Are The Stomach Flu And The Flu The Same Infection
Although both the stomach flu and the flu may be caused by viruses, the viral genus and species are different for each entity.
- The viruses that cause the majority of stomach flu are Norovirus spp; whereas the viruses that cause influenza are mainly Influenza A and B viral spp and subtypes.
- Stomach flu results mainly in problems with the gastrointestinal tract while influenza involves the respiratory tract. These two problems are not the same thing.
What Foods Are Recommended To Eat When You Have The Stomach Flu
Some health care professionals suggest a special diet for the gastroenteritis, especially for viral and/or bacterial infections in children. First and foremost is adequate fluid rehydration to prevent dehydration.
The diet frequently suggested is termed the “BRAT” diet. This diet consists of foods that are not usually irritating but soothing for the gastrointestinal tract. The BRAT diet stands for bananas, rice, applesauce and toast. Although some doctors think this diet may not markedly benefit patients, others recommend it for both adults and children for a day or two to make the transition from the resolving symptoms of acute gastroenteritis to the patient’s previously normal diet.
Does The Flu Give You Diarrhea And Vomiting
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What About Flu Complications
In some cases of the flu, severe illness, and complications can develop. This can result in hospitalisation and even death.;
The flu can also make some existing medical conditions worse.;
People at higher risk of severe complications associated with the flu include:
- pregnant women
- people with chronic medical conditions.
Headache And Other Aches And Pains
After your shot, you might have headaches or some achiness and pain in the muscles throughout your body. This also usually happens on the first day and goes away within two days. Taking pain relievers can help ease your discomfort.
Its controversial whether its safe to take acetaminophen or ibuprofen to treat these vaccine side effects.
Some research suggests that these medications might change or decrease how your body responds to the vaccine. One study involving children found that taking acetaminophen or ibuprofen didnt reduce the bodys response to the flu vaccine.
Other research is mixed. Its still unclear whether these medications should be avoided.
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What Is Stomach Flu And How Does It Compare With The Flu
Gastroenteritis, often called stomach flu, can be caused by different viruses, including norovirus. Norovirus is one of the most common viruses to cause gastroenteritis. Norovirus is not the same as the flu virus that causes influenza. Norovirus symptoms can include:
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
In children, nausea, vomiting and stomach pain are more common symptoms of gastroenteritis than influenza. However, those symptoms, including diarrhea, may appear in children with influenza, but not as often. The important thing to know is that if your child is experiencing vomiting and diarrhea but doesnt have unrelenting fever, cough with body aches or other influenza symptoms, your child may have another virus, not influenza.
Children usually develop gastroenteritis or norovirus symptoms 12 to 48 hours after exposure. Children usually experience gastroenteritis symptoms for one to four days. The only treatment for stomach bugs is supportive care, including drinking plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration, getting extra rest and eating a diet that is easy on the stomach. Avoiding caffeinated drinks, dairy and sugary drinks may help if your child experiences diarrhea and vomiting.
Can The Flu Be Prevented
There’s no guaranteed way to avoid the flu. But getting the flu vaccine can help. Everyone 6 months of age and older should get it every year.
Flu vaccines are available as a shot or as a nasal spray. Both work equally well. This flu season , get whichever vaccine your doctor recommends. People with weak immune systems or some health conditions and pregnant women should not get the nasal spray vaccine.
What else can you do? Wash your hands well and often. Avoid sharing cups, utensils, or towels with others. If you do catch the flu, use tissues whenever you sneeze or cough to avoid spreading the virus.
During the coronavirus pandemic, experts found that wearing masks can help protect the community from the spread of germs. They recommend that everyone wear a mask when out in public or around people who don’t live with them. Wearing masks can also help stop the spread of flu.
If you do get the flu this season, take care of yourself and call your doctor with any questions or concerns. When you’re feeling bad, remember that the flu usually lasts a week or less and you’ll be back to normal before too long.
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How Is Stomach Flu Diagnosed
Healthcare providers often can diagnose stomach flu from your symptoms. But your provider may want to rule out other illnesses with some tests:
- Stool samples: Tests look for bacteria, viruses or parasites in your stool
- Sigmoidoscopy: A doctor inserts a thin, flexible tube with a tiny camera from the anus into the lower large intestine to look for signs of inflammatory bowel disease. The sigmoidoscopy is a 15-minute procedure that doesnt usually require sedation.
How To Get The Flu Vaccine
The flu vaccine;is a safe and effective vaccine. It’s offered every year on the NHS to help protect;people;at risk of flu and its complications.
The best time to have the flu vaccine is in the autumn before flu starts spreading. But you can get the vaccine later.
