Gastroenteritis Health Article

Parental concerns

Parents should reinforce with the child that gastroenteritis is not a serious condition and that symptoms usually subside in a few days. It is most important to prevent dehydration by following the recommendations listed previously. Parents should assure that the child gets adequate rest; the child should be kept home from school or day care until the symptoms have cleared. The child may be contagious before the onset of diarrhea and a few days after the diarrhea has ended. To prevent the spread of infection among family members, soiled clothing or bedding should be washed in hot water immediately, hands must be washed frequently, there should be no sharing of utensils or cups used by the child, and toys and bathroom surfaces should be cleaned with a chlorine-based cleaner.

See also Food poisoning.

PERIODICALS

DeWit, Matty A.S., et. al. "Risk Factors for Nororvirus, Sappporo-like Virus, and Group A Rotavirus Gastroenteritis." Emerging Infectious Diseases 9, no. 12 (December, 2003): 1563–70. Available online at: <www.cdc.gov/eid>.

ORGANIZATIONS

American College of Gastroenterology (ACG). P.O. Box 3099, Alexandria, VA 22302. (703) 820-7400. Web site: <www.acg.gi.org/patientinfo>.

American Gastroenterological Association. 4930 Del Ray Ave., Bethesda, MD 20814. (301) 654-2055. Patient Information Resources. Web site: <www.gastro.org/generalPublic.html>.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 1600 Clifton Rd., Atlanta, GA 30333. (800) 311-3435 or (404) 639-3534. Web site: <www.cdc.gov>.

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). 2 Information Way, Bethesda, MD 20892-3570. (800) 891-5389. Web site: <www.niddk.nih.gov>.

WEB SITES

"Gastroenteritis." September 24, 2003. Mayo Clinic. Available online at: <www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?id=DS00085>.

"Gastrointestinal Infections and Diarrhea." KidsHealth. Nemours Foundation, February 2002. Available online at: <www.kidshealth.org/PageManager.jsp?dn=KidsHealth&lic=1&os=107&cat_id=137&article_id=22887>.

"Viral Gastroenteritis." [cited August 20, 2001]. Centers for Disease Control. Available online at: <www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/revb/gastro/faq.htm>.

Julia Barrett Angela M. Costello