13
votes
STF Kebnekaise mountain station on Sweden's highest peak has been forced to temporarily close after a stomach bug rapidly spread among hikers
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- Title
- Swedish mountain lodge closes as stomach bug spreads among hikers
- Authors
- Angela Giuffrida
- Published
- Aug 6 2023
- Word count
- 394 words
Surprisingly this isn't actually all that uncommon in popular backpacking areas. Hygiene is necessarily less stringent when you're out in the wilderness and, especially in places where many hikers congregate in a single place, everyone is using the same water sources and relying on varyingly effective methods of treating that water. There are norovirus outbreaks every year on the Appalachian Trail because of this combo.
All I can say is, don't go into the wilds without a micropore filter + UV sterilizing pen or disinfecting tablets. But I'm usually camping in places where you can pick up much worse things from surface water than your fellow hikers' norovirus, like [ick warning] cryptosporidium and Echinococcus.
I also used to think alcohol hand-sanitizing gel was too heavy to pack. I take alcohol gel everywhere now after using it constantly during the pandemic. It's handy for everything from hand washing after you've eloped with Mr. Trowel, to disinfecting cuts and scratches, to Diva Cup maintenance, to degreasing sweat-soaked eyeglasses, to sanitizing cutlery and bowls if you don't want to waste packed water. You can even dry-shampoo with alcohol gel and a pack towel when your hair is ready to stand up and hike away on its own. Best of all, alcohol gel is much less prone to redistribute itself all over your pack contents than liquid or cream disinfectants.
I hate to be the one to break this to you but alcohol-based hand sanitizers don't kill noro, crypto, or c. diff. Purell is still better than nothing but after you relieve yourself you should be washing with soap and water if at all possible (obviously this is more difficult in arid regions where you need to conserve water). I carry a tiny little bottle of Dr. Bronners which is so concentrated you only need a few drops. The soapy water can then be disposed of in the same cathole.
It's helpful to know that alcohol gel isn't fully effective against norovirus, thank you! Unfortunately, almost nothing skin-safe and easily packable kills C. diff, but that's not a common pathogen for purposes of hiking and camping safety.
But I didn't mean to suggest that alcohol gel will prevent cryptococcus or Echinococcus infection. Those are waterborne diseases which filtration + disinfection are intended to prevent. If you're in a fuel-rich environment where you can boil water safely, that's always going to be the best option.