The flu vaccine is given to people who:
- are 50 and over
- have certain health conditions
- are pregnant
- are in a long-stay residential care
- receive a carer’s allowance, or are the main carer for an older or disabled person who may be at risk if you get sick
- live with someone who is more likely to get infections
- frontline health or social care workers
You can have the NHS flu vaccine at:
- your GP surgery
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Which Specialties Of Doctors Treat The Stomach Flu
Most individuals with viral or mild bacterial caused gastroenteritis require no treatment or can be treated by the patient’s primary care provider or pediatrician. For more patients with more severe gastroenteritis, such infectious disease specialists, gastroenterologists, emergency medicine specialists, allergists, critical care physicians, and hematologists may be consulted.
What Are The Potential Complications Of Intestinal Flu
Complications of intestinal flu can be serious and life threatening in some cases. Complications can include:
-
, which is when contents of the stomach flow into the lungs during
-
Severe dehydration, which can lead to an and shock
- Torn esophagus due to multiple violent episodes of retching and vomiting
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What Causes Food Poisoning
When it comes to viruses, norovirus is the most common cause of foodborne illness in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. It typically hangs out in items like raw, ready-to-eat produce; shellfish; and contaminated water.
On the bacterial side, you have salmonella, listeria, shigella, campylobacter,E. coli, and more that can make you sick, according to the Mayo Clinic. These can show up in anything from hot dogs, milk, egg yolks, alfalfa sprouts, meat, poultry, and beyond.
Food contamination can happen at any point, whether its through soil as its grown, in a storage facility, or on your countertop when you leave food out for too long, the CDC says. You may also get food poisoning if someone with one of these illness-causing microorganisms in their system handles your food or utensils.
Plus Theres Hope That The 2021 Flu Shot Will Outdo Its Predecessors
Since there are different flu viruses out there , the vaccine is reviewed and changed from year to year. The World Health Organization has already selected what components should be a part of the 2021 to 2022 vaccine to best protect against next seasons soon-to-be circulating viruses, too. But again, there’s no way yet to accurately predict how bad this coming year’s flu will be as the virus is always changing.
FYI: The flu shot can’t actually give you the flu.
Another thing to note? Talk of the flu shots many side effects is greatly exaggerated. The flu shot cant actually give you the flu, and while there are some possible side effects, Dr. Adalja says most are rare.
If youre particularly wary of needles, you may prefer the nasal influenza spray over an injection, says Soma Mandal, MD, a board-certified internist at Summit Medical Group in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey. Potential nasal spray side effects include runny nose, wheezing, headache, vomiting, muscle aches, fever, sore throat, and cough.
Not everyone should get the nasal flu spray due to factors like age and underlying health conditions, though, so talk to your doctor to determine if its the best option for you, she says.
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Are There Home Remedies To Help Me
While the last thing you probably want to do when you have diarrhoea is to eat and drink, remember that severe diarrhoea can cause you to become very weak and dehydrated. It is important to drink plenty of water as you are losing a lot of fluid through bouts of diarrhoea.
Even if you have very little appetite during the first couple of days, try to eat a little dry bread or toast, to keep your blood sugar levels up. Some plain yoghurt should not aggravate your condition, and may even reduce symptoms of diarrhoea. It is important not eat sugary foods, fatty foods, or those which will aggravate an already sensitive digestive system.
Give yourself plenty of rest, as diarrhoea can cause you to feel weak. Exerting yourself while you are suffering from flu and diarrhoea will slow down your recovery.
What Are The Symptoms Of A Common Cold
Every year, adults in the United States have between two and three colds, on average, while children have more, according to the CDC.
Cold symptoms typically appear about one to three days after exposure to a cold-causing virus, with most cases peaking within two to three days.
Early signs of a cold may include fatigue, sneezing, and a sore throat. During the first day or two, you may feel as if you have an itch or something stuck in your throat. Then you may begin to sneeze more than normal. When nasal symptoms start, the nose produces clear mucus, but the discharge may later change to white, yellow, or green.
Symptoms of a cold can include:
- Runny or stuffy nose
- Watery eyes
- Fever
The full life cycle of a cold is usually between 4 and 10 days, according to the Merck Manual, although some people may have a cough that lasts into the second week. A cold may last longer or be more severe in people who have underlying health issues.
The contagious period for a cold can vary, but is usually at its peak during the first day or two after symptoms develop.
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Difference Between Flu And Covid
The symptoms of COVID-19;and flu can be similar.;
If you are unwell with flu-like symptoms, contact the COVID-19 hotline on 1800 675 398 or your GP to check if you require COVID-19 testing.
