Gastroenteritis and Food Poisoning

Gastroenteritis is a term which is not interchangeable with food poisoning, as many believe. Gastroenteritis means irritation and inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, which includes the stomach and small and large intestines. The condition is usually due to bacteria, food poisoning, parasites, or viruses, and it often results in diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. Gastroenteritis is commonly called gastric flu or stomach flu although it has no relation to the influenza virus.

What is the difference between gastroenteritis and food poisoning?

Specifically, gastroenteritis refers to infection/inflammation of the mucous membrane of the digestive tract, while food poisoning refers to a type of bacterial gastroenteritis that was caused by something the patient ate. Food poisoning can also refer to chemical food poisoning, as might happen if you ate a poisonous mushroom. In broad terms, gastroenteritis describes what the patient has, while food poisoning describes how the patient got it.

Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com

Swine Flu (H1N1)

Swine flu is a type of virus. It's named for a virus that pigs can get. People do not normally get swine flu, but human infections can and do happen. The virus is contagious and can spread from human to human. Symptoms of swine flu in people are similar to the symptoms of regular human flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue.

There are antiviral medicines you can take to prevent or treat swine flu. There is no vaccine available right now to protect against swine flu. You can help prevent the spread of germs that cause respiratory illnesses like influenza by:

-Covering your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
-Washing your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. You can also use alcohol-based hand cleaners.
-Avoiding touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
-Trying to avoid close contact with sick people.
-Staying home from work or school if you are sick.

Source: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/h1n1fluswineflu.html