We always hear about people getting “stomach flu”, with the accompanying aches and vomiting. However, my understanding is that “flu” (influenza) is a respiratory disease, and that what people call “stomach flu” is not really “flu” but rather is usually mild food poisoning.
This is anecdotally borne out by my own observations. As a child I used to get “stomach flu” all the time. After I first heard the statement mentioned in my first paragraph, I looked back on my childhood through the eyes of the professional cook I grew up to be, and recognized that some of my mother’s food preparation practices (most notably leaving meat out on the counter all day to defrost) probably contributed to mild food poisoning.
The argument is strengthened, I think, by the fact that aside from a bizarre case of chicken pox at age 21 (probably contracted from my then-girlfriend’s young son) I haven’t been sick even once as an adult cooking my own food (I’m almost 42 now).
My roommate recently suffered a case of what he called “stomach flu”, and I mentioned the above to him. When he came back from the doctor, he said his doctor said there is such a thing as stomach flu, though some people call it other things.
So now I’m confused. Flu is supposed to be contagious, but I’m still not sick despite being in the same house with this guy. I’ll add that I’ve warned him about his own food preparation habits, but he really hasn’t taken my warnings to heart.
So does “stomach flu” exist or not?