Gastroenteritis Definition Cause Symptoms Treatment Prevention And Vaccination

Definition:
Gastroenteritis is a medical condition characterized by inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract that involves both the stomach and the small intestine.

Causes:

Gastroenteritis has many causes. Viruses and bacteria are the most common.Gastroenteritis caused by viruses may last 1-2 days. On the other hand, bacterial cases can last a week or more.

Bacteria: These are the most common bacterial causes:

• Escherichia coli - Traveler’s diarrhea, food poisoning, dysentery, colitis, or uremic syndrome.
• Salmonella - Typhoid fever; handling poultry or reptiles such as turtles that carry the germs.
• Campylobacter - Undercooked meat, unpasteurized milk.
• Shigella - Dysentery

Viruses: Viral outbreaks (30-40% of cases in children) can spread rapidly through close contact among children in day care and schools. Poor handwashing habits can spread viruses. Common viral causes include the following:

• Adenoviruses
• Rotaviruses
• Caliciviruses
• Astroviruses
• Norovirus 

Parasites and protozoans: These tiny organisms are less frequently responsible for intestinal irritation.May pick up one of these by drinking contaminated water. Swimming pools are common places to come in contact with these parasites. Common parasites include these:

• Giardia - The most frequent cause of waterborne diarrhea causing giardiasis.
• Cryptosporidium - Affects mostly people with weakened immune systems, causes watery diarrhea

Other common causes: Chemical toxins most often found in seafood, food allergies, heavy metals, antibiotics, and other medications also may be responsible for bouts of gastroenteritis that are not infectious to others.

Medications:

• Aspirin
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines (such as Motrin or Advil)
• Antibiotics
• Caffeine
• Steroids - Excessive use or a sudden change in frequency or dosage
• Laxatives

Symptoms:

• Abdominal gas, bloating or belching
• Abdominal pain or cramps
• Blood-streaked stools
• Flu-like symptoms (fatigue, fever, sore throat, headache, cough, aches and pains)
• Nausea, which may be described as feelings of wooziness, queasiness, retching, sea-sickness, car-sickness, or an upset stomach
• Vomiting including multiple episodes
• Watery diarrhea including multiple episodes
• Weakness

Treatment:

Treatment generally involves a multifaceted plan that addresses the cause; minimizes the discomfort of nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea; and decreases the risk of dehydration.

• Not eating solid foods to rest the stomach and intestines until symptoms have passed.

• Drinking plenty of fluids (water or rehydrating fluid, such as Pedialyte) to ensure adequate hydration.

• In some cases, medications are used to treat gastroenteritis. Antibiotics may be prescribed when gastroenteritis is caused by a bacterial infection, such as in bacterial food poisoning due to Shigella,Salmonella, or Campylobacter infection.

Treatment of severe gastroenteritis that does not resolve or leads to dehydration may require hospitalization and rehydration with intravenous fluids.

Prevention:

• A supply of easily accessible uncontaminated water and good sanitation practices are important for reducing rates of infection and clinically significant gastroenteritis.

• Personal measures (such as hand washing) have been found to decrease incidence and prevalence rates of gastroenteritis in both the developing and developed world by as much as 30%. Alcohol-based gels may also be effective.

• Breastfeeding is important, especially in places with poor hygiene, as is improvement of hygiene generally.

• Breast milk reduces both the frequency of infections and their duration.

• Avoiding contaminated food or drink should also be effective.

Vaccination:

Due to both its effectiveness and safety, in 2009 the World Health Organization recommended that the rotavirus vaccine be offered to all children globally Two commercial rotavirus vaccines exist and several more are in development. In Africa and Asia these vaccines reduced severe disease among infants and countries that have put in place national immunization programs have seen a decline in the rates and severity of disease.This vaccine may also prevent illness in non-vaccinated children by reducing the number of circulating infections.Since 2000, the implementation of a rotavirus vaccination program in the United States has substantially decreased the number of cases of diarrhea by as much as 80 percent. The first dose of vaccine should be given to infants between 6 and 15 weeks of age.The oral cholera vaccine has been found to be 50–60% effective over 2 years.

