Possible norovirus/food poisoning pre flight

[honkingtonkman]

I just tried to post a subject and it disappeared so if this shows up twice apologies!

We are on the last few hours of our trip in the sun, flight leaves tonight, and overnight we have both come down with norovirus or food poisoning, thankfully we are only being sick but both feel pretty bad.

I looked on BA site and was hoping to be able to delay our flight back by a day or two but all of the flights are full, if its relevant we paid with miles and have no status with BA.

Our holiday insurance wont really touch the sides if we go down this route.

We really dont want to get anyone else ill on this flight but we are at a loss with what to do.

Has anyone had any experience with this situ or any words of wisdom?

[simonbarker]

I don’t have any words of wisdom for getting a later flight etc but I can tell you how to deal with food poisoning on a flight.

Coming back from Mexico in 2019 I started to feel unwell at the gate, I ran to the nearest toilet about 7 seconds after the seat belt sign turned off after take off and I think my soul left me for a few minutes there.

I proceeded to throw up every 30 minutes for the whole 9 hour flight, thankfully I never had to use a sick bag but I did play chicken with the duty free trolley in the last hour, I won by about 3 seconds. Oh and I totally ignored the seat belt sign one time, the cabin crew we cool with it as they knew what I was going through.

Tips if you do board your flight (if it’s both of you and it’s just two of you travelling some of these might not be as helpful):

1. Put the lid down on the toilet when you flush, I know it sounds obvious but it’s a simple thing to forget when you’re wondering which god you annoyed to deserve being curled up round a toilet a few thousand feet in the air. Clean up on aisle 787 is not what you want to be dealing with I can tell you.
2. Tell the crew as soon as you can, they can’t do a whole lot but it will help if you decide to ignore a seat belt sign (really you should use a sick bag but come on, no one needs that)
3. See if someone will move seats so you can be near a toilet (the person you are moving next to is really the person you need to worry about, my wife swapped with that person and was the buffer as she wasn’t ill)
4. It’s almost certainly food poisoning, I don’t see a need to tell them it might be noro, if you do and they ban you from boarding that might help insurance?
5. Pack some spare tops in your hand luggage (see point 1, thank god I had)
6. Survive this flight by holding on to the kernel of joy that you’ve now got a damn good story to tell. I only know one other person this has happened to and we have a little knowing nod each time we meet up.

I think your other post said you are in business class? I was in economy … 0/10 do not recommend.

Best of luck

ps. I didn’t need to throw up again after we landed, which is a good job as immigration took an age, in hindsight dealing with the airports could be a lot trickier than the flight itself.

[Tracey]

Stock up on instant Imodium, or its equivalent. You say you are only being sick…..at the moment. You really don’t want to be in flight and dealing with 2 exits.

[HampshireHog]

I had a similar experience flying back from Argentina in CW, the issue started once aboard and I was sick over my clothes and everywhere and repeated loo visits for both ends the whole flight. The crew were lovely and helpful but it was a thoroughly miserable experience. Try to change your flights however is my strong advice

[BA Flyer IHG Stayer]

To change flights would require a call to BA and make your case.

Just remember to practice good hand hygiene using plenty of hot water and soap with lots of rubbing. Failing that lots of wet ones.

Alcohol gel isn’t that effective at killing noro or e-coli (most common cause of food poison) but is better than nothing.

[Thegasman]

BA won’t fly you if you have D&V. Get a doctor to declare you as not fit to fly, contact BA & they’ll rebook you for free when fit (which will be resolution of symptoms + 48 hours). I’m speaking from personal & close family experience on separate occasions in last couple of years.

Additional accommodation costs will be on you/your insurance.

Please don’t fly when symptomatic, it’s incredibly unfair on anyone else using your seat/bathroom for next few days.

[simonbarker]

> BA won’t fly you if you have D&V.

Boy do I wish I’d gotten ill 45 minutes earlier now knowing this 🙁 2 more days in Mexico would have been much better than that flight

[forensic]

If there is still time get a doctor.
My OH had the same thing a few years ago on the day we were flying back from Bali. The hotel arranged a doctor who gave an anti-sickness injection. Worked brilliantly, sickness cleared up there and then. No problems whatsoever on the long journey back to the UK.

[HampshireHog]

simonbarker wrote:

> BA won’t fly you if you have D&V.

