I've had what I thought was food poisoning more than once. Only once did it last more than a day. That time I was vomiting and had diarrhea. Was in bed for 2-3 days because I felt so bad. I knew what I'd eaten and once I started with the stomach cramps I realized that I shouldn't have eaten it.
My daughter had food poisoning when she was 8 or 9. She ate a taco salad that had been in the hot car all day. I told her to not eat it but she does have a mind of her own. She's very careful about food that's sat out or been in the frig for any length of time. She also was vomiting and had diarrhea but she was fine, perhaps a bit weak by the next day.
Everyone in my immediate family has had stomach cramps and diarrhea recently. My daughter still has the cramps and it's been 2-3 weeks. She went to the dr because it's hanging on for so long. The dr said that there is a virus going around now and he thought that was the cause. I know several people who have had the same thing.
I think the incubation period is around 1 week. That means if he has stomach flu it'll probably be a week before anyone else gets sick. It is possible that even if he's sick with the flu that no one else will get it.
Please just relax and not focus on it. Stress and worry causes the immune system to not work as well as it's needed to work. I didn't get the flu until I'd been short on sleep for a few days. I had been taking care of my sick grandchildren off and on for 2 weeks.
If no one else in the office is sick, except his buddy, I think it's most likely to be food poisoning. Did they eat in a restaurant? If so you could check with the restaurant to see if anyone else has called. It's caused by eating contaminated food. Protein based foods may become contaminated if left out of refrigeration for more than an hour or two. Some poisonings are the result of improperly handled raw ingredients, such as raw eggs, meat, poultry, eggs. Every once in awhile restaurants have been shut down because the "poison" was in the salad bar. The "Poison" is neither a bacteria or a virus. They're in a category all their own.
I suggest you look up "food poisoning" on a search engine. It is important to know how to avoid getting it, how to handle food.
If you are concerned about getting a stomach flu
virus you could call your dr and ask if it will have a negative affect on your baby. It would be good for the kids to get a mild case of the virus because that is the way that they build up immunity.
One of the reasons we have so many viruses now is the result of people "protecting" themselves and their children from germs. My generation of kids playing in the dirt, had a bath once a week. We were exposed to germs all of the time and built up immunities without getting so sick. We also didn't have antibacterial soaps, wipes, etc. and I think that we were healthier as a result. Also caused by using antibiotics for a virus or minor illnesses and our body builds up an immunity to the antibiotic. Antibiotics only work on bacteria.
My daughter's sister is a "germ freak" and her kids are sick all the time. My daughter's kids are less sick less often. She's more casual about the possibility of germs.
This may be more than you want to know. I hope it helps and doesn't make you more paranoid. You have enough to take care of without worry over possible illnesses.
