look less blemished...these are the primary sources of contamination. It doesn't matter if it's in a public restroom or out in one of the stores...alla same. Humans touch these after wiping their already-virus-filled mucous membranes, or their eyes, or they wipe their noses...and ft we make contact with that, and touch our own lips or hold our partner's hand, they'd/we'd better have the most recent update to the anti-virus...ummm...you know....immune response.

And it's true, kids seem to be the ones to start the new round in homes everywhere after they return to school in the fall.

 

Public schools don't just have Petri dishes.

They are Petri dishes!

 

I work on computers for a living, as a result I spend a LOT of time not being with other humans. About 15 years ago, I quit my computer job and went to work for a school district doing essentially the same thing, but for them.

I spent at least the first six months with a cold or something all the time - all those petri dishes walking around, passing their contents to each other.

After just over a year, I quit that and went back to the private sector - in fact back to my old job. My boss was happy to have me back, and a side effect of my year at the school was that I was pretty sick-free for the next ten years or so.

However, I don't recommend immersing yourself in a petri dish in hopes of gaining immunity.

And I don't get flu shots either, Tulsa ..

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You said it -- I too would get sick almost every time after air travel. I'd even pack headcold medications, knowing I'd need them. I have a suggestion that's rather gross, but I found that it works. Before boarding a flight, stop by the rest room and apply a light coat of Vaseline in your nostrils. This keeps them moist and helps protect your lungs against picking up airborne germs that circulate freely in dry cabin air.

 

But I'd hate for people to see that and miss the main point, which is poultry broth and Vitamin C. A vaccination is no substitute for that.

Yeah, getting a flu shot is like showing your immune system a wanted poster (with, hopefully, the right face on it). That's how they work. Well and good. But if your system doesn't have a scrap of citric acid in it, then your sheriff may have his wanted poster, but he still doesn't have any bullets in his pistol.

 

I hate V8, but I drink a can of it every day - all the stuff I miss through eating badly ..

And yes, I have NOTHING against vaccination, and in fact think people are crazy that keep their kids from getting their shots in school.

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Bullets are made of lead. Antigens are made of raw materials, too, and sound, double-blind studies have demonstrated to the satisfaction of peer review that people who consume citrus and poultry broth soup produce more antigens more easily.

Saying chicken broth and vitamin C are no substitute for antigens is kind of like saying iron and carbon are no substitute for steel, or dough, tomato sauce and mozarella are no substitute for pizza.

 

I think that your immune system is like every other part of you....it needs exercise. If you constantly (read hourly, or more often) wash your hands, especially with those antibacterial soaps, then your immune system may be weakened by not having enough exercise. I worked in a remote location for a number of years, 4 months at a time, and issues only occurred when someone new appeared on the scene, or when returning to so called civilization.

I would drink about 2 liters of orange juice the day before I came home, and the same when someone new came on board.

Worked for me! Mmight have 2 colds over the ten years, and never when in the remote location.

Live long and prosper

Jim

 

I used to sit on a Infection Control Committee, for a local hospital. Wondering if I should get in on this discussion. Never mind the role I once served as a mortician. Pathology of diseases was our primary concern.

Ok, you talked me into it.

Our hands are the transporter of most bacterial, viral or contact diseases. Moving stuff onto our face, into our mouth, eyes and ears. Next is our breathing and whether we cover our mouth or not. Never mind what you can pick-up at the food court or off the toilet seat.

I sat at a table where two men were talking about how they ended up getting a chest cold. Blaming kids, air filters and everything else but...well...you'll see. Oh, I've never seen either one wash their hands after using the restroom. They started hacking away, almost in unison and never once moved to cover their mouth. And they wonder....out loud....how they got sick?

You can't be to careful but paranoia isn't the answer either. Most of the hand sanitizers...aren't. It's gets the bugs drunk and they loose their inhibition and copulate. Grin! The best thing to do is wash as frequently as possible and if unable to then use wet wipes or towelettes. The idea is to lift and remove the pathogens from the surface of your skin.

Now add this to everything else mentioned here in this discussion and you might just make it through without getting sick. That is if you wear a haz mat suit, oxygen pumped into the suit with an accompanying HEPA Filter and you wear a bubble helmet. Kidding of course.

In the hospital we used to call preventive measures, Universal Precautions. For the most part they work. For more information contact your local Infection Control Nurse, at your local Hospital, for ways to prevent getting sick or causing someone else to get sick.