Gastroenteritis or Stomach Flu

Gastroenteritis which is commonly known as stomach flu or 24 hour flu is caused by viral infection. It involves inflammation or irritation of stomach and intestines. Stomach flu usually lasts for a couple of days and patient recovers soon. As a result of this infection patient has to suffer from vomiting and diarrhea until the virus remains in the body. The viruses involve in causing stomach flu include rotavirus, norovirus, sapovirus, astrovirus and adenovirus etc. No bacteria, parasite or influenza flu virus is involved in this digestive problem.

Stomach Flu – A Contagious Disease

Stomach flu is contagious in nature, means it can spread to other persons by close contact particularly if patient is not conscious about his sanitation conditions. Other sources of disease spread include stool or vomitus of a stomach flu patient.

Stomach Flu Occur Globally

Gastroenteritis can occur anywhere with no specification of geographical bounds particularly where environmental conditions are suitable for viral growth and infection. In United States such viral infection mostly happens in winter season normally from April to October but the chances of its occurrence remain throughout the year. Stomach flu is more likely to occur in institutional places like schools, day card centers, nursing homes and camp settings etc.

No One Can is Immune to Stomach Flu

People of all ages are prone to infected by stomach flu infection at any stage of their life. But viral activity is usually confined to various age groups like rotavirus mostly infects infants or children under five, adenovirus and astrovirus cause infection in young and older children while norovirus mostly infects older children and adults. The only way to prevent stomach flu is to keep you and your surrounding environment as neat and clean as possible.

Diagnosis and Prevention of Stomach Flu

Diagnosis of stomach flu is mostly on the basis of stool test as no complication is involved in this infection. Even if a patient regularly takes clear fluids or ORS (Oral Rehydration Solution, recommended by CDC) then no specific treatment or medicine is needed to recover from stomach flu. Rather it is suggested that no medicine should be taken until prescribed by experienced physician. Stomach flu is not a serious issue at all; everything will go well if fluids are taken in adequate quantity to compensate the loss of water in the form of diarrhea and vomiting. But for those people whose immune system is not strong enough and loss of water is not compensated in time, stomach flu can prove a life threatening problem with unusual water loss and weakness.