seek medical Stomach flu is an intestinal infection that includes signs and symptoms like watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, and in some cases fever.
However, in some cases, you may confuse stomach flu with food poisoning.
This is because these illnesses tend to have similar symptoms and can come quickly.
So it can, in some cases, be difficult to differentiate between them.
Stomach flu tends to develop when you have an infection or consume contaminated food.
Moreover, you will need to let the infection run its course until it subsides.
However, with the help of home remedies, you can try and treat it at home as well.
While food poisoning takes place due to bacteria, viruses, or parasites.
Furthermore, it can cause symptoms like fatigue, diarrhea, fever, chills, headaches, etc.
Keep on reading to learn more about stomach flu and food poisoning in detail.
Stomach Flu vs. Food Poisoning: At a Glance
| viruses |
bacteria, viruses, or parasites |
| 24-48 hours after exposure to the virus |
2-6 hours after eating contaminated food |
| diarrhea or constipation, fever, vomiting, nausea, stomach or intestinal cramps, joint stiffness, weight loss |
diarrhea, fever, vomiting, fatigue, general malaise, muscle aches, headache, sweating, eye swelling, difficulty breathing, thirst |
| Prevention |
• wash your hands if you’re sick or have been around someone who is sick
• seek medical advice or talk to your doctor about the vaccine for rotavirus
• if you’re sick, stay home and avoid spreading it to other people |
• keep your food preparation area and equipment clean
• cook meats and seafood
• make sure to refrigerate perishable foods
• discard questionable foods |
Symptoms of Stomach Flu
You will probably hear people talking about the stomach bugs or stomach flu going around at work or your child’s school.
However, what exactly is it?
The technical term for this sickness is viral gastroenteritis.
It is an inflammation of the stomach and intestines that occurs due to a viral infection.
In case of a stomach bug, you can have one or more of the following symptoms:
- diarrhea
- stomach or intestinal cramps
- nausea and vomiting
- fever
- weight loss
- thirst
Moreover, you may also have joint aches, muscle aches, headaches, and general malaise.
People often develop stomach bug symptoms within 12 to 48 hours of exposure to the virus.
While many cases of the stomach flu tend to resolve within a couple of days.
However, the exact timeline also depends on the exact type of virus causing your symptoms.
Some can take as long as 10 days to begin after the infection, and it can last for up to 2 weeks.
In case your symptoms persist, talk to your doctor or seek medical advice to rule out any complications or other illnesses.
Symptoms of Food Poisoning
It is more common than a stomach bug and about 48 million people experience food poisoning each year.
Usual symptoms of food poisoning are:
- stomach or intestinal cramping
- fatigue
- diarrhea
- fever
- chills
- muscle aches
- headaches
Moreover, it can cause symptoms like sweating, thirst, and general malaise.
However, in severe cases, you can also have bloody stool or vomit, severe abdominal cramping, shock, and loss of consciousness.
The symptoms of food poisoning can appear anytime within hours to days or even weeks after initial exposure.
Furthermore, it also depends on the pathogen causing the food poisoning.
While symptoms tend to get better within 2 days.
Can Food Poisoning be Fatal?
It is important to note that most forms of food poisoning are not fatal.
One form, i.e. botulism can be fatal if you do not get treated properly.
The bacterium Clostridium botulinum causes this type and it produces toxins that impact the nervous system.
Moreover, botulism can cause blurred vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, and other neuromuscular symptoms.
Make sure to seek medical advice or see your doctor if you have botulism.
While Botulism is extremely rare in the United States.
Causes of Stomach Flu
There are different causes of stomach flu. While viruses tend to mostly cause it.
These may include:
- norovirus
- rotavirus
- astrovirus
- adenovirus
The norovirus, by far, is the most common and alone tend to cause 21 million cases of stomach bug in the United States each year.
However, stomach flu that occurs due to rotavirus or norovirus infection is highly contagious.
In the United States, infections most commonly occur between October and April.
The most common way to contract this virus is from direct contact with someone who is sick.
Moreover, you can also contract the virus from contact with a surface that one who is infected has touched.
Causes of Food Poisoning
Food poisoning develops when infected organisms like bacteria, viruses, or parasites contaminate your food.
Bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella are among the top five germs that cause food poisoning in the United States.
Moreover, you can also get food poisoning from eating the contaminated or undercooked meat.
However, affected meat is not the only food that causes food poisoning.
The following foods can also lead to foodborne illness:
- raw and undercooked eggs
- raw sprouts
- soft or unpasteurized cheeses like Brie and feta
- unwashed vegetables and fruits
- fish and oysters that are raw
- contaminated water
- unpasteurized beverages like milk, cedar, and juice
- uncooked rice
Moreover, it can occur in anyone, however, it is most common in babies, young children, and the elderly.
