Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSignsIs It Contagious?How Long Does the Stomach Flu Last?TreatmentIn Severe CasesWhen to See a Healthcare ProviderNext in Stomach Flu GuideSigns of Stomach Flu and When to See a Healthcare Provider

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Signs

Is It Contagious?

How Long Does the Stomach Flu Last?

Treatment

In Severe Cases

When to See a Healthcare Provider

Next in Stomach Flu Guide

Thestomach fluis an infection that causes gastrointestinal symptoms including nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. The medical term for stomach flu isviral gastroenteritis, which means inflammation of the stomach and intestines. You can contract viral gastroenteritis from exposure to infected individuals or from food or water containing certain viruses.

Read on to learn more about stomach flu and its causes and treatment, including how to manage it at home and what kind of foods to eat.

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Woman at home sick with stomach flu

How Do You Know You Have the Stomach Flu?

The stomach flu is a viral infection, it requires exposure to a pathogenic virus. Things that increase likelihood of exposure or illness from stomach flu include:

Common Symptoms

The stomach flu is common, and chances are you have experienced it before. While symptoms are uncomfortable, they generally improve in a few days.Common symptomsinclude:

COVID and Stomach Flu SymptomsWhile COVID-19 typically causes respiratory symptoms, in some cases it can causegastrointestinal symptomswith or without any respiratory complaints.If you have symptoms of the stomach flu and you’ve had COVID exposure or suspect you may have COVID, it’s reasonable to take a COVID test.

COVID and Stomach Flu Symptoms

While COVID-19 typically causes respiratory symptoms, in some cases it can causegastrointestinal symptomswith or without any respiratory complaints.If you have symptoms of the stomach flu and you’ve had COVID exposure or suspect you may have COVID, it’s reasonable to take a COVID test.

Dehydration

Stomach flu can lead to dehydration due to losses of water in vomiting and diarrhea, and difficulty with keeping enough fluids down. Signs and symptoms ofdehydrationinclude:

Dehydration is serious, and even fatal if untreated, so it’s important to take symptoms of dehydration seriously. This is particularly true of certain people at higher risk, such as older adults, pregnant women, children, and infants. Anyone with symptoms of dehydration who are unable to keep fluids down to rehydrate should seek urgent medical attention.

Stomach Flu vs Food Poisoning: What’s the Difference?

Is Stomach Flu Contagious?

Common causes of the stomach flu include:

Should People with the Stomach Flu Quarantine?It’s a good idea for people with stomach flu to stay home to rest and recover, and avoid contact with others until a day or two after their symptoms improve. However, even after symptoms improve, there is still a potential for continuedcontagiousness. Proper hygiene with careful attending to handwashing, particularly after using the bathroom and before and after handling food or eating is good practice to avoid spreading or contracting the stomach flu.Do not prepare food for others until at least two days after symptoms have improved.

Should People with the Stomach Flu Quarantine?

It’s a good idea for people with stomach flu to stay home to rest and recover, and avoid contact with others until a day or two after their symptoms improve. However, even after symptoms improve, there is still a potential for continuedcontagiousness. Proper hygiene with careful attending to handwashing, particularly after using the bathroom and before and after handling food or eating is good practice to avoid spreading or contracting the stomach flu.Do not prepare food for others until at least two days after symptoms have improved.

It’s a good idea for people with stomach flu to stay home to rest and recover, and avoid contact with others until a day or two after their symptoms improve. However, even after symptoms improve, there is still a potential for continuedcontagiousness. Proper hygiene with careful attending to handwashing, particularly after using the bathroom and before and after handling food or eating is good practice to avoid spreading or contracting the stomach flu.

Do not prepare food for others until at least two days after symptoms have improved.

Stomach flu usually improves within a few days, but the exact duration depends on the underlying pathogen. Symptoms may last as little as one day in the case of norovirus, or as long as one to twoweeks in the case of adenovirus.

Treating the Stomach Flu at Home

Fortunately, most cases of stomach flu can be managedat homeand do not require hospitalization or urgent medical care. There are some importantsteps to take for recovery, including staying well hydrated, getting rest, and slowly introducing food when you are able to.

These Foods Can Help You Recover From the Flu Faster (and Some You Should Avoid)

What to Eat with Stomach Flu

Staying hydrated is of utmost importance with the stomach flu, so taking small sips of soup broth or an electrolyte solution, such asPedialytecan be helpful.Ice chips can also help with rehydration when sips of water are not palatable. While fruit juices and energy drinks can provide both fluid andelectrolytes, watch for sugar content since drinking sugary beverages can worsen dehydration.

