Health Expert Gives Tips on How to Avoid Diarrhea During Rainy Season

A local health official here reminds the public especially parents on how to avoid diarrhea, a common illness among children during rainy season.

Dr. La Paz Peredo, provincial health officer in Ilocos Sur, said that diarrhea can cause dehydration thus, parents must be responsible enough to ensure that the food and drinks they give their children are safe and clean.

“Diarrhea is caused by virus, bacteria or parasite from infected food or water,” Peredo said.

Among the tips Peredo advises parents on how to prevent and/or cure diarrhea are the following:

• When infants and children are stricken with diarrhea, they must be given oral rehydration solution and must be given healthy food while for infants, parents must continue to breastfeed them.
• Before drinking water from wells or unfiltered water sources, parents or family members should boil the water for safety.
• Parents must also teach their children to be careful with their food intake.
• Children must also be taught to wash their hands with soap and water for at least 10 minutes after playing, before eating or drinking, after using the toilet or after handling dirty things or animals; and
• Mothers are also encouraged to breastfeed their babies for six months until two years to prevent diarrhea and other diseases.

“Diarrhea, when it occurs many times in children, may lead to malnutrition, stunted growth and poor intellectual development so,” Peredo added.  (JNPD/ICR/PIA Ilocos Sur)