The symptoms to watch out for are:
- loss or changein sense of smell or taste
- fever
Some people may also experience headache, muscle soreness, stuffy nose, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.
What Is The Prognosis For The Stomach Flu
The prognosis for complete recovery is excellent in most people infected with viral and bacterial caused gastroenteritis, as long as the person keeps well hydrated. Because infants, children, pregnant women, and adults that are elderly or immunosuppressed, usually dehydrate faster than healthy adults and sometimes are more difficult to rehydrate orally, their prognosis can range from excellent to poor. Their prognosis depends on how dehydrated they become and how effective are the attempts to rehydrate the patient.
The prognosis for those patients that develop gastroenteritis symptoms as part of a specific disease process vary from good to poor, depending on the severity of the specific disease process.
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Misconceptions About The Timing Of Seasonal Influenza Vaccination
Should I wait to get vaccinated so that my immunity lasts through the end of the season?
How long you are immune or your duration of immunity is discussed in the ACIP recommendations. While delaying getting of vaccine until later in the fall may lead to higher levels of immunity during winter months, this should be balanced against possible risks, such as missed opportunities to receive vaccine and difficulties associated with vaccinating a large number of people within a shorter time period.
Is it too late to get vaccinated after Thanksgiving ?
No. Vaccination can still be beneficial as long as flu viruses are circulating. If you have not been vaccinated by Thanksgiving , it can still be protective to get vaccinated in December or later. Flu is unpredictable and seasons can vary. Seasonal flu disease usually peaks between December and March most years, but disease can occur as late as May.
Misconceptions About Flu Vaccine Effectiveness
Influenza vaccine effectiveness can vary. The protection provided by a flu vaccine varies from season to season and depends in part on the age and health status of the person getting the vaccine and the similarity or match between the viruses in the vaccine and those in circulation. During years when the flu vaccine match is good, it is possible to measure substantial benefits from flu vaccination in terms of preventing flu illness and complications. However, the benefits of flu vaccination will still vary, depending on characteristics of the person being vaccinated , what influenza viruses are circulating that season and, potentially, which type of flu vaccine was used. For more information, see Vaccine Effectiveness How well does the Flu Vaccine Work. For information specific to this season, visit About the Current Flu Season.
There are many reasons to get an influenza vaccine each year. Flu vaccination is the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones against flu and its potentially serious complications.
Below is a summary of the benefits of flu vaccination and selected scientific studies that support these benefits.
- Flu vaccination can keep you from getting sick with flu.
- A 2018 study;showed that from 2012 to 2015, flu vaccination among adults reduced the risk of being admitted to an intensive care unit with flu by 82 percent.
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Are The Stomach Flu And Food Poisoning The Same Condition
Although the stomach flu and food poisoning share some common symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, stomach cramps, muscle aches, for example, they are not exactly the same condition.
- Stomach flu or gastroenteritis means any nonspecific inflammatory problem in the gastrointestinal tract; some doctors consider the stomach flu to be more narrowly defined as a viral infection that attacks the digestive system.
- Food poisoning specifically is caused by eating or drinking contaminated food or fluid that contains bacteria, viruses, parasites and/or their toxins they produce.
Consequently, there is some crossover between the two terms.
In addition:
- Food poisoning usually is found in small outbreaks that occur among individuals that have ingested the same foods or drink, and symptoms occur rapidly within hours; whereas the stomach flu has a more gradual onset of symptoms and usually lasts longer than food poisoning.
- Stomach flu is highly contagious and can be spread quickly to other individuals; whereas food poisoning usually requires ingesting the poison and does not easily spread to other individuals.
Can You Prevent From Getting The Stomach Flu
There is no diet that will prevent gastroenteritis but food preparation plays a strong role in preventing gastroenteritis. In general, there are some actions people can do to prevent or reduce the chance of getting gastroenteritis, including:
- Hand washing, especially before eating and after any close association with an infected person or items they have touched
- Launder items daily that infected persons wear
- Avoid direct contact with infected individuals when possible
- Do not eat undercooked foods, especially meats
- Do not eat raw foods or drink untreated water
- Do not drink untreated or unpasteurized fluids, especially milk
- Thoroughly wash any produce, especially in third world countries, before eating
- While traveling, avoid all raw foods and ice; drink only from sealed bottled products and use bottled water for tooth brushing
There is a vaccine available against rotavirus that has reduced this infection in children. Also, there is a vaccine available against cholera-causing bacteria , but it is not widely available. A clinical trial of a Norovirus vaccine was done with some success. It is likely in the near future commercial vaccines against some causes will be available.
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