Summertime is associated with a higher frequency of cases of gastroenteritis that manifests itself in vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever and an unsatisfactory general state. Contacted by IPN, epidemiologist of the Public Health Center Zinaida Covric said the children suffer from this disease most often.
The children aged 0 and 17, especially those of the 0-2 bracket, are the most exposed. “The children are more vulnerable because their immunity is lower than in adults. Also, their alimentation can include products that are inappropriate for age, such as yogurts, cakes, smoked goods and other foods that are digested by the body with difficulty,” said Zinaida Covric.
Gastroenteritis, also known as infectious diarrhea, is inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract that involves the stomach and small intestine. It is unrelated to influenza though it has been called the “stomach flu”. Gastroenteritis can be due to infections by viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungus.
In over 60% of the cases, the parents take the children to a doctor too late and these can thus develop complications.
The doctor recommends the mothers or persons who look after children, especially of an early age, to use only fresh and thermally processed products and products kept in the fridge in their alimentation, to follow the personal hygiene rules, to wash well the fruit and vegetables before eating these.
More than 5,000 cases of acute gastroenteritis are annually recorded in Chisinau municipality, mainly in summer. In the first six months of this year, the number of cases of acute gastroenteritis increased 1.4 times compared with the corresponding period last year.
