“The 'stomach flu’ is a viral illness that affects the gastrointestinal tract, more accurately referred to as 'viral gastroenteritis,’” says Elena Ivanina, DO, MPH, a gastroenterologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. "It is not the same as the ‘flu' that we all get vaccinated for each year, which is the influenza virus and only affects the nose, throat, and lungs.”
Instead, the stomach flu is caused by other viruses, namely norovirus (known for ruining cruises), as well as rotavirus, adenovirus, and astrovirus. You get the bug from someone who is sick, say by touching something they touched and then touching your mouth or nose or by sharing their germy utensil. Stomach flu viruses can also be spread through contaminated water or food–in which case you’d probably call the resulting symptoms food poisoning.
Stomach flu symptoms
Symptoms of the stomach flu usually show up one to three days after you’re infected. Some cases are mild, lasting 24 or 48 hours, although some can linger for up to 10 days.
Watery diarrhea is one of the first signs of the stomach flu. This is because the infection prevents your large intestine from retaining fluid. Instead, all that liquid flushes out in the form of loose, watery poop. “It’s typically three or more times a day and sometimes a large volume,” says Sean Drake, MD, a general internist with Henry Ford Health System in Sterling Heights, Michigan.
Stomach flu treatment
If the symptoms above sound familiar, you might be wondering what to do about your case of the stomach flu. As far as treatment goes, you usually just need to let the stomach flu run its course (although antibiotics may help with bacterial stomach flu) and keep up with the extra fluids.
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