Winter brings stomach bugs: sudden vomiting and diarrhoea. The NHS says that in adults and children diarrhoea usually stops within 5 to 7 days and vomiting within 1 or 2 days, and that the most important thing is to drink lots of fluids to avoid dehydration. Stay off school or work until at least 2 days after the last bout, and keep out of swimming pools for 48 hours after symptoms stop. This sets out the NHS page “Diarrhoea and vomiting”. Babies and young children are covered separately in baby vomiting and diarrhoea.
1. Lots of fluids; small sips if you feel sick. No fruit juice or fizzy drinks. Oral rehydration from a pharmacy.
2. Stay home until 2 days after the last bout. Wash hands with soap and water; no pools for 48 hours.
3. Diarrhoea over 7 days, vomiting over 2, can’t keep fluids down, or bloody diarrhoea: call 111. Vomiting blood, green vomit or sudden severe tummy pain: 999.
How long it lasts — NHS
In adults and children, diarrhoea usually stops within 5 to 7 days and vomiting usually stops in 1 or 2 days, the NHS says. Meanwhile the most important thing is to have lots of fluids to avoid dehydration. These two figures line up with the 111 thresholds below — diarrhoea over 7 days, vomiting over 2 (our reading).
Do and don’t — NHS
| Type | What the NHS says | Worth noting (our gloss) |
|---|---|---|
| Do | Stay at home and get plenty of rest | — |
| Do | Drink lots of fluids, such as water or squash | The most important thing |
| Do | Take small sips if you feel sick | — |
| Do | Carry on breast or bottle feeding; give babies on formula or solids small sips of water between feeds | — |
| Do | Eat when you feel able to; avoiding fatty or spicy food may help | No forced fasting or eating |
| Do | Paracetamol if you’re in discomfort | — |
| Don’t | Have fruit juice or fizzy drinks | — |
| Don’t | Make baby formula weaker | — |
| Don’t | Give children under 12 medicine to stop diarrhoea | — |
| Don’t | Give aspirin to children under 16 | — |
Everyday fluid needs are in daily water intake.
At the pharmacy — NHS
A pharmacist can recommend oral rehydration powder to mix with water, the NHS says. Speak to one if you need to stop diarrhoea for a few hours, or if you or a child over 5 show signs of dehydration.
Stopping the spread — NHS
- Stay off school or work until you’ve not been sick or had diarrhoea for at least 2 days
- Wash your hands with soap and water frequently
- Don’t use a swimming pool until at least 48 hours after symptoms stop
How to wash your hands is in handwashing for 20 seconds. The page we read doesn’t mention alcohol hand gel.
When to get help — NHS
| Where | You or your child | Worth noting (our gloss) |
|---|---|---|
| NHS 111 | You’re worried about a baby under 12 months · keep being sick and can’t keep fluid down · bloody diarrhoea or bleeding from the bottom · diarrhoea over 7 days or vomiting over 2 days | Beyond the usual duration |
| 999 or A&E | Vomit blood or vomit like ground coffee · green vomit (adults) · yellow-green or green vomit (children) · may have swallowed something poisonous · stiff neck and pain looking at bright lights · sudden severe headache · sudden severe tummy ache · blue, grey, pale or blotchy skin, lips or tongue · severe difficulty breathing or quick, short breaths · confused or not responding as usual | Don’t drive yourself, the page says |
The page we read has no separate GP list. 111 is the UK medical helpline and 999 the emergency number; in Korea, call 119. Where to go is covered in ER vs local clinic.
Checklist
- ☐ Lots of fluids, small sips if sick — skip juice and fizzy drinks
- ☐ Oral rehydration from a pharmacy
- ☐ No antidiarrhoeals under 12, no aspirin under 16
- ☐ 2 days off school or work after the last bout; no pools for 48 hours
- ☐ Over 7 days of diarrhoea or 2 of vomiting, can’t keep fluids down, or blood: get advice
Questions that remain
Should I only eat plain rice porridge?
The NHS says to eat when you feel able to and that avoiding fatty or spicy food may help; it doesn’t prescribe particular foods.
What about sports drinks?
The page we read doesn’t cover sports drinks. It recommends water or squash and oral rehydration from a pharmacy.
For norovirus specifically, the CDC has its own page — symptoms start 12 to 48 hours after exposure; stay home 2 days after they stop (norovirus).
Sources
- NHS — Diarrhoea and vomiting — source (page shows: reviewed 21 December 2023, next review 21 December 2026; checked 13 October 2026). Diarrhoea 5 to 7 days and vomiting 1 to 2, 7 dos and 4 don’ts, oral rehydration, 2 days and 48 hours, 4 reasons to call 111, 10 emergency signs.
- Not read. NHS norovirus page; Korean agency guidance on gastroenteritis.
- What we added. The “worth noting” column.
Where else to check
- A pharmacist — oral rehydration.
Written on 13 October 2026. The content is from the NHS; the glosses are ours.
