# Is there actually a disease \[officially\] called "stomach flu"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 2, 2008, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-actually-a-disease-officially-called-stomach-flu/443721 "2008-04-02T20:55:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-actually-a-disease-officially-called-stomach-flu/443721/1 "2008-04-02T20:55:03Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-actually-a-disease-officially-called-stomach-flu/443721/2 "2008-04-02T20:59:34Z")
Stomach flu is a catch-all term for gastroenteritis (aka "puking and/or having the shits.) Gastroenteritis can be caused by bacterial infections (often from food poisoning, e.g. salmonella, E. coli, etc.) but most of the time it’s caused by a viral infection such as norovirus or rotavirus. (Norovirus is often food-borne, but not always.) ---
**Author:** ![NunOfTheAbove](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@NunOfTheAbove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NunOfTheAbove)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-actually-a-disease-officially-called-stomach-flu/443721/3 "2008-04-02T21:07:56Z")
The stomache flu is NOT related to the influenza virus! The fun medical term for this is “gastroenteritis” and it can be caused by a variety of things ranging from viruses, to bacteria and even parasites. So you are correct in the thought that mild food poisoning will cause it, but other pathogens can as well. Some are contageous, but most are not. You can find more information from the CDC webpage (mostly viral), Medline, Wikipedia, or just by googling “gastroenteritis.” ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2008, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-actually-a-disease-officially-called-stomach-flu/443721/4 "2008-04-03T01:56:19Z")
This is what drives me nuts about news articles or whatever that refer to a person experiencing “flu-like” symptoms (as in suspected carbon monoxide poisoning). Was the person nauseated/puking? Or was the person running a fever, aching all over, and experiencing a dry cough? I’m sure it’s the former rather than the latter, but it’s no wonder the term “flu” is used so loosely (heh).