Is a stomach virus inevitable?

Question

See, my husband, son and I are living with my Dad, Mom, Sister, Brother-in-law, and their baby boy. My dad and my nephew both have symptoms of a stomach virus. The symptoms started showing up yesterday morning for my nephew and last night for my dad. My nephew has a fever. My dad does not. Both have been throwing up and both have diarheah (or however you spell that infernal word)

Questions:
-Once you have the virus, when you are most contagious? Are you more contagious before you have symptoms or after or both or neither?
-How long is the incubation period for stomach viruses?
-Would the flu shot help my son not to get it?
-How can you tell the difference between food poisoning and viral infection?
-How are stomach viruses spread?

My BIG concern is that we are going on vacation next week and I'd hate for my son to be sick. If he were to get the virus, do you think he would get it and be over it by next weekend? Oh please say yes. I'm going nuts here!

Answer 1

Hand washing. Make sure the sick ones wash their hands frequently and make sure everyone else does too! DO NOT share cups, silverware, or any other eating untensil.

Flu shot will not help more than likely. Different strains.

Contagiousness and incubation are all different. There's billions of viruses out there and they all react differently in different people. There's no guarantee one way or another that anyone else in the house gets sick.

Viruses are spread often by contact. If the sick person coughs or sneezes on you or their hand, then touches something that you touch. That's why handwashing is so important!

Food poisoning is VIOLENT illness. Major pain to the point of being unable to move.

If he's going to get sick, there's not a lot you can do to prevent it at this point - just try to limit his contact with the sick people and be super dilligent about hand washing. Maybe use Lysol wipes on the phone and everything else too....

Answer 2

You are most contagious when you show no symptoms at all of the specific virus.
The incubation period is usually 7-10days.
No the flu shot will not help because your child most likely has already been exposed to it.
Food poisoning usually happens within hours of eating something that wasn't cooked or prepared right.
Stomach viruses are spread thru contact and by air droplets.
If he did get it usually children can get over the symptoms of the illnesses a lot faster, and they tend to produce antibodies a lot faster too then most adults. Just keep the child hydrated, make sure he gets plenty of rest, and you may want to add a dose of vitamin c to his diet right now so his immune system will kick in faster. IF you do give the child make sure you talk to a pharmacist about a right dose.

Answer 3

lots of the time a "abdomen virus" or "abdomen flu" is extremely some form of nutrients poisoning. I extremely have heard some clinical docs say that all abdomen flu is nutrients poisoning. If there aren't any respiration indications, that's nutrients poisoning. If that's the rationalization that's not contagious. assorted each and every man or woman is ill because they ate a similar contaminated nutrients. The length of the ailment will remember upon the stress of nutrients poisoning ingested.

Answer 4

-You are more contagious after you have symptoms
-3 days
-No because it would be too late, and most likely he would get sick anyway because flu shots make you a little sick when you get them
-It just depends, you'd have to take all the symptoms and compare them, etc. but usually food poisoning causes you to be on the toilet with diareha most of the day. Viral infections have that but it's more mild and also there is vomiting with viral infections.
-The same way other viruses are spread

Answer 5

Try to get some yogurt to prevent it or lessen the effects before hand. Has the good bacteria to help fight it off.