🤢 Gastroenteritis (Stomach Flu)
PH
PureHealthness Editorial Team · Health writers & reviewers
📝 Last reviewed: August 2026
✔ Transparent sourcing · Some articles are AI-drafted, then reviewed & fact-checked by our team
📝 Last reviewed: August 2026
| In brief | Watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, and occasional low fever. |
|---|---|
| Category | Digestive |
🔍 What causes it
Viruses (norovirus, rotavirus) or bacteria (salmonella, E. coli) from contaminated food/water or contact. Highly contagious. Rotavirus vaccine protects children.
⚠️ Key symptoms
- Watery diarrhea and stomach cramps
- Nausea and vomiting
- Low-grade fever
- Dehydration risk — especially in children, elderly
💊 Treatment
The priority is FLUIDS: ORS (oral rehydration salts — the WHO formula), water, light soups. Eat when able — rice, toast, banana. Antibiotics only for bacterial cases. See a doctor for blood in stool, severe dehydration, or symptoms beyond 3 days.
🛡️ Prevention
Hand washing, safe food handling, clean water, rotavirus vaccine for infants.
🚨 See a doctor / red flags: See a doctor promptly if symptoms are severe, do not improve, or get worse — especially for children, older adults, pregnant women, or anyone with a chronic condition.
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