Gastroenteritis is a very common condition that causes diarrhoea and vomiting. It’s usually caused by a bacterial or viral tummy bug.

It affects people of all ages, but is particularly common in young children.

Most cases in children are caused by a virus called rotavirus. Cases in adults are usually caused by norovirus (the “winter vomiting bug”) or bacterial food poisoning.

Gastroenteritis can be very unpleasant, but it usually clears up by itself within a week. You can normally look after yourself or your child at home until you’re feeling better.

Try to avoid going to your GP, as gastroenteritis can spread to others very easily. Call NHS 111 or your GP if you’re concerned or need any advice.

Symptoms of gastroenteritis

The main symptoms of gastroenteritis are:

• sudden, watery diarrhoea
• feeling sick
• vomiting, which can be projectile
• a mild fever

Some people also have other symptoms, such as a loss of appetite, an upset stomach, aching limbs and headaches.

The symptoms usually appear up to a day after becoming infected. They typically last less than a week, but can sometimes last longer.

What to do if you have gastroenteritis

If you experience sudden diarrhoea and vomiting, the best thing to do is stay at home until you’re feeling better. There’s not always a specific treatment, so you have to let the illness run its course.

You don’t usually need to get medical advice, unless your symptoms don’t improve or there’s a risk of a more serious problem (see When to get medical advice).

To help ease your symptoms:

• Drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration – you need to drink more than usual to replace the fluids lost from vomiting and diarrhoea. Water is best, but you could also try fruit juice and soup.
• Take paracetamol for any fever or aches and pains.
• Get plenty of rest.
• If you feel like eating, try small amounts of plain foods, such as soup, rice, pasta and bread.
• Use special rehydration drinks made from sachets bought from pharmacies if you have signs of dehydration, such as a dry mouth or dark urine – read about treating dehydration.
• Take anti-vomiting medication (such as metoclopramide) and/or antidiarrhoeal medication (such as loperamide) if you need to – some types are available from pharmacies, but check the leaflet that comes with the medicine. You can also ask your pharmacist or GP for advice about whether they’re suitable.

Gastroenteritis can spread very easily, so you should wash your hands regularly while you’re ill and stay off work or school until at least 48 hours after your symptoms have cleared, to reduce the risk of passing it on (see Preventing gastroenteritis).

When to get medical advice

You don’t normally need to see your GP if you think you have gastroenteritis, as it should get better on its own.

Visiting your GP surgery can put others at risk, so it’s best to call NHS 111 or your GP if you’re concerned or feel you need advice.

Get medical advice if:

• you have symptoms of severe dehydration, such as persistent dizziness, only passing small amounts of urine or no urine at all, or if you’re losing consciousness
• you have bloody diarrhoea
• you’re vomiting constantly and are unable to keep down any fluids
• you have a fever over 38C (100.4F)
• your symptoms haven’t started to improve after a few days
• in the last few weeks you’ve returned from a part of the world with poor sanitation
• you have a serious underlying condition, such as kidney disease, inflammatory bowel disease or a weak immune system, and have diarrhoea and vomiting

Your GP may suggest sending off a sample of your poo to a laboratory to check what’s causing your symptoms. Antibiotics may be prescribed if this shows you have a bacterial infection.

Looking after a child with gastroenteritis

You can look after your child at home if they have diarrhoea and vomiting. There’s not usually any specific treatment and your child should start feeling better in a few days.

You don’t normally need to get medical advice unless their symptoms don’t improve or there’s a risk of a more serious problem (see Getting medical advice for your child).

To help ease your child’s symptoms:

• Encourage them to drink plenty of fluids. They need to replace the fluids lost from vomiting and diarrhoea. Water is generally best. Avoid giving them fizzy drinks or fruit juice, as they can make their diarrhoea worse. Babies should continue to feed as usual, either with breast milk or other milk feeds.
• Make sure they get plenty of rest.
• Let your child eat if they’re eating solids and feel hungry. Try small amounts of plain foods, such as soup, rice, pasta and bread.
• Give them paracetamol if they have an uncomfortable fever or aches and pains. Young children may find liquid paracetamol easier to swallow than tablets.
• Use special rehydration drinks made from sachets bought from pharmacies if they’re dehydrated. Your GP or pharmacist can advise on how much to give your child. Don’t give them antidiarrhoeal and anti-vomiting medication, unless advised to by your GP or pharmacist.

