It's important to stay home, away from work, school or childcare, until 48 hours after the last episode of vomiting or diarrhoea.
Diarrhoea and vomiting can spread easily
If you have a stomach bug, you could be infectious to others. You're most infectious from when the symptoms start until two days after they've passed. Stay off school or work until the symptoms have stopped for two days.
Diarrhoea and vomiting can spread easily
Stay off school or work until you've not been sick or had diarrhoea for at least 2 days. If you also have a high temperature or do not feel well enough to do your normal activities, try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people until you feel better.
Gastroenteritis can spread very easily. 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.
People may feel very sick and vomit many times a day. Most people improve within three days. However, sometimes people become dehydrated and need medical treatment. Dehydration is the most serious complication.
You should also get medical advice if: you've been vomiting repeatedly for more than 48 hours and it's not improving. you're unable to keep down any fluids. you have signs of severe dehydration – such as dizziness and passing little or no urine.
Although you typically feel better after a day or two, you're contagious for a few days after you recover. The virus can remain in your stool for up to two weeks or more after recovery. Children should stay home from school or child care for at least 48 hours after the last time they vomit or have diarrhea.
Children who vomit or have diarrhea should remain home until they have not vomited or had diarrhea for a full 24 hours. Children should be tolerating regular meals without discomfort before returning to school.
You should be able to start eating a more regular diet, including fruits and vegetables, within about 24 to 48 hours after vomiting or having diarrhea.
Avoid eating and drinking for two hours after the last episode of vomiting. Start with small amounts of clear liquids, such as water, ice, popsicles, sports drinks, clear broth or Jell-O for the first 24 hours. Avoid alcohol, caffeinated beverages, and fruit juice.
You should stay home until at least 24 hours after your fever is gone. If you're feeling especially nauseous or are vomiting, try to go home and rest as well. You're typically the most infectious when you're feeling severe symptoms, so it's best to keep these illnesses from reaching others.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a fever is at least 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or 38 degrees Celsius. If you have flu-like symptoms, the CDC recommends that you stay home for at least a day after your fever is gone, except to get medical attention or take care of necessities.
How long are people contagious? People infected with norovirus are contagious from the moment they begin feeling ill to at least 3 days after recovery. Some people may be contagious for as long as 2 weeks after recovery. Therefore, good hand washing is important.
Stay at home until at least 48 hours after the last episode of vomiting or diarrhoea to prevent spreading any infection to others.
While it might seem tempting to brush your teeth immediately after vomiting, we don't recommend it. That's because throwing up leaves stomach acid in your mouth, and when you brush immediately after, you are actually rubbing that highly destructive acid into your teeth.
For the most part, if you have uncontrolled vomiting for extended periods of time where you can't keep anything down, you should go to the emergency room. This is especially true for the very young, the elderly, or those with severe underlying health conditions, Dr. Lee says.
Try drinking sips of water, weak tea, clear soft drinks without carbonation, noncaffeinated sports drinks, or broth. Sugary drinks may calm the stomach better than other liquids. Temporarily stop taking oral medicines. These can make vomiting worse.
Speak to your GP if:
you've been vomiting repeatedly for more than a day or two. you're unable to keep down any fluids because you're vomiting repeatedly. you have signs of severe dehydration, such as confusion, a rapid heartbeat, sunken eyes and passing little or no urine.
Vomiting or throwing-up is forcing the contents of the stomach up through the food pipe (esophagus) and out of the mouth.
When informing your boss about your sick leave, keep things to the point without over-explaining your illness and symptoms. Instead, briefly explain why you're taking a sick leave (e.g. contagious illness such as flu and cold, stomach flu or family issues) and state your approximation of the period you'll be away.
nausea and vomiting that may last a day or two. diarrhoea which usually lasts one to three days, but can last up to ten days. stomach cramps and pain. fever (temperature over 37.5 C in adults and over 38 C in children).
After your vomiting stops, you may feel weak and lethargic. This is quite common and happens because you haven't eaten in a while. Vomiting may also have left you dehydrated. You also lose electrolytes and salts when vomiting.
There's not much difference when it comes to norovirus, rotavirus and astrovirus. Clinically, their symptoms are the same and you can't tell the difference between them unless you run a test. However, rotavirus and astrovirus are more common in children and norovirus is more common in adults.
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.