[Beijing CDC reminds you] What should you do if you have acute diarrhea?

What to do if you have diarrhea

1. Fasting and abstinence from water are not recommended. It is advisable to eat light, easily digestible liquid or semi-liquid food, and gradually transition to a normal diet after the symptoms improve.

2. If the diarrhea is not serious, the symptoms can usually be improved within 2-3 days by adjusting diet, rest, and symptomatic treatment. If the diarrhea is severe, especially if dehydration occurs, you should go to the hospital's intestinal clinic for medical treatment in time.

3. Dehydration is a common complication of diarrhea, which manifests as thirst, less urine, dry and wrinkled skin, and sunken eyes. To prevent dehydration, you should drink more sugar and salt water. Patients who have become dehydrated or are unable to drink water due to severe vomiting need to go to the hospital and take intravenous rehydration and other treatment measures according to the doctor's orders.

4. Many patients use antibiotics as soon as they have diarrhea, which is wrong. Because most diarrhea does not require antibiotic treatment, the abuse of antibiotics may cause the normal intestinal flora to be imbalanced, which is not conducive to the recovery of diarrhea. If you are not sure whether you should use antibiotics, please go to the intestinal clinic for treatment.

5. Patients visiting the intestinal outpatient clinic can use a clean small box or plastic bag to collect fresh stool samples and send them to the hospital for testing in time so that the doctor can provide targeted treatment.

What to do if a family member has acute diarrhea

Since many diarrheal diseases are contagious and non-professionals cannot determine whether a family member's diarrhea is contagious, we recommend that all diarrheal illnesses encountered in life be treated as infectious diseases, especially for families with infants or the elderly, who need to do a good job of daily cleaning and disinfection.

To prevent family transmission, we must first maintain good home hygiene and disinfect the tableware, toilets, bedding and other items used by patients and other items that may be contaminated by the patient's feces and vomit; disinfection measures include boiling, soaking in chlorine-containing disinfectants, exposure to the sun, ultraviolet light, etc.

Secondly, attention should be paid to the personal protection of nursing staff. After caring for the patient, hands should be cleaned with running water and soap according to the seven-step hand washing method.

Finally, if the patient accidentally comes into contact with feces or vomit, he or she should also wash his or her hands carefully to prevent pathogens from contaminating other objects through the hands.

How to avoid acute diarrhea

In many cases, diarrhea can be prevented through simple hygiene and food safety measures, including:

1. Pay attention to drinking water hygiene

High temperature can kill pathogenic microorganisms. Drinking water needs to be boiled before drinking, or you can choose hygienic and qualified barreled water or bottled water.

2. Pay attention to food hygiene

(1) Raw and cooked food should be separated to avoid cross contamination;

(2) Leftover food should be stored in the refrigerator promptly and not for too long. It needs to be heated thoroughly before being consumed again because the low temperature in the refrigerator can only delay the growth of bacteria but cannot sterilize them.

(3) Eat as little food as possible that can easily carry pathogens, such as snails, shellfish, crabs and other aquatic products; if you eat them, cook them thoroughly and steam them thoroughly. Do not eat them raw, half-cooked, soak them in wine, vinegar or salt and then eat them directly;

(4) Various sauces or cooked meat products should be reheated before consumption;

(5) Add some vinegar and garlic to cold dishes.

3. Cultivate good eating and hygiene habits

(1) Pay attention to hand hygiene and wash your hands regularly, especially before meals and after going to the toilet;

(2) Do not overeat, do not eat rotten or spoiled food, make sure raw food is washed thoroughly, and try to reduce the intake of raw and cold food;

(3) Families with pets must ensure good hygiene for their pets and warn children not to feed their pets while they are eating.

4. Minimize contact with patients with diarrhea

Tableware, toilets and bedding used by patients should be disinfected to avoid the spread and epidemic of the disease.

5. Improve immunity

Adjust the diet structure, balance the diet, have proper nutrition, and improve the body's immunity. Strengthen physical exercise, enhance the ability to resist diseases, and pay attention to the combination of work and rest. According to climate changes, add or remove clothes in time to avoid catching a cold.

6. Ventilation

Clothes, bedding and utensils should be washed and changed frequently, and attention should be paid to ventilation of the room to keep the indoor air fresh. Ventilation is an effective way to reduce pathogenic microorganisms.

(The pictures in the article are from the Internet)