Is stomach 'flu' really the flu? - NewsOK.com

Stomach bugs are making the rounds in the Sooner State, bringing with them nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramping and general misery.

Many refer to this type of illness as “stomach flu,” but is it really the flu?

“No,” said Dr. Hal Scofield, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation immunologist. “Although some may call it stomach ‘flu,’ it actually has nothing to do with the influenza virus.”

More accurately called gastroenteritis, contagious stomach illness most is often caused by two viruses, rotavirus or norovirus. Diarrhea and vomiting, the most common symptoms, typically last for about 24 hours.

Influenza, on the other hand, affects the respiratory system. “Flu causes cough, sore throat and runny nose, as well as severe body aches and fever, often over 101 degrees,” said Dr. Eliza Chakravarty, OMRF immunologist. “The stomach flu has none of those except maybe a fever, but it will be low-grade.”

Gastroenteritis is generally not as serious as influenza, which kills tens of thousands in the U.S. each year, Scofield said. “A stomach virus may make you feel worse at the beginning, but it’s over fairly quickly and is considerably less lethal than the flu.”

In Oklahoma, 2,600 confirmed flu sufferers have been hospitalized since Sept. 1 with 152 of those having been admitted between March 13-19, according to the most recent reporting from the Oklahoma Health Department. Sixty-two have died since Sept. 1.

Still, that doesn’t mean gastroenteritis isn’t dangerous, Scofield warned. The biggest risk is dehydration as a result of diarrhea and vomiting, coupled with the inability to keep down any fluids.

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