Diarrhoea and vomiting are common in adults, children and babies. You can have them together or on their own. They're usually caused by a stomach bug and should pass in a few days. See 'when to get medical help' sections if are concerned about you or your child's symptoms.
How long diarrhoea and vomiting last. In adults and children: diarrhoea usually stops within 5 to 7 days. vomiting usually stops in 1 or 2 days.
Schedule a doctor's visit
Make an appointment with your doctor if: Vomiting lasts more than two days for adults, 24 hours for children under age 2 or 12 hours for infants. You've had bouts of nausea and vomiting for longer than one month.
In general, it is recommended that any staff member or child with diarrhoea and/or vomiting symptoms must stay away or be excluded from the school or early years setting until they have been free of symptoms for 48 hours (the '48 hour rule') and feel well.
When you're sick with diarrhea or vomiting, you lose fluid rapidly. So it's important to take in as much fluid as you can. Drinking plenty of water is the top priority.
Depending on the cause, viral gastroenteritis symptoms may appear within 1-3 days after you're infected and can range from mild to severe. Symptoms usually last just a day or two, but occasionally they may last up to 14 days.
Gastroenteritis typically lasts in the neighborhood of three to seven days, but sometimes it can be shorter and, unfortunately, sometimes it lasts longer.
If you have diarrhoea as well as vomiting, it's likely you have gastroenteritis. This is one of the most common causes of vomiting in adults. It's often caused by: a virus, like norovirus.
Bland, starchy, low-fiber foods like those included in the BRAT diet (bananas, bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) are binding, which can bulk stool and help you get rid of diarrhea fast. You can also try probiotics, glutamine supplements, or home remedies like herbal teas and rice water.
COVID-19-related diarrhea and nausea
Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea are less common symptoms of COVID-19. Still, when they do occur, they tend to be some of the first symptoms you will experience. Diarrhea caused by COVID-19 tends to be more watery, yellow or green in color.
Prevention
All of the viruses that cause the stomach bug are highly contagious. Once one person in a daycare, school or office catches it, it's not unusual to see many others also get sick. If your child is healthy and not sick, the most important thing to do is to keep him/her that way.
In most cases, people with viral gastroenteritis get better on their own without medical treatment. You can treat viral gastroenteritis by replacing lost fluids and electrolytes to prevent dehydration. In some cases, over-the-counter medicines may help relieve your symptoms.
People feel sick all of a sudden, usually a few hours after eating contaminated food. Also, bloody diarrhea is more common with bacteria and food poisoning. On the other hand, symptoms from gastroenteritis usually develop a little more slowly. The illness might gradually get worse over a day or so.
However, the key distinction is time: The symptoms of a stomach bug will take 12 to 48 hours to develop, while the symptoms of food poisoning typically develop much faster, usually within 6 hours of consuming an infected dish. Another common difference between the two is the length of illness.
Because of the similarities between bacterial food poisoning and viral flu symptoms, many people will assume that they are experiencing the flu rather than foodborne illness and wait out the symptoms rather than go to the doctor for testing.
Living with a stomach virus
Stomach viruses are often mild and go away on their own in 1 to 3 days. Babies, older adults, or people who have low immune systems should see the doctor right away. This can help prevent their infection from getting worse.
Try foods such as bananas, rice, applesauce, dry toast, soda crackers (these foods are called BRAT diet). For 24-48 hours after the last episode of vomiting, avoid foods that can irritate or may be difficult to digest such alcohol, caffeine, fats/oils, spicy food, milk or cheese.
Stay at home until at least 48 hours after the last episode of vomiting or diarrhoea to prevent spreading any infection to others.