What are the differences between the stomach flu and food poisoning, and how would one differentiate between them?

 

Stomach flu and food poisoning often have similar symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal cramps. The difference is that stomach “flu” is usually caused by a virus, whereas food poisoning is caused by bacteria. It is often not easy to differentiate between the two as the onset and severity depends on which specific virus or bacteria is causing the symptoms, but generally viral illness tends to be more common. 

Dr Tan Yu Bin is an accredited specialist in the field of Gastroenterology & Hepatology. He was awarded the Public Service Commission (PSC) Scholarship (Medicine) by the Singapore government and graduated from Duke-NUS Medical School in 2018 with the SingHealth Top Student Gold Medal, Academy of Medicine, Singapore Medal for Outstanding Leadership and NUSS Medal for Outstanding Achievement.