Running tummies – Holding their horses

Back in my childhood days when I was about 7, I remember seeing my 2-year-old cousin very weak and fragile after an entire night’s bout of diarrhoea. My mother fed her a salt and sugar solution, which I later learnt was for hydration. For a long time, I never witnessed any other incident of a child suffering from diarrhoea, and actually thought it was a thing of the past.

How ignorant of me, because in 2009, World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF released a report citing diarrhoea as the second most fatal condition among children under five years, more harmful than AIDS, malaria and measles combined. Tragic, isn’t it?

What it is
Diarrhoea is a common symptom of a tummy infection caused by bacteria, viruses or protozoa. These organisms all have the same cycle of infection i.e. one’s stool taken into the mouth of another, commonly referred to as faecal-oral transmission. Children are more vulnerable to contacting diarrhoea when they are exposed to poor nutrition, inadequate health care and poor environmental conditions. Acute diarrhoea, which is the most common in children, may be as a result of the Rotavirus responsible for almost 40 per cent of all diarrhoea- related hospital admissions. In most cases, diarrhoea stops within several days. The problem is that it exposes your child to the risk of dehydration. This can be highly dangerous unless fluids are quickly replenished. Acute diarrhoea may be in the
following forms:

Acute watery diarrhoea – characteristic of cholera and is associated with Significant fluid loss.
Bloody diarrhoea – marked by visible blood in stool. A child may suffer intestinal damages and nutrients loss.
Persistent/chronic diarrhoea- lasts about 14 days or more

Causes
As highlighted above, diarrhoea is caused by bacteria, viruses and protozoa that result in infection of the gut, also known as gastroenteritis.

This virus is easily spread from person to person through:

• Contact, or when an infected person prepares food for others.
• Food poisoning caused by bacterial infections.
• Bacteria contaminated water.
• General poor hygiene when handling a child

Symptoms

• Feeling and looking generally ill and dehydrated.
• A child may writhe, curl and stretch due to abdominal pain.
• Jaundice and poor urinary output
• Frequent vomiting
• Blood in stool
• Watery and frequent stool
• Fever accompanied by cold hands and feet
• Drowsiness

Seek medical advice if your baby shows the above symptoms

Preventing diarrhoea
According to the WHO/UNICEF report titled Diarrhoea: Why children are still dying and what can be done, access to clean water and good hygiene are extremely effective in preventing childhood diarrhoea.

Hygiene: Always wash your hands preferably with liquid soap under running water after changing your baby’s nappies and before preparing, serving and eating food. Also, dry your hands properly with a clean towel after washing them.
Adequate nutrition: The overall health and nutrition of your baby is also very critical to his susceptibility to diarrhoea. If your baby is malnourished, he may be at a higher risk of suffering diarrhoea more frequently. It is therefore important that you ensure your baby is furnished with recommended nutrients to boost his immunity right from birth.
Breastfeeding: Breast-feeding is said to be protective because breast milk contains the nutrients, antioxidants, hormones and antibodies needed by a baby to survive and develop. If you breastfeed your baby exclusively, you prevent him from developing infectious diarrhoea.                                   Immunization: Will prevent your child from infection that causes diarrhoea directly such as the Rotavirus.

Treatment
Diarrhoea may be treated using fluid replacement therapy. This is done by oral re-hydration therapy or intravenously if the diarrhoea is is severe to prevent dehydration. You will often not need to give your child medication.

Encourage your child to take plenty of fluid to replace those lost during diarrhoea and vomiting. Your doctor may also advise you to use over-the-counter re-hydration drinks. They provide a perfect balance of water, salt and sugar. Be cautious when making your own mixture of salt, sugar and water so that you use the right quantities. Your doctor should advise you on the right quantities depending on the weight and age of the baby.

If your child vomits, give him fluids at intervals of about 5 to 10 minutes. Some parents use syringes to give this solution especially when their babies are still too small to drink from a spoon or cup.

Continue breastfeeding your baby as normal.

END: BL 34 /15