Essay On Diarrhoea

Diarrhoea refers to altered bowel movement following an increased water content, volume and/or frequency of stools. Infectious diarrhoea is usually linked to vomiting, nausea or abdominal cramps.
When foreign bacteria, viruses or parasites enter the body, they cause infectious diarrhoea. Bacterial infections are caused by consuming bacteria, such as, Shigella, Salmonella, Escheria coli (E.coli) and Camylobacter via contaminated food or water. Many viruses such as rotavirus, norovirus and viral hepatitis can cause diarrhoea. Parasites, such as Cryptosporidium, can induce diarrhoea as they enter via food or water and settle in the digestive system. Food intolerances and sensitivities can cause diarrhoea if someone has trouble digesting certain ingredients or ingest excessive amounts of certain types of sugar substitutes. Medicines, such as cancer drugs, antacids containing magnesium and antibiotics can also cause diarrhoea.
Gastroenteritis is a bowel infection which most commonly causes diarrhoea within the community. Gastrointestinal tract infections are caused by the transmission of gastrointestinal pathogens via a fecal- oral route into the gut where they cause systemic disease, such as typhoid or multiply and produce toxins damaging the gastrointestinal tract.
Clostridium difficile is a
Transmission could also be reduced by providing separate room and toilet facilities or placing infected patients together. Staff, patients and visitors should wash their hands with soap water regularly and thoroughly; alcohol hand gel should not be used as this has been proven ineffective against the bacteria. Infected surfaces should also be cleaned thoroughly with water and a cleaning product containing bleach. Doctors are advised to prescribe antibiotics cautiously to reduce the broad- spectrum antibiotics given so that the number of people at risk is