Having small children, who about to attend to a school regularly, as a parent you should know about acute diarrhea. however, before going through that topic, a disease, causing Thai children gastroenteritis and diarrhea are
usually occurred by the gastrointestinal tract infection from Rotavirus, Norovirus or Enterotoxogenic Escherichia coli, Salmonella, etc. For that reason, this era parents should beware of norovirus-acute diarrhea in your children accordingly.
In this article has explained about the disease, approved by the Pediatric, specializing in Gastroenterology and Liver disease at Children’s Health Center, Phyathai 3 Hospital
Where the Norovirus located
This virus has the old name known as “Norwalk-like virus”, the leading cause of diarrhea for worldwide. This virus will enter to the body via the oral cavity by eating. Or drinking water contaminated with infection and contacted with contaminated areas: a spoon, plate or fingers. Due to spreading it can only cause gastritis and colitis. However, children will be having vomiting or diarrhea after being infected in 24-48 hours and resulting in severe dehydration. Therefore, hospitalization is required.
Symptoms
– Severe nausea and vomiting.
– Diarrhea
– Abdominal pain; for physical examination, a specific area of the pain usually not being found.
– A low fever; Some may have a high fever at 38 to 39 degrees Celsius.
– A headache, fatigue and body aches.
Dangerous symptoms
1. Watery stools from diarrhea along with vomiting, being unable to intake food and leading to severe dehydration.
2. Bleeding during defecation with a high fever.
3. Watery stool or blood in the stool. There is a risk of infection in the bloodstream, including urine obstruction, restlessness, an unstable heart rhyme and having feet-hand- cold.
4. Having abdominal pain while pressing on the stomach, also vomiting with bile. In this case, these diseases: appendicitis, intussusception and bowel obstruction, should be considered during detection.
These symptoms indicate that the child has severe symptoms such as dehydration. Besides consideration for other diseases and surgical procedure could be involved, including the cause of surgery, examined by a doctor or by an additional laboratory test and emergency treatment.
Diagnosis: Laboratory Examination by detecting a Norovirus in the stool, not a bacterial culture. However, still this procedure is not used in many hospitals.
Treatment: At the present, a specific medicine that help eliminating this virus is unavaliable. Accordingly, the treatment must be provided as palliative care. And most of the symptoms will be healed in 3-7 days.
Mild symptoms
1. Oral rehydration salt or ORS providing; sip drinking is required often in case of a patient having mild dehydration. However, the ORS is required for 30 – 90 ml per 1 kg according to body weight, also drinking little by little at least for 3 – 4 hours in order to compensate for a loss of water and minerals within the body.
given to drink at least 3 – 4 hours in order to compensate for loss of water and minerals. And to prevent dehydration and mineral deficiency is to drink 10 ml of ORS referred to 1 kg of the body weight, everytime a patient has vomiting or diarrhea.
2. Do not intake too much of soft or bland, but often.
3. Medicine providing based on symptoms such as vomiting, or abdominal pain.
4. No antibiotics except in case of severe bacterial infections, for example, patients whose ages are younger than 6 months infected with nontyphoidal salmonella and those patients with impaired immunity.
For severe cases and dehydration
– In cases of these symptoms: vomiting, severe diarrhea, eating disorder and dehydration, may cause a danger due to dehydration and mineral deficiency. Including low blood pressure and shock.However, for this case considered to send a patient to a hospital and receives intravenous catheterization with saline with a medical treatment based on symptoms closely.
Patients who risk of dehydration and require a special care :
1. Patients whose ages are less than 6 months, including small kids young and elderly.
2. People with various chronic diseases.
3. Severe symptoms; more than 4 times a day of vomiting and more than 8 times a day of defecation.
Protection
– However, there is no vaccine for this case.
– Taking care of your hygienic, having cooked food, using a serving spoon including handwashing to reduce the infection and transmission of this disease.
