How Do You Get The Stomach Virus?

Stomach Virus Causes

"Stomach virus" is a more accurate medical term for the illness most people call the "stomach flu." It is known by medical professionals as viral gastroenteritis. 

In fact, stomach flu is not caused by any form of influenza, but rather by one of several viruses. The viruses enter the body through the mouth, and then get into the stomach and small intestine, where they damage the cells. This damage causes fluids to leak from the cells into the intestine, which results in watery diarrhea.

The goal of this article is to answer the question how do you get the stomach virus and provide basic and introductory information about stomach virus causes to the general public. This article is not written for medical professionals or individuals with medical education or experience.

Viruses that cause stomach flu

There are four main types of viruses that cause viral gastroenteritis.

Rotavirus is the most common cause in children 3 to 15 months old. It also causes most cases of diarrhea in children less than five.

Rotavirus symptoms usually show up 24 to 48 hours after the virus enters the body. Vomiting and watery diarrhea follow for several days, and possibly even as long as a week or so. Fever and abdominal pain are other typical rotavirus symptoms.

Adults can also get rotavirus when they're around children who have been infected. Symptoms tend to be milder in adults, however.

Most rotavirus infections occur in the United States during colder months, from November to April.

Stomach flu from an adenovirus happens to children less than two years of age.

There are almost fifty strains of adenoviruses, but only one causes vomiting and diarrhea. Stomach virus symptoms caused by the adenovirus usually present themselves approximately a week after the exposure takes place. Stomach virus cases that result from the adenovirus occur year round.

The stomach virus strain known as astrovirus appears most often in the young and the old. Astrovirus cases, like the rotavirus, tend to show up in winter months. The most apparent symptoms are diarrhea and vomiting, which usually appear in one to three days.

Finally there is the calicivirus, which strikes all ages. There are four different types of calicivirus.

The noroviruses type causes the most cases of stomach flu. Noroviruses are usually responsible for outbreaks of stomach flu during the winter months, but there are cases reported year round. Anyone with a norovirus will start vomiting in one to three days. Diarrhea, tiredness, headache, and sometimes muscular pain are also typical symptoms. 

See our related articles What Is A Stomach Virus? and Symptoms Of The Stomach Virus.