Personal Hygiene Definition And Maintaining Of Good Health

Definition Of  Personal Hygiene :

Personal hygiene may be described as the principle of maintaining cleanliness and grooming of the external body.Personal hygiene is the first step to good grooming and good health. Elementary cleanliness is common knowledge. Neglect causes problems that you may not even be aware of.. Some problems may not be your fault at all, but improving standards of hygiene will control these conditions., good looks are the result of careful and continuous grooming.

Maintaining Of  Good Health:

The food we eat, the way we keep our body clean, physical exercises and safe sexual relationship, all these play a greater role in maintaining good health of the body. Many diseases are developed due to lack of cleanliness. Parasites, worms, scabies, sores, tooth decay, diarrhea and dysentery are caused due to lack of personal hygiene. All these diseases can be prevented by practicing cleanliness.

Cleaning the Head

 Head bath to be taken once or twice in a week with shampoo or any other cleansing agent.

Cleaning Eyes, Ears and Nose

• Wash your eyes with clean water every day.
• Wax get formed in ears and block the air way. This causes pain. Hence clean the ears once a week with cotton buds .
• Nose secretions get dried and forms a crest which block the nose. Hence clean the nose whenever needed. When children have cold and running nose clean the nose with soft cloth.

Cleaning the Mouth

• Soft tooth powder and paste are good for brushing the teeth. Brush twice a day - morning, as soon as you get up from the bed and at night before going to bed.Coal powder, salt, rough tooth powder, etc when used for brushing lead to scratches in the outer layer of the teeth. 
• Wash your mouth with clean water after eating any food item. This prevents food particles settling between the teeth which produces bad smell, spoil the gums and leads to tooth decay .
• Take nutritious diet. Eat less of food items like sweets, chocolates, ice creams and cakes.
• When you see signs of tooth decay consult the dentist immediately 
• Regular and proper brushing methods help you prevent tartar settling on the teeth. Consult the dentist for regular cleaning of your teeth.

Skin Care 

• Skin covers the whole body, protects organs of the body and helps to maintain the body temperature. 
• Skin helps to bring out the body's dirt through sweat. In a defective skin, the sweat glands gets blocked and as a result sores, boils and acne develop . 
• Take bath every day using soap and clean water to keep your skin clean

Washing Hands

• We perform all the activities such as eating food, cleaning after passing motion, cleaning the nose, removing cow dung etc. with our hands. During these activities, many disease causing germs remain under the nails and over the skin. Washing the hands (above the wrist, in between the fingers and nails) with soap after completion of the activity and especially before cooking and eating food helps to prevent many diseases.
• Cut your nails regularly. Avoid biting nails and nose picking.
• Children play in the mud. Teach them to practice washing hands before eating.
• Avoid contact with blood, feces, urine and vommit Cleanliness during Urination and Defecation. 
• After passing stools and urine, wash the parts with clean water from front to back and keep the parts clean. Do not forget to wash your hands with soap.
• Keep the toilets, bathrooms and surroundings clean. Avoid open air defecation.

Cleanliness of the reproductive organs

Both men and women are to keep their reproductive organs always clean.

• Women, during menstruation should use clean, soft cloth or sanitary napkins. Change the napkins atleast twice a day. 
• Women who have white discharge with bad smell should consult a doctor immediately
• After passing stools and urination wash the parts with clean water
• Consult the doctor immediately if you notice any infection of the reproductive tract.
• Use condomes for safe sex.
• Clean the reproductive parts before and after the sexual activity

Food and cooking hygiene 

• Practice hygiene during cooking to prevent food contamination, food poisoning and transmission of disease.
• Keep the cooking area and vessels clean
• Avoid eating rotten or infected food material
• Wash your hands before cooking and serving the food
• Wash the food items such as vegetables thoroughly before use 
• Store the food items properly
• Check the labels of food items while purchasing to know the 'Best before' date
• Dispose the kitchen waste properly

Medical hygiene 

• Take care of wounds by dressing them using proper bandage
• Look for the expiry date while purchasing medicines
• Safe disposal of unwanted medicines
• Do not take medicines without a doctor's prescription.

Source : Healthy villages - A guide for communities and community health workers, by World Health Organisation.