Babies and young children, especially if they’re less than a year old, have a greater risk of becoming dehydrated. Read advice about looking after babies and children under five who have diarrhoea and vomiting.

Make sure you and your child wash your hands regularly while your child is ill and keep them away from school or nursery until at least 48 hours after their symptoms have cleared (see Preventing gastroenteritis).

Getting medical advice for your child

You don’t usually need to see your GP if you think your child has gastroenteritis, as it should get better on its own, and taking them to a GP surgery can put others at risk.

If you’re concerned about your child, or they:

• have symptoms of dehydration, such as passing less urine than normal, being unusually irritable or unresponsive, pale or mottled skin, or cold hands and feet
• have blood in their poo or green vomit
• are vomiting constantly and are unable to keep down any fluids or feeds
• have had diarrhoea for more than a week
• have been vomiting for three days or more
• have signs of a more serious illness, such as a high fever (over 38C or 100.4F), shortness of breath, rapid breathing, a stiff neck, a rash that doesn’t fade when you roll a glass over it or a bulging fontanelle (the soft spot on a baby’s head)
• have a serious underlying condition, such as inflammatory bowel disease or a weak immune system, and have diarrhoea and vomiting

Your GP may suggest sending off a sample of your child’s poo to a laboratory to confirm what’s causing their symptoms. Antibiotics may be prescribed if this shows they have a bacterial infection.

How gastroenteritis is spread

The bugs that cause gastroenteritis can spread very easily from person to person.

You can catch the infection if small particles of vomit or poo from an infected person get into your mouth, such as through:

• close contact with someone with gastroenteritis – they may breathe out small particles of vomit
• touching contaminated surfaces or objects
• eating contaminated food – this can happen if an infected person doesn’t wash their hands before handling food, or you eat food that has been in contact with contaminated surfaces or objects, or hasn’t been stored and cooked at the correct temperatures (read more about the causes of food poisoning)

A person with gastroenteritis is most infectious from when their symptoms start until 48 hours after all their symptoms have passed, although they may also be infectious for a short time before and after this.

Preventing gastroenteritis

It’s not always possible to avoid getting gastroenteritis, but following the advice below can help stop it spreading:

• Stay off work, school or nursery until at least 48 hours after the symptoms have passed. You or your child should also avoid visiting anyone in hospital during this time.
• Ensure you and your child wash your hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and water, particularly after using the toilet and before preparing food. Don’t rely on alcohol hand gels, as they’re not always effective.
• Disinfect any surfaces or objects that could be contaminated. It’s best to use a bleach-based household cleaner.
• Wash contaminated items of clothing or bedding separately on a hot wash.
• Don’t share towels, flannels, cutlery or utensils while you or your child is ill.
• Flush away any poo or vomit in the toilet or potty and clean the surrounding area.
• Practice good food hygiene. Make sure food is properly refrigerated, always cook your food thoroughly, and never eat food that is past its use-by date – read more about preventing food poisoning.

Take extra care when travelling to parts of the world with poor sanitation, as you could pick up a stomach bug. For example, you may need to boil tap water before drinking it.

Young children can have the rotavirus vaccination when they’re two to three months old, which can reduce their risk of developing gastroenteritis.

Read more on how to prevent germs spreading and food and water safety abroad.

Resources : NHS UK

This information provides a general overview and may not apply to everyone. Talk to your family doctor to find out if this information applies to you and to get more information on this subject.

Overview

Food poisoning is an illness caused by eating contaminated food. It’s not usually serious and most people get better within a few days without treatment.

In most cases of food poisoning, the food is contaminated by bacteria, such as salmonella or Escherichia coli (E. coli), or a virus, such as the norovirus.

Signs and symptoms

The symptoms of food poisoning usually begin within one to two days after eating contaminated food, although they may start at any point between a few hours and several weeks later.

The main symptoms include:

• feeling sick (nausea)
• vomiting
• diarrhoea, which may contain blood or mucus
• stomach cramps and abdominal (tummy) pain
• a lack of energy and weakness
• loss of appetite
• a high temperature (fever)
• aching muscles
• chills

In most cases, these symptoms will pass in a few days and you will make a full recovery.

What to do

Most people with food poisoning recover at home and don’t need any specific treatment, although there are some situations where you should see your GP for advice (see below).

Until you feel better, you should rest and drink fluids to prevent dehydration. Try to drink plenty of water, even if you can only sip it.