With the stomach flu, there is inflammation of the stomach and intestines. This makes them more sensitive to certain foods, which can worsen symptoms. Once you are tolerating small sips of liquids, you can start introducing bland foods. While it is not evidence-based and should not be followed for a prolonged period, theBRAT diethas been historically recommended as a common sense, temporary way to start incorporating solids in the diet after gastroenteritis.The BRAT diet stands for:

Other bland foods like saltine crackers, noodles or plain pasta, and lean meat like chicken may also be easy on the stomach as you start to incorporate foods back into the diet.

Foods to avoid during recovery include caffeine, spicy foods, dairy, and foods with high fat content, as these can worsen symptoms.

Special Precautions: Severe Stomach Flu

Certain people may be more prone to getting stomach flu, or more likely to experience complications.

In Children

Children and infantsare at higher risk of stomach flu due to exposure in daycare or school, and diapering/toileting, and weaker immune systems (in infants). They may also become dehydrated relatively quickly and can show different signs of dehydration. Reasons to call a pediatrician include:

In Older Adults

Older adults, particularly those with other underlying medical conditions, are at a higher risk of complications from stomach flu.They should be monitored carefully for symptoms of dehydration, especiallyconfusion, which is a more common symptom in this age group.

While most cases of stomach flu do not require specific medical care beyond supportive care at home, it’s good to know when to seek medical attention. Look out for symptoms of dehydration, particularly severe dehydration, such as rapid heart rate, rapid breathing, low blood pressure, and confusion. These may indicate severe dehydration and should prompt immediate medical attention. In addition, see a healthcare provider for any signs of dehydration, especially in cases where a person cannot keep down liquids down due to frequent vomiting.

Other symptoms like high fever,bloody diarrhea, or persistent symptoms that do not seem to improve are reasons to seek medical attention.

Summary

10 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Viral agents of gastroenteritis public health importance and outbreak management.MedlinePlus.Gastroenteritis (stomach flu).Groff A, Kavanaugh M, Ramgobin D, et al.Gastrointestinal manifestations of COVID-19: A review of what we know.Ochsner J. 2021;21(2):177-180. doi:10.31486/toj.20.0086MedlinePlus.Dehydration.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases:Symptoms and causes of viral gastroenteritis (“stomach flu”).Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Norovirus.National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Treatment of viral gastroenteritis (“stomach flu”).Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Managing acute gastroenteritis among children.National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Eating, diet, & nutrition for viral gastroenteritis (“stomach flu”).Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Food poisoning symptoms.

10 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Viral agents of gastroenteritis public health importance and outbreak management.MedlinePlus.Gastroenteritis (stomach flu).Groff A, Kavanaugh M, Ramgobin D, et al.Gastrointestinal manifestations of COVID-19: A review of what we know.Ochsner J. 2021;21(2):177-180. doi:10.31486/toj.20.0086MedlinePlus.Dehydration.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases:Symptoms and causes of viral gastroenteritis (“stomach flu”).Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Norovirus.National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Treatment of viral gastroenteritis (“stomach flu”).Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Managing acute gastroenteritis among children.National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Eating, diet, & nutrition for viral gastroenteritis (“stomach flu”).Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Food poisoning symptoms.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Viral agents of gastroenteritis public health importance and outbreak management.MedlinePlus.Gastroenteritis (stomach flu).Groff A, Kavanaugh M, Ramgobin D, et al.Gastrointestinal manifestations of COVID-19: A review of what we know.Ochsner J. 2021;21(2):177-180. doi:10.31486/toj.20.0086MedlinePlus.Dehydration.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases:Symptoms and causes of viral gastroenteritis (“stomach flu”).Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Norovirus.National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Treatment of viral gastroenteritis (“stomach flu”).Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Managing acute gastroenteritis among children.National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Eating, diet, & nutrition for viral gastroenteritis (“stomach flu”).Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Food poisoning symptoms.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Viral agents of gastroenteritis public health importance and outbreak management.

MedlinePlus.Gastroenteritis (stomach flu).

Groff A, Kavanaugh M, Ramgobin D, et al.Gastrointestinal manifestations of COVID-19: A review of what we know.Ochsner J. 2021;21(2):177-180. doi:10.31486/toj.20.0086

MedlinePlus.Dehydration.

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases:Symptoms and causes of viral gastroenteritis (“stomach flu”).

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Norovirus.

National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Treatment of viral gastroenteritis (“stomach flu”).

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Managing acute gastroenteritis among children.

National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Eating, diet, & nutrition for viral gastroenteritis (“stomach flu”).

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Food poisoning symptoms.

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