Health Guide©

DIARRHEA (Travelers diarrhea)

What you can do:

• Take plenty of fluids (water clear soups, etc). Avoid alcohol, coffee, tea, milk, and fizzy beverages. When an infant has diarrhea, continue breastfeeding. When bottle-feeding, however, dilute cows milk with twice the normal amount of water.
• Take dehydration fluids or salts to replace last electrolytes.
• Continue eating regular meals, but alter your diet to include binding foods (e.g., bananas, rice, toast). Avoid high fat and junk food at least until your bowel movements returns to normal.
• Prolonged diarrhea, especially if accompanied by weight loss, should be investigated thoroughly as soon as possible.
• Consult a doctor if the diarrhea persists for more than a week (two days, in a child) or worsens; if there is dehydration; if there is continues abdominal cramps; or if the stool is black, bloodstained or slimy. Infant's young children and elderly people should be taken to a doctor immediately.

Prevention Tips:

• A big proportion of diarrhea is due to unsafe food preparation and handling practices. The following are guidelines from the World Health Organization on safe food preparation:

1. Choose foods processed for safety (e.g., pasteurized or fresh milk).
2. Cook food thoughroughly.
3. Eat cooked foods immediately.
4. Store cooked foods carefully; foods for infants should be preferably not being stored at all.
5. Reheat cooked foods thoughroughly.
6. Avoid contact between uncooked and cooked foods.
7. Wash hands repeatedly.
8. Keep all kitchen surfaces meticulously clean.
9. Protect foods from insects, rodents and other animals.
10. Use safe water.

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