Diarrhea - Seemingly harmless, but could be deadly!

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Since the beginning of 2015, we have had parents come into the pharmacy to complain of their children, mostly less than two years, coming down with diarrhea (pass loose/watery stools 4 or more times in one day).

Diarrhea may seem harmless but sometimes it leads to dehydration (loss of body fluids) which could be deadly, especially in children less than two years.

Every parent should not take diarrhea episodes lightly. It is important that you rehydrate your child (oral rehydration salts are available at Rafar Pharmacy or your local pharmacy) and also give the child zinc (which helps reduce the duration of the diarrhea episode and might protect against future episodes).

It is important you take the child to see a doctor if:
1. The diarrhea lasts for more than 24 hours.
2. There is blood or mucus in the stool.
3. There is a fever (temperature is above 37.5 degrees)
4. The child is dehydrated - see how to know if your child is dehydrated below.

Dark colored urine
Dry mouth and tongue
No tears when crying
No wet diapers for 3 hours or more
Sunken abdomen, eyes, or cheeks
High fever
Irritability
Skin that does not flatten when pinched and released.

Please note that practicing proper hand washing is one major way of reducing chances of diarrhea.

You could also enquire about the vaccine for infants against viral diarrhea

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