According to an inside source, incarcerated rapper T.I., real name Clifford Harris Jr., is not among those inmates sickened by a gastrointestinal bug that’s going around the Arkansas prison where he’s serving a 366-day sentence.
Rumors that T.I was sick spread quickly after it was announced that visits to the federal prison were temporarily suspended until the bug could be contained.
This type of illness occurs frequently inside institutions, schools, college dorms, hospitals, or anywhere that large groups of people congregate.
The illness, known as gastroenteritis or stomach flu, can be caused by food poisoning, parasites, virus or bacteria introduced from the outside — which is why visits to the prison have been temporarily suspended.
Symptoms include:
- Fever
- Headache
- Abdominal pain (cramping)
- Diarrhea
- Nausea, vomiting
- Loss of appetite
- Malaise (weakness)
- Bloody stools
Symptoms usually begin 1-2 days following the introduction of the infection, and may last for up to 10 days. Gastroenteritis is usually not life threatening and some patients recover without treatment. But gastroenteritis can lead to dehydration and death if prolonged diarrhea and vomiting are left untreated.
Treatment includes antibiotics (which are not helpful against a virus), anti-parasitic medications, and medications to relieve symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. In some cases, patients may require hospitalization to replace fluids lost (rehydraton therapy).
This has been your Medical Minute.
Info on the Web:
Gastroenteritis – Web MD
Viral Gastroenteritis – CDC
Gastroenteritis (Stomach Flu) – Medicine Net
