How can you be sure if you have caught a flu bug or if you have eaten contaminated food and have a food-borne illness?  Chances are that at least once in your life you have experienced a food-borne illness and probably passed it off as “the flu.”  Those of us who can remember the experience are probably not eager to go through it again.  Stomach flu and food-borne illness are two different types of illnesses.  Though both the illnesses tend to affect the digestive system and also have parallel symptoms, there is a considerable difference found in both the illnesses.  In most cases, you can't tell the difference between a stomach virus and a food-borne illness without a lab test, unless you know the cause of your problem such as, eating undercooked meat or being in contact with someone who has the stomach flu. 

Here are some basic distinctions:

Stomach Flu:  The stomach flu has nothing to do with the Influenza virus or the normal flu virus, scientifically known as the RNA virus.  The stomach flu is basically caused as a result of some of the viruses and bacteria infecting the digestive system and causing irritation and inflammation.  The early symptom that is observed is diarrhea.  It’s highly contagious and almost impossible to escape if you’re near someone who has it.  It can be passed from person to person via unwashed hands, utensils, and even food.  The most common non-foodborne illness that causes gastrointestinal distress is the Norovirus, others are Astrovirus, Hepatitis A and Norwalk virus.  There is no vaccine for viral gastroenteritis. Viruses do not have a cure but can be prevented with proper hygiene such as regular hand washing.

Food-borne Illness:  Food-borne illness can easily be prevented by practicing proper food handling in the home.  Food-borne illness does not come from close contact with someone that has this condition.  It comes from eating contaminated food.  Scientists divide food-borne illnesses into two categories: food infection and food intoxication. 

Food infection is caused by eating food containing live bacteria that continue to increase in number to the point where they cause illness.  Salmonella (of which there are more than 1200 types) is a well-known example of a food infection.

Food intoxication is caused by food that contains a toxin or poison.  The bacteria that produced and excreted their toxic waste products may have been killed by cooking, but the toxins may have survived and can still cause digestive upset.  Staphylococcus aureus is an example of food intoxication.  One very dangerous, though rare, type of food intoxication is botulism, which is fatal in 60% of cases.  About 120 cases occur annually in the U.S., usually caused by food that has been improperly home canned.  Commercially canned foods have an extremely safe record.  Botulism toxin is killed by cooking at extremely high temperatures.

Symptoms:  Most victims of either the stomach flu or a food-borne illness experience some of the same symptoms: diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea, headache, vomiting, fatigue, weakness, and occasionally dehydration and fever.  Both have relatively similar symptoms, but it is more common to have nausea and diarrhea when you are sick with a food-borne illness.  If severe dehydration occurs, a person may need medical intervention and even hospitalization.  Food-borne illness, also known as gastroenteritis, is much more common and much more serious than the general population realizes.

Length of Symptoms:  Both stomach virus and food-borne illness symptoms generally last one or two days, but can last up to ten days.

Complications:  The most common complication of a food-borne illness and a stomach virus is dehydration resulting from frequent vomiting and diarrhea. Dehydration may cause lightheadedness or dizziness.

Severity: The main difference between a food-borne illness and the stomach flu is that a food-borne illness can cause serious illness requiring hospitalization, or even death.  This is rarely the case with a stomach virus. The highest incidence of death due to a food-borne illness occurs in children, elderly and people who are chronically ill or with weakened immune systems, such as cancer and kidney disease patients.  Genetic differences make some persons more susceptible than others. Chronic antibiotic use or pregnancy may also be a risk factor.  Infants have an increased risk because they have under developed immune systems.

The United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that food-borne diseases cause approximately 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths in the United States each year.  Five pathogens account for over (90%) of estimated food-related deaths: Salmonella (31%), Listeria (28%), Toxoplasma (21%), Norwalk-like viruses (7%), Campylobacter (5%) and E. coli O157:H7 (3%).

Treatment:  Both food-borne illnesses and stomach viruses will usually go away on their own in a few days. Eat bland food, such as crackers and chicken broth, and drink plenty of fluids. If food-borne illness symptoms are severe, your doctor may prescribe antibiotics.

Prevention: During the cold winter months, follow these tips to avoid getting a food borne illness:

1. Wash hands with soap and warm water for a minimum of 20 seconds.
2. Separate raw meats, fish and poultry from fruits, vegetables and ready-to-eat foods.
3. Cook all of your foods to their proper temperatures, even your leftovers.
4. Refrigerate your leftovers promptly and store in a refrigerator set to below 40 degrees F.

Content Source:  CDC.gov, foodsafety.gov, webMD.com