Eat when you feel up to it, but try small, light meals at first and stick to bland foods – such as toast, crackers, bananas and rice – until you begin to feel better.

Oral rehydration solutions (ORS), which are available from pharmacies, are recommended for more vulnerable people, such as the elderly and those with another health condition.

Read more about treating food poisoning.

When to see your GP

You should contact your GP if:

• your symptoms are severe – for example, if you’re unable to keep down any fluids because you are vomiting repeatedly
• your symptoms don’t start to improve after a few days
• you have symptoms of severe dehydration, such as confusion, a rapid heartbeat, sunken eyes and passing little or no urine
• you’re pregnant
• you’re over 60
• your baby or young child has suspected food poisoning
• you have a long-term underlying condition, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), heart valve disease, diabetes or kidney disease
• you have a weak immune system – for example, because of medication, cancer treatment or HIV

In these situations, your GP may send off a stool sample for analysis and prescribe antibiotics, or they may refer you to hospital so you can be looked after more closely.

How is food contaminated?

Food can become contaminated at any stage during production, processing or cooking. For example, it can be contaminated by:

• not cooking food thoroughly (particularly meat)
• not correctly storing food that needs to be chilled at below 5C
• leaving cooked food for too long at warm temperatures
• not sufficiently reheating previously cooked food
• someone who is ill or who has dirty hands touching the food
• eating food that has passed its “use by” date
• the spread of bacteria between contaminated foods (cross-contamination)

Foods particularly susceptible to contamination if not handled, stored or cooked properly include:

• raw meat and poultry
• raw shellfish
• unpasteurised milk
• “ready-to-eat” foods, such as cooked sliced meats, pâté, soft cheeses and pre-packed sandwiches

Read more about the causes of food poisoning and preventing food poisoning.

Resources : NHS UK

This information provides a general overview and may not apply to everyone. Talk to your family doctor to find out if this information applies to you and to get more information on this subject.

A stomach ache, including stomach cramps or abdominal pain, doesn’t usually last long and isn’t usually caused by anything serious.

Some common causes of a stomach ache include:

• trapped wind (flatulence)
• pain or discomfort after eating (indigestion)
• being unable to poo (constipation)

Speak to your pharmacist for advice about medications to help ease symptoms of these conditions.

If you have diarrhoea and vomiting, it will usually clear up by itself within a week.

Read about what to do if you have diarrhoea and vomiting.

When to get medical advice

For example, if:

• the pain gets much worse in a short space of time
• the pain won’t go away or keeps returning
• you have unexpected weight loss
• you have unusual vaginal discharge
• you bleed from your bottom
• you have a persistent change in toilet habits

Go to your nearest hospital if you:

• have sudden, severe stomach pain
• feel pain when you touch your stomach
• are vomiting blood
• have bloody or black, sticky stools
• aren’t able to urinate
• have collapsed or can’t breathe
• you’re diabetic and vomiting

If you feel pain in the area around your ribs, read about chest pain for information and advice.

Causes of sudden, severe abdominal pain

Some of the possible causes of sudden, severe abdominal pain include:

• appendicitis – swelling of the appendix that causes agonising pain in the lower right-hand side of your abdomen
• a bleeding or perforated stomach ulcer – a bleeding, open sore in the lining of your stomach
• acute cholecystitis – an inflamed gallbladder, often caused by gallstones
• kidney stones – small stones may be passed out in your wee, but larger stones may block the kidney tubes
• diverticulitis – a type of inflammation in the bowel
• a pulled muscle in your abdomen, or an injury

Causes of long-term or recurring abdominal pain

Some of the possible causes of long-term or recurring abdominal pain include:

• irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) – symptoms of this common condition include stomach cramps, bloating, diarrhoea and constipation; the pain is often relieved when you go to the toilet
• inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) – long-term conditions that involve inflammation of the gut, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis
• a urinary tract infection that keeps returning – you’ll usually experience a burning sensation when you wee
• constipation
• period pain
• other stomach-related problems – such as a stomach ulcer, heartburn and acid reflux, or inflammation of the stomach lining (gastritis)

Possible causes in children include:

• constipation
• a urinary tract infection that keeps returning
• heartburn and acid reflux
• recurrent episodes of abdominal pain with no identifiable cause (abdominal migraines)

Resources :NHS UK

This information provides a general overview and may not apply to everyone. Talk to your family doctor to find out if this information applies to you and to get more information on this subject.