Boy do I wish I’d gotten ill 45 minutes earlier now knowing this 🙁 2 more days in Mexico would have been much better than that flight

Me too, I started an hour into the flight, thoroughly miserable I share your pain

[Blair Waldorf Salad]

HampshireHog wrote:

simonbarker wrote:

> BA won’t fly you if you have D&V.

Boy do I wish I’d gotten ill 45 minutes earlier now knowing this 🙁 2 more days in Mexico would have been much better than that flight

Me too, I started an hour into the flight, thoroughly miserable I share your pain

In November I lasted 1hr into the new Indiana Jones on AA to JFK before my first bout. Then sick sweats, then sick chills, delerium and talking nonsense to the crew, meanwhile running through sick bags. I reluctantly changed out of my pyjamas for landing and crew left more bags and water by my seat, which I used both of. I’m surprised I wasn’t questioned in the JFK immigration queue – only took 25 mins but I slumped my way along balancing against tensabarrier poles and my cabin case. I agree, best to tell the crew as soon as possible. I got an extra duvet which I pulled over my head during my shivers.

[can2]

I feel all your pains, dear fellow HfPers!

[AJA]

I thankfully have not felt that bad but being ill when on holiday is not fun at all. Even the mildest cold makes you very miserable.

I travel with a painkiller treasure chest (an old BA amenity bag – one of the decent capacious ones from years ago) in my hand luggage ranging from both immodium and constipation tablets through to lempsip max tablets, bandaids and sudocrem antispectic cream and a few other treasures in between. That’s in addition to copies of my NHS prescriptions (both physical and a photo on my phone) and the actual medicines including statins that i take on a daily basis as I age.

I also take a recce at my destination for the nearest pharmacy as you never know when you may need one. You can’t always relying on hotel concierges. Though speaking to them may provide a phone number for an on call doctor if necessary.

I hope OP and partner recover quickly. Please come back and tells us what you did.

[honkingtonkman]

So we are both back in the UK

Thanks for all the advice on here, we both packed reserve clothes just in case but thankfully it wasnt needed.

Was mega frustrating being in the pier lounge in HKG not being able to eat or drink.

Actually worked out quite well as we were originally sitting a few rows apart but wanted to be as close to each other as possible for some support and we mentioned this at check in and they moved us on to a cathay pacific flight which, for ref, beats BA hands down.

We took all the precautions we could, face masks throughout the flight limiting touching things and we had our own little cubby hole together too. Delaying our flights back really wasnt a viable option after we had made some calls before we headed to the airport.

Thanks again and theres def no place like home.

[ringingup]

Happy to hear it worked out well and you’re back in the UK without much drama.

Norovirus (which I’m terrified by) is not airborne though, so perhaps face masks were overly cautious. 🙂

[Scott]

ringingup wrote:

…

Norovirus (which I’m terrified by) is not airborne though, so perhaps face masks were overly cautious. 🙂

NHS Inform says it is.

[ringingup]

Scott wrote:

ringingup wrote:

…

Norovirus (which I’m terrified by) is not airborne though, so perhaps face masks were overly cautious. 🙂

NHS Inform says it is.

You can catch it if small particles of vomit or stools (poo) from an infected person get into your mouth through:

– close contact with someone with norovirus who may breathe out small particles of the virus that you then inhale
– touching contaminated surfaces or objects, as the virus can survive outside the body for several days
– eating contaminated food, which can happen if an infected person doesn’t wash their hands before preparing or handling food

So technically yes, it can be airborne but only if you’ve recently thrown up.

[drdan]

Indeed norovirus is airborne! It is highly infectious..

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/epidemiology-and-infection/article/large-foodborne-outbreak-of-norovirus-in-diners-at-a-restaurant-in-england-between-january-and-february-2009/E56A708C91D534A0330B639ACDCD785C

[ringingup]

drdan wrote:

Indeed norovirus is airborne! It is highly infectious..

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/epidemiology-and-infection/article/large-foodborne-outbreak-of-norovirus-in-diners-at-a-restaurant-in-england-between-january-and-february-2009/E56A708C91D534A0330B639ACDCD785C

The article focuses on a norovirus outbreak linked to foodborne transmission and direct person-to-person contact, not airborne spread. It highlights how the virus was transmitted through contaminated food, especially oysters, and interactions with infected individuals. Norovirus is indeed highly contagious, spreading easily through contaminated food, surfaces, and close personal contact, but the article does not support the notion of airborne transmission for this outbreak.