Take care of your children from Gastroenteritis

Take care of your children from  Gastroenteritis

What is gastroenteritis?

Gastroenteritis is a common inflammation of the digestive tract. In children, it is usually caused by viruses, which can be infected both from poor quality, improperly prepared food and after contact with infected items, if the most common principles of hygiene are not followed - washing hands after playing and other activities, after going to the toilet and before eating. As if a trifle - eaten apple bought at the market and not washed, but if you have to suffer from nausea and diarrhea afterwards ...

In children, gastroenteritis is most often caused by viruses (rotavirus, norovirus, astrovirus, enterovirus, sapovirus and others). Gastroenteritis can also be caused by bacteria and parasites, as well as an infected diet with intestinal rods (E.coli), staphylococci or salmonella. Infection occurs through airborne droplets (breathing, talking, coughing or sneezing) or by contact with contaminated objects in the virus, as well as by the introduction of infectious agents into the environment by hand.

The main signs of gastroenteritis:

• Poor appetite

• Nausea,

• vomiting

• liquid stools

• stomach ache,

• headache

• weakness

• fever.

Is the disease dangerous?

With gastroenteritis, children suffer from vomiting and loose stools, which results in rapid fluid loss and is a serious threat to a child's life. Particular attention should be paid to infants who are breastfed, as they are not trained to drink from a bottle. Therefore, at home, it is sometimes not even possible for a small patient to get enough fluids at home, especially if he vomits immediately after drinking, and then it is definitely necessary to seek medical help.

What should parents do?

• Breast-feeding babies - continue breast-feeding for five to 10 minutes every two hours. If vomiting does not recur for eight hours, continue normal breastfeeding;

• A small child should be watered intermittently. One teaspoon (five milliliters) every two minutes. The child should receive 50 to 100 milliliters per kilogram for the first four hours. If vomiting recurs, take a break of 15 to 20 minutes and try watering again in small portions;

• Be careful not to get too much fluid in your child, as this may cause additional discomfort and vomiting.

• If you vomit frequently and are unable to swallow liquid through your mouth, you should seek medical advice.

• Gentle diet - return to an age-appropriate diet within one week of recovery;

• Use of probiotics to restore a normal environment of microorganisms in the gut. Probiotics can be bought in pharmacies without a prescription;

• Adsorbents - reduces the frequency of liquid bowel movements and improves consistency. These products can be bought in pharmacies without a prescription. It should be remembered that the concomitant use of adsorbents with probiotics is not recommended;

• Home mode - sick children are not allowed to attend children's groups.

With patience in most cases, parents can cope with the disease at home and do not need to seek medical attention.

What fluids should be used to water a child?

It is advisable to use specially prepared liquids or powders for reconstitution, which can be purchased at pharmacies.

Recommended:

• boiled water

• still mineral water,

• herbal teas

• home-made solution (one teaspoon of salt, eight teaspoons of sugar, one liter of boiled water).

How to determine if the fluid intake is sufficient?

Whether a child absorbs enough fluid can be determined by monitoring the color of the urine and the frequency of urination. Namely, infrequent amount of fluid in the child's body is indicated by infrequent urination and dark urine color. If the baby is urinating in diapers, the assessment can be made according to the severity of the diapers and the frequency of changes.

What foods would be recommended during illness?

• Boiled mashed potatoes;

• Boiled carrot puree;

• Rice, buckwheat, pasta;

• Sour milk kefir, yogurt;

• Skimmed milk curd;

• Biscuits, lean cookies, cakes;

• Only bananas from the fruit.

Do not give children products high in fat and sugar. No new foods should be given to a sick child.

When should you definitely seek medical attention?

• Newborns / infants up to three months of age and fever above 38 ° C;

• With an infant / child aged three to 36 months and a fever above 39 ° C;

• If your child has a liquid stomach for more than seven days;

• If your baby is progressive jet vomiting before the age of eight weeks;

• If you have blood in your stools;

• If there is melena - black, shiny, unpleasant-smelling liquid or semi-liquid stool;

• If your child has an immunodeficiency or other illness (such as diabetes, malnutrition - malnutrition due to lack of food or loss of appetite and other metabolic diseases) and has signs of gastroenteritis;

• If you have signs of gastroenteritis and failure to swallow mouth by mouth.

How to avoid gastroenteritis?

• Personal hygiene: frequent hand washing. Care must be taken to ensure that children do not put their fingers and various objects in their mouths, especially in public places such as supermarkets;

• Vaccinate your child against rotavirus, which is the leader among all intestinal infections. The vaccination course against rotavirus is started at the age of two months. The vaccination course consists of two vaccines. The vaccine is a drip, which is gently placed in the child's mouth. The vaccine protects against severe forms of the disease and complications.