Prevention
- Wash your hands often, especially after going to the bathroom and before eating.
- Teach children to not put objects in their mouth.
- When taking antibiotics, try eating food with Lactobacillus acidophilus, a healthy bacteria. This helps replenish the good bacteria that antibiotics can kill. Yogurt with active or live cultures is a good source of this good bacteria.
- Use alcohol-based hand gel frequently.
When traveling to underdeveloped areas, follow the steps below to avoid diarrhea:
- Drink only bottled water and DO NOT use ice.
- DO NOT eat uncooked vegetables or fruit that do not have peels.
- DO NOT eat raw shellfish or undercooked meat.
- DO NOT consume dairy products.
References
Yates J. Traveler's diarrhea. Am Fam Physician. 2005; 71(11): 2095-2100.
Guerrant RL. Practice guidelines for the management of infectious diarrhea. Clin Infect Dis. 2001; 32(3): 331-351.
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