It's a Small World After All

You may remember that I had a run in with the shits right around New Year's. It was a terrible experience, one that only Darcy really got to appreciate it, and in the next few days my whole family got to have their go with the Notorious Norovirus also. I didn't really think much about this until I read an article in the NY Times a couple of weeks ago in which the author mentioned a bout of violent diarrhea that swept through her family a few days after New Year's.

Then yesterday, while catching up on my Time Magazine reading I came across this Postcard: Pakistan feature, in which the reporter mentions having violent diarrhea on New Year's Eve. A quick googling turned up outbreaks in Britain and Boston also around New Year's. That brings the tally of known affected areas to Philadelphia, NYC, Boston, the countries of England and Wales, and Lahore Pakistan. I find that sort of mind blowing. Think about trying to get something to happen in these places all at the same time on purpose. That would be difficult. But infecting the whole world with norovirus seems to be no biggie fries. And then on top of that, 2 different journalist, writing for 2 different publications, both of which I happen to read, mention it in articles they write. How often do journalist talk about their own gastrointestinal health in the first place?

Anyway, as far as I know, I was the first to start shitting. And I happened to have traveled to both NYC and Boston on or around New Year's. So maybe I'm patient zero. Did anyone else have the runs over New Year's? Did your friends or family? Or, have you read about any other journalists that did? I would like to start compiling this data. Maybe I'll make a map out of it.