Dysentery in a child: symptoms, treatment and prevention of the disease

Dysentery is an infectious disease caused by Shigella bacteria. These microorganisms are of several types: Shigella Sonne, Flesner and Grigorev-Shiga. The disease affects mainly the large intestine, and general intoxication of the body also occurs.

To prevent this disorder, you should know how dysentery appears in a child. Symptoms of infection, as well as its treatment and prevention, will be discussed in this article.

Dysentery: causes in children

The bacteria that cause this disease are very resistant to various environmental factors. They can live and reproduce for a long time in water, on food products, utensils, and in the soil generally are up to three months. The source of infection for children can be either a patient with dysentery or a carrier of this infection. As soon as the child falls ill, he himself becomes the distributor of this infection. For babies, their mother may be the source of the disease. Dysentery in a child, the symptoms of which will be examined a little later, can be caused by poorly developed hygienic skills, because it is not for nothing that this infection is called a dirty hands disease. Perhaps this is why children are becoming more likely to spread the disease than adults.

Dysentery in a child: symptoms

The disease can have a different form - acute or chronic. The latent (incubation) period lasts from several hours to a week. But most often, the disease manifests itself 2-3 days after infection. The child’s body temperature rises, which can last up to three days, the appearance of vomiting, dizziness, lethargy, headaches and loss of appetite. But the main symptom of the disease is the presence of frequent loose stools, the number of trips to the toilet is from 5-6 times a day. Feces may contain impurities of green mucus and blood streaks. There is aching pain in the abdomen, which is cramping in nature, it can weaken after the child went to the potty.

How to treat dysentery in children

Treatment is usually prescribed, depending on the form of the disease and its severity. To get rid of dysentery was successful and quick, you should follow a special regime and diet, which depends on how old the baby is.

In the first days after the onset of the disease, the amount of food should be reduced. Food must be steamed and finely wiped. Salty, fatty and spicy dishes should be excluded from the diet. With dysentery, rice broth helps well, since it has an enveloping effect. With this disease, the body is very dehydrated, so the child needs a plentiful drink. You can drink the baby with physiological glucose solution, it is also good to use decoctions of berries and vegetables, strong sweet tea with lemon.

Dysentery in children up to a year: how to treat

After very heavy drinking in the form of tea, very young children are given expressed milk, in the absence of it, kefir or acidophilus. All the necessary complementary foods for the baby are replaced with broth or tea. If the baby's health improves, then it can be gradually applied to the chest. If vomiting resumes, then breastfeeding is reduced again. It should be remembered that all medications can be prescribed only by the attending physician. If parents have suspicions that a child has dysentery, the symptoms of which are described above, you should seek medical help as soon as possible. As a preventive measure, a huge role is played by hygiene measures: thorough washing of fruits and vegetables, hands before eating.