Gi virus how long does it last

Typically, most people with stomach flu recover from their illness without having to seek medical treatment. The following home remedies can help ease the symptoms of stomach flu and prevent more serious illness. Medical treatment involves managing your symptoms and promoting hydration. You may be given intravenous IV fluids to help replace lost fluids and electrolytes.

Depending on the severity of the above symptoms, a healthcare professional might suspect bacterial gastroenteritis instead. In this case, they may perform a stool culture or prescribe antibiotics. They may also monitor your bloodwork for signs of infection, such as a high white blood cell count. There are several types of viruses that can cause viral gastroenteritis.

The most common of these is norovirus. If you have viral gastroenteritis, you may pass the virus on to others when you have symptoms and for a few days after they go away.

However, the virus can still be present in your stool for weeks after recovery. Most people recover without seeking medical attention. However, if you experience signs of serious dehydration, blood in your stool, persistent fever, or severe abdominal pain, get medical attention right away. Do you have a stomach bug or food poisoning? Discriminating between the two can be difficult. A stomach bug and food poisoning can be commonly…. It can be tough to drink enough water throughout the day, but dehydration can have consequences.

For most healthy people, norovirus symptoms last one to three days. But for some, the virus can remain in the intestines for weeks or months, causing….

When the stomach flu strikes, it can be difficult to keep anything down, but certain foods may help you bounce back quicker. Here are 17 foods and…. Bacterial infections are common causes of gastroenteritis. Also called food poisoning, these infections are caused by poor hygiene or eating…. According to the CDC , the people most at risk of getting rotavirus include:. A vaccination is available for rotavirus. Doctors typically give babies a dose of the vaccine two to three times between the ages of 2 and 6 months.

Rotavirus can cause fever, stomach pain, vomiting, and severe, watery diarrhea. A person normally develops symptoms about 2 days after exposure to the virus. The symptoms can take 3—8 days to clear. A person may get rotavirus from touching contaminated stool, objects, or food. The American Thoracic Society state that adenovirus actually comprises several different viruses. They also note that once a person has had exposure to adenovirus, they may experience symptoms within 2 days to 2 weeks.

In addition to GI symptoms, adenovirus can cause upper and lower respiratory symptoms, as well as neurological and eye disorders.

Adults and children who are otherwise in good health take about 5—7 days to recover from the viral infection. However, even when the virus is no longer producing symptoms, it can spread to others.

Adenovirus can also live for up to 30 days on hard surfaces. Rotavirus and adenovirus are both common causes of stomach flu in young children. Rotavirus can last for about 3—8 days, and adenovirus can last for about 5—7 days. Young children who are sick are most at risk of developing dehydration.

Parents and caregivers should look for signs of dehydration in children. These include :. If someone in a household or other shared residence comes down with the stomach flu, people should clean all surfaces to remove the virus. Parents and caregivers can try the following to help speed up recovery in infants or children with the stomach flu:.

For most children and adults, the virus will run its course within a few days and will not require any special medical attention. However, a person should look out for symptoms that might indicate a more serious issue. Parents and caregivers of infants and young children should watch for signs of dehydration.

There are no formal treatments, but rest, fluids, and easy-to-digest foods can help ease the symptoms. If you're healthy and drink enough to replace fluids you lose from vomiting and diarrhea, dehydration shouldn't be a problem. Infants, older adults and people with suppressed immune systems may become severely dehydrated when they lose more fluids than they can replace. Hospitalization might be needed so that lost fluids can be replaced intravenously.

Dehydration can be fatal, but rarely. When you're traveling in other countries, you can become sick from contaminated food or water. You may be able to reduce your risk by following these tips:. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version.

This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview Viral gastroenteritis is an intestinal infection marked by watery diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea or vomiting, and sometimes fever.

Viral gastroenteritis Open pop-up dialog box Close. Viral gastroenteritis The stomach, small intestine and large intestine colon are part of your digestive tract, which processes the foods you eat. Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic.

More Information Flu shot: Will it prevent the stomach flu? Stomach flu: How long am I contagious?