Why Children Are The Most Vulnerable to Diarrhea
Though diarrhea is common across all age groups, it is more pronounced in very young people. In fact, children under the age of five are the worst hit, and as alarming as it may
sound, it is often fatal. Malnutrition and dehydration further add to the woes, since children suffering from malnutrition or impaired immunity are more susceptible to life-threatening diarrhea.
ORS Powder for Bab
Going by the reports of WHO, children under three years in developing countries on an average experience three episodes of diarrhea every year, each of them depriving the child of the nutrition that is vital for growth. This leads to a vicious cycle, wherein diarrhea has emerged to be a major cause of malnutrition, while malnourished children are more prone to have diarrhea. To put it in simple terms, diarrhea is an infection of the intestinal tract, which is characterized by loose or watery stool or a more frequent need to have a bowel movement as compared to what is normal. It is usually caused by a variety of bacterial, vial and parasitic organisms.
More often than not, diarrhea episodes last less than one week and sometimes go away without any treatment. If it persists for more than 14 days, it is termed as chronic or
persistent diarrhea. It should be treated seriously, as the affected individual loses water and salt from their body which are necessary for survival. In fact, most deaths from diarrhea occur due to severe dehydration and fluid loss. No wonder there is an array of diarrhea medicines for kids available.
The infection is mostly spread through contaminated food or drinking water which is usually a consequence of poor sanitation. Food poisoning can cause diarrhea which in its acute form will last for about a couple of days. This is likely to happen if you consume undercooked meals or unclean salads and vegetables. There is also a condition referred to as traveler’s diarrhea, which is common amongst people travelling from resource-rich regions to poorer countries. The typical symptoms of diarrhea include, nausea, vomiting,
abdominal pain, cramping, fever, etc.
Diarrhea can be treated mostly be rehydration, which means to replace the water and salts (electrolytes) lost with oral rehydration salts (ORS) solution and zinc supplements.
Young children should be given a nutrition-rich diet, including breast milk for infants. Alongside, it is also imperative to consult a health professional, especially if it’s a case of
persistent diarrhea, or if the stool contains blood (dysentery). The medical practitioner may recommend ORS powder for baby.
It is, however, heartening to note that diarrhea can be prevented by following some homely remedies. Access to safe drinking water, improved sanitation, washing hands with soap, adopting personal and food hygiene measures, generating awareness about the spread of infections, exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, and administering rotavirus vaccination or children’s diarrhea medicine to very young children are some of the major steps to be taken in that direction.
