No such thing as the stomach flu

[luckistar2]

Hello,


I just wanted to share something with you that I read. So many people are concerned with the flu and flu season and hopefully this will help you to relax some.


The myth of the "stomach flu"


Many people use the term "stomach flu" to describe illness with nausea, v*, and diarrhea. These symptoms can be caused by many viruses, bacteria, or even parasites. While V*, diarrhea, and being nauseous or "sick to your stomach" can sometimes be related to the flu--particuarly in children--these problems are rarely symptoms of influenza. The flu is a respiratory disease and not a stomach or intestinal disease.


This was taken from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website.


www.cdc.gov/flu/about/disease.htm





Carly

[terified girl]

Thank you!!!!!!

[hippychick]

Also, I'd like to add that so many people say they have the stomach flu and it is actually something else. I remember reading over the summer that people who do studies on food posoining found it difficult because there are SO many people who put it down to the stomach flu and not what it actually is. So if someone says they and there family have had a bad virus, try to remember it could be something they ate.

[Jenneh]

hmmm interesting!


Jen xxx

[youngemet222]

Exactly! A lot of people think it is related to the flu or something, but whoever came up with that name is incorrect. Like, one thing I might add is that doctors would probably get confused as of what "flu" people are talking about, as many people call gastroenteritis the "flu", they may not really mean the real Flu. One of my friends said last week or something that she had the flu, but then she said "throwing up" was what she was doing. I was hoping that when she said "the flu", she meant the actual flu, but she called it by the incorrect name. Oh well. No matter how much people stress ot people that gastoenteritis isn't the flu, and the "stomach flu" doesn't exsist, people will still say the flu, and if they do not tell us emets their symptoms if we have a friend or something who said they have it, we will be stuck wondering if they mean gastroenteritis, or influenza, even though, when they do say Flu, it should be influenza.


Lizzy

[eyecandi512]

most commonly people experience some virus or bacterial infection. Usually the Norwalk virus, or slight food poisoning.


Thanks for the info Carly!![img]smileys/smilies_04.gif[/img]

[thewalkindude]

Darn shame they don't develop "Flu" shots[img]smileys/smilies_02.gif[/img]

[eyecandi512]

hahaha, I agree...wouldn't it be nice to be inoculated for vomiting so nobody would ever have to?

[snowangel]

Hi...I dont mean to be the bearer of bad news, I really dont...but even though there isn't such thing as the "stomach flu" there is another name for this dreaded virus:

GASTROINTESTINITIS</font>

Please review Link of the same CDC website that states there is no Stomach flu...when they say there is no such thing as stomach flu, it means FLU=influneza/respiratory
But Gastrointestinitis is a stomach VIRUS which in our world means YES there is a stomach BUG and yes we can still catch it; it just has another name that's all.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/revb/gastro/faq.htm

[luckistar2]

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that there are not illnesses spread that can cause v*.


I just wanted to disassociate the idea of flu season and flu vaccines from what is commonly refered to as the "stomach flu". Flu season refers to influenza and flu vaccines will not help with any stomach viruses.


My point was that stomach viruses are not related to the flu and I just wanted to add some clearity.


Again, I am sorry if I misled anyone.





Carly

[Melikasa]

Yes and it isn't as common as people would have you believe. WAY to many times it isn't gastoenteritis at all. When I first joined I said something like you did and I was shot down.
The truth is though that it isn't any worse in the winter than it is in the summer and more often than not it is bad seafood or undercooked meat that causes sickness. Or contamination. People that handle food without washing their hands (ESPECIALLY after a bowel movement)

[sparky2004]

We need to realize that as emets, there are viruses and the like out there can threaten us. I wash my hands a lot. I am very picky about my frozen meats and how I clean and cut on my counter. Think of it from a risk management point of view. You need to eliminate the possibility of getting sick from contaminated food and viruses. What steps do you need to take? What information do you have and where can you get more on these subjects? What materials will you need? When and where should you take these preventive measures?


I get my flu shot. I believe in getting the flu shot because there are a number of nasty strains out there that can leave you in bed for about 2 weeks. You could also pass on the virus to someone who is in a high risk group.