Prevention of Diarrhea

Diarrhea is the frequent passage of loose, watery, soft stools with or without abdominal bloating, pressure, and cramps commonly referred to as gas. Diarrhea can come on suddenly, run its course, and be helped with home care to prevent complications like dehydration.


Prevention of Diarrhea:

Many cases of diarrhea are spread from person to person. The following precautions can help an individual avoid diarrhea and other viral or bacterial infection:

• Wash your hands before and after preparing food. In addition, wash your hands after handling uncooked meat, using toilet, changing diapers, sneezing, coughing and blowing your nose. 

• After putting soap on your hands, rub your hands together for at least 20 seconds. 

• Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer when you can not get to a sink.  Apply the hand sanitizer as you would hand lotion, making sure to completely cover  the fronts and backs of both hands. Use a product that contains at least 60 percent alcohol.

Practice safe food-handling. Always wash hands before and after handling food.

• Use care when preparing raw poultry or meat. Food should be cooked to the recommended temperatures. Avoid raw or rare meat and poultry. Utensils coming in contact with raw food should be cleaned in soap and hot water. 
• Fruits and vegetables consumed raw should be thoroughly rinsed in clean water. 
• Unpasteurized(raw) milk may be contaminated with bacteria and should be avoided. Unpasteurized fruit juice or cider should generally be avoided even if the source is not known because the fruit may have come in contact with contaminated animal feces in the orchard.

Diarrhea commonly affects people who travel to countries where inadequate sanitation and contaminated food and water encountered. To reduce your risk:

• Eat hot, well-cooked foods. Avoid raw fruits and vegetables unless you can peel them yourself. 
• If you are traveling to a developing country for an extend period of time, ask your doctor about starting antibiotics before you leave on your trip. In certain cases, this may reduce the risk that you will develop traveler's diarrhea.

If we are conscious about diarrhea and know how to prevent diarrhea, then we must be away from diarrhea.