When Holiday Leftovers Turn Into a Family Health Crisis

You hosted the holiday gathering. The food was delicious. Everyone had seconds. Some people took leftovers home.

Now it’s three days later and your phone is blowing up:

“Hey, I’ve been throwing up since yesterday…”

“My kids are sick too…”

“Did anyone else get food poisoning from dinner?”

Uh oh.

When One Meal Takes Down Multiple People

Food poisoning doesn’t always happen because food was “old.” Sometimes it happens because:

• Food wasn’t cooked to the right temperature (undercooked poultry, stuffing)
• Food sat out too long (buffet style for 3+ hours)
• Cross-contamination happened (raw meat juice on veggies)
• Someone sick was handling food (norovirus spreads easily)
• Leftovers weren’t refrigerated quickly enough

If multiple people from the same meal get sick, it’s likely something at that dinner was contaminated.

Food Poisoning vs. Stomach Flu

Wait—how do you know it’s food poisoning and not just a stomach bug going around?

FOOD POISONING:

• Symptoms start suddenly (often within hours of eating)
• Everyone who ate the same thing gets sick
• Usually resolves in 24-48 hours

STOMACH FLU (NOROVIRUS):

• Spreads person-to-person over days
• Can be passed even without eating together
• Often includes fever and body aches

Either way? If symptoms are severe, come see us.

When to Seek Urgent Care

For Children:

• 🤢 Vomiting for more than 12 hours
• 💧 Can’t keep any liquids down
• 😴 Extreme lethargy or confusion
• 🚽 No wet diapers in 6+ hours

What We Can Do

At Night Watch, we treat food poisoning in children:

• IV fluids for rapid rehydration
• Anti-nausea and anti-diarrheal medications
• Stool testing to identify the bacteria
• Antibiotics (if bacterial infection is confirmed)
• Guidance on recovery and when to follow up

Prevention Tips for Next Time

• Use a meat thermometer: 165°F for poultry, 145°F for most other meats
• Don’t leave food out: Refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour if it’s hot outside)
• Separate raw and cooked: Use different cutting boards and utensils
• Wash hands thoroughly: Before and after handling food
• When in doubt, throw it out: If it smells off or you can’t remember when you cooked it, toss it