Health officials are warning Dominicans that there is an increase in gastroenteritis on the island.
In a release the ministry of health said gastroenteritis is a condition that causes irritation and inflammation of the stomach and intestines. It is caused by eating or drinking food or water which is contaminated by bacteria or a virus.
Lack of or improper hand washing, especially after using the toilet or handling of dirty diapers causes the spread of gastroenteritis from one person to another.
Symptoms of Gastroenteritis are: vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, upset stomach and stomach cramps.
Gastroenteritis can be prevented by following these simple steps:
– Always wash hands with soap and water after using the toilet, changing diapers, and before handling or preparing food
– If no water is available clean hands with an alcohol based hand sanitizer
– Keep foods at the correct temperature ( cold foods should be kept cold and hot foods kept hot)
– If you or a family member are experiencing symptoms of Gastroenteritis:
– Drink lots of water or fluids
– Give children Oral Rehydration fluids as directed by your health care provider
This condition is preventable and can be easily treated.
However to avoid complications of gastroenteritis seek medical care if symptoms continue or get worse.
You may take a small amount of stool in a clean wide screw cap container to your health centre or doctor, the health officials said.
I wonder what percentage of responsibility dowasco is taking in this situation since majority of patients suffering or who has suffered from this illness claim to have gotten it from drinking contaminated tap water.
Thanks for the information. We should all take heed.
Wise and practical health advice. This is also where especially the health nurse for each area comes in, to provide relevant education to those under their jurisdiction.
Gastroenteritis usually affects babies and slightly older children. Through the years, some of them have died from it. Parents take note and beware.
Certain foods and fruits should not be eaten at the same time. Try not to ingest cold drinks when the body is hot. This have been known to kill some adults.
Overall observance and practice of general hygiene is important to prevent this illness. Precaution and prevention are better than cure. The latter could be costly.
I want to say thanks to the ministry of health for informing the general public to take precaution. I am also happy top comment on the subject. Dominicans are roro people. there is no politics so they won’t comment. thanks for the post DNO.
Ok. This may not be related but in june when i came home got a bad case of diarrhoea and noticed after i drank water from pipe,
recently we heard cases of unexplained fish kill on our rivers. Anyone knows if ministry of health/ environment or forestry ever found out the cause and what was done to prevent. DNO CAN YOU PLEASE FIND OUT AND REPORT TO US.
Now this. Are we just going to hear there is a problem and nothing about the cause so we can better understand an prevent such events.
Hope we see a followup story
It’s all in the Chinese food, as well as the KFC seasonings. Go back to the local provision and squash. Some folks in DA weigh as much as 500 lbs.
I could not have said it better!!!