(January 2, 2014) Jackson, Tenn.- There have been reports of the stomach bug going around the area.
We spoke to Johanna Beurlein of Family Care Walk-in Clinic about the stomach bug. It’s been accounting for a significant number of cases she’s seen.
“We have been covered up with it,” says Beurlein, “but we were checking for the flu initially and then we realized that they would come back and their flu was negative. So I’m going to say probably about 30-40% of what we’ve seen in the clinic in the past week or so.”
There are multiple ways to avoid this stomach bug. Handwashing and crowd avoidance can reduce your risks. Beurlein also advises to wash your hands before you eat.
In addition to those steps, Beurlein says, “Keep them from touching their face, nose, mouth, and eyes. That’s another big thing to keep you from getting it.”
Some of the symptoms of this stomach bug are, according to Beurlein, “diarrhea, they may be vomiting, with or without the diarrhea, stomach cramping or pain, nausea, you can see a fever, they’ll have a headache and body ache.”
“If your stomach starts cramping, you have a low grade fever and a headache, and you find out you don’t have the flu,” Beurlein says, “you want to make sure you’re drinking plenty of like sports drinks, I usually say Gatorade, and clear liquids. You can do like a soup, or a broth soup.”
She continued, “Keep everything very bland and keep from getting dehydrated, because dehydration is what’ll get you really sick.”
Beurlein did say that there are foods to avoid. “Avoid ice cream and milk products, because they then to make your stomach feel sick, sicker actually.”
