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Related Articles. Joint Replacement: 5 Benefits of Outpatient Surgery. Trending Topics. What Parents Need to Know. Share this article via email with one or more people using the form below. Send me expert insights each week in Health Essentials News. This page covers: Symptoms of gastroenteritis What to do if you have gastroenteritis When to get medical advice Looking after a child with gastroenteritis Getting medical advice for your child How gastroenteritis is spread Preventing gastroenteritis 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.
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. 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. You can also ask your pharmacist or GP for advice about whether they're suitable. 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.
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 Looking after a child with gastroenteritis You can look after your child at home if they have diarrhoea and vomiting.
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. 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.
Phone the service or your GP 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 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.
Some shellfish, especially raw or undercooked oysters, also can make you sick. Although contaminated drinking water is a cause of viral diarrhea, in many cases the virus is passed through the fecal-oral route — that is, someone with a virus handles food you eat without washing his or her hands after using the toilet. Each gastrointestinal virus has a season when it's most active. If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, for instance, you're more likely to have rotavirus or norovirus infections between October and April.
The main complication of viral gastroenteritis is dehydration — a severe loss of water and essential salts and minerals. 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.
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