Furthermore, if you are traveling to an underdeveloped country, you may also be at an increased risk for food poisoning.
Therefore, make sure to never eat undercooked meat, fish, or egg both at home or abroad.
And get water from a trusted source.
When visiting a new country, it is best to rely on bottled water.
Possible Complications
After a number of days with either the stomach flu or food poisoning, you can develop dehydration.
Make sure to watch for the following signs and symptoms of dehydration:
- a decrease in urine output
- dark urine
- dryness in your mouth or throat
- dry diapers
- lack of tears in babies and toddlers
- fast heart rate
- low blood pressure
- excessive thirst
- dizziness, especially while standing
Moreover, babies can have sunken eyes or fontanels when they become dehydrated.
A fontanel is also known as the soft spot on the head of the baby.
Make sure to seek medical attention if any of the above symptoms occur.
Treating Stomach Flu
In most cases, you can treat stomach flu at home.
The best remedy is just to allow yourself to rest and recover from the virus.
However, in case the symptoms persist for more than a few days, you need to seek medical attention.
You can drink plenty of fluids.
While adults can drinks sports drinks with electrolytes and children can also consume fluid replacement solutions like Pedialyte.
Moreover, these drinks along with water can help to restore the hydration balance of the body.
For best results, make sure to drink a few sips every half hour to an hour.
It is important to limit the intake of sugary drinks as these liquids do not replace lost electrolytes.
Coconut water is a great source of electrolytes as well, also, it is much lower in sugar.
Once you feel ready to eat again, give your stomach a break by slowly introducing bland foods into your diet.
These include cereals, whole grains, bread, potatoes, bananas, vegetables, fresh apples, and plain yogurt.
Make sure to avoid dairy, alcohol, caffeine, spicy foods, and fried foods that may upset your stomach again.
Treating Food Poisoning
If you experience blood or pus in your stool, diarrhea that lasts for more than 3 days, fever above 102°F (38.8°C) in adults or above 101°F (38.3°C) in children, symptoms of dehydration, botulism, and food poisoning, contact your doctor.
In case of mild food poisoning, it may respond well to rest and fever-reducing medications.
However, if you have a severe case of food poisoning, you may need to be admitted to the hospital for intravenous fluid hydrations.
In case of severe bacterial food poisoning, your doctor will prescribe an antibiotic.
Your doctor will review your symptoms and run tests to find the best course of action.
Moreover, they will also give you a list of good foods you can consume, which is just like the above list.
Prevention Tips
Stomach Flu Prevention
Though in some cases, you may call stomach bug stomach flu, the annual flu vaccine will not prevent it.
Different types of viruses tend to cause the stomach flu.
Antibiotics will not help to treat this because antibiotics work to treat bacterial infections, not viruses.
You can take measures to prevent yourself from transmitting the stomach flu to others.
Moreover, you are most contagious when you are feeling the worst and a few days afterward.
The bug can stay in your stool for up to 2 weeks.
Make sure to wash your hands and stay home from work or school for at least a few days until you feel better.
You can also consider having your baby get the vaccine against rotavirus when they are 2 months old.
Food Poisoning Prevention
Follow the steps below to prevent food poisoning:
- keep food preparation surfaces, utensils, and your hand’s clean
- cook ground beef to 160°F (71°C), roasts, steaks, and chops to 145°F (62°C), and chicken and turkey to 165°F (73°C)
cook seafood fully- make sure canned foods are from trusted distributors
- refrigerate any perishable foods within 1 hour
- throw out foods that look or smell questionable
- be careful while drinking water when traveling to developed countries
TakeAway
While many symptoms of stomach bug and food poisoning are the same, it is important to find which sickness you have. The symptoms of food poisoning may occur more quickly after exposure, become more severe than stomach flu, and be shorter in duration than symptoms of a stomach bug.
Depending on the cause, your immune system function, and your overall health, food poisoning or viral gastroenteritis may become severe enough to require medical attention. However, you can manage either condition with rest, hydration, and at-home medical treatment.
If you are unsure about the cause of your symptoms, check in with your doctor to be safe. Other health issues can also cause similar symptoms of gastrointestinal distress. In any case, make sure to call your doctor for help if your symptoms worsen.
Read more about bloated stomach, and more.
Moreover, you may also have joint aches, muscle aches, headaches, and general malaise.
However, in severe cases, you can also have bloody stool or vomit, severe abdominal cramping, shock, and loss of consciousness.
The following foods can also lead to foodborne illness:
Moreover, these drinks along with water can help to restore the hydration balance of the body.
Moreover, you are most contagious when you are feeling the worst and a few days afterward.
cook seafood fully