Is Stomach Flu Contagious?

Usually viral gastroenteritis is also known as flu. It is an infection of the intestine that is brought on by various viruses. If you are wondering whether stomach flu is contagious, the answer is yes. In the US, stomach flu is quite common and it is known to cause diarrhea and vomiting. However, most people get better without suffering from any complications. But complications do arise when people do not replenish the fluids lost due to purging and vomiting. Stomach flu can be serious in infants, seniors and those with compromised immune systems.

The major symptoms of stomach flu are vomiting having watery diarrhea. In addition, the person may also have fever, headaches, pain in the abdomen and chills. The symptoms will usually manifest themselves within four hours to forty-eight hours after being exposed to the virus, and can last for one to two days. If the infection is particularly severe, the symptoms will last up to ten days.

In stomach flu, the virus enters the body and heads for the small intestine. It then starts destroying the cells that line the walls of the intestine. As a result the fluids from the damaged cells leak into the small intestine leading to watery diarrhea. The most common viruses that cause flu are rotavirus, adenovirus, norovirus and astrovirus. Rotavirus is known to afflict infants aged between 3 months and 15 months. Adenovirus affects kids who under the age of two. Norovirus is prevalent during the months from October to April and the symptoms are similar to gastritis, which is caused due to contaminated food. Astrovirus can affect any age group and is usually seen during the winter months.

Depending on the type of virus that causes the stomach flu, the condition can be contagious. Some people can be contagious for three days after they recover, while others can be contagious for 2 weeks if they are infected with norovirus. An infant infected with rotavirus will be contagious for up to 2 days before the symptoms appear and then for another 10 days after the symptoms disappear.