Simple strategies on preventing Giardiasis Infection.
Hi friends welcome to my page today, I am more than excited to gain lots of knowledge from the content I have read in this community, contributing my own quota of knowledge to the community as well is a privilege I do not take for granted. Today I will be writing today about Giardia Infection. Giardiasis infection is an intestinal infection often characterized by stomach cramps, nausea, bloating, and watery diarrhea. The infection is a microscopic parasite found worldwide, it is more common in regions characterized by unsafe water and improper sanitation.
Giardiasis infection is characterized as one of the common causes of waterborne diseases in the United States, parasites causing the disease are found in backcountry streams and lakes, public water systems, swimming pools, wells, and whirlpool spas, it can spread as well through food and from one human to another. While Giardiasis infections could clear up on their own after a few weeks, they could also result in intestinal problems, even long after the parasite has gone.
Source
Basically, giardiasis as an infection, affects the small intestine, it is caused by a microscopic parasite known as Giardia lambila, this infection spreads through contact with those who have the infection, it can also be gotten through the consumption of contaminated water or food, pet cats and dog can also contact giardia frequently. However, contracting giardiasis through food is less common as the parasite would most likely die during the period of cooking, but poor hygiene in food production and consumption would make the parasite spread. Giardiasis can be spread even through sexual intercourse or picking up a parasite while changing a child's diaper or working in a daycare.
The Symptoms of Giardiasis.
A good way to survive an infection is to quickly identify the symptoms, go for an appropriate test and begin treatment instantly, the symptoms of Giardiasis are;
Fatigue: An overall feeling of tiredness or absence of energy, you have no energy or motivation, it is not the same thing as feeling sleepy or feeling drowsy.
Nausea: A type of stomach discomfort coming with a sensation to vomit, it could be a precursor to vomiting the contents in your stomach, and in some cases, vomiting never happens after that.
Diarrhea: The experience of loose, watery stool with an urgent sense of multiple bowel movements, diarrhea could either be chronic or acute. Acute diarrhea lasts for usually 1-2 days while chronic diarrhea goes as far as 3-4 weeks.
Loss of appetite: A reduced urge to eat, the medical term for this is anorexia, there are several conditions that could make you lose appetite.
Vomiting: An actual forceful discharge of stomach contents.
Abdominal bloating: The feeling of being full, tight, and swollen towards the abdominal region.
Unexplained weight loss: That period when you cannot explain the exact reason why you seem to be losing weight, you are not dieting or getting engaged in any form of physical activity.
Source
Excessively passing gas: Some people call it farting, passing wind. Passing gas is a normal procedure that happens when gas is collected inside the digestive system, but there may be a problem when it gets excessive.
Headache: Banging/discomfort in the head, headaches may come with other symptoms like; sensitivity to light, sound, and others.
Stomach pain is basically abdominal discomfort, the discomfort could be crampy, dull, achy, or sharp.
Giardiasis is diagnosed through the submission of stool samples for testing, the technician will check for the presence of giardia parasites during the course of the test, the patient may need to submit more stool samples.
An enteroscopy can also be carried out, this process would require a flexible tube to be passed down the throat into the small intestine, making it possible for the doctor to take out tissue samples from the digestive tract.
While anyone can actually pick up the giardia parasite, there are people who stand a higher chance of getting the infection, we have;
Children have more of the infection than adults, this is because children are likely to come in contact with feces or play with dirty water, especially children in underdeveloped regions or who do not have an assigned nanny.
Children or adults who are exposed to unsafe drinking water, or who eat and drink basically anything, you need to be really careful when they travel to those areas where giardia infection is common.
People who have anal sex or oral-anal sex without protection, stand a higher chance of having giardia infection.
In most cases, giardiasis would get cleared up on its own, but the doctor may also prescribe some medications especially if the infection begins to stay overtime, but most doctors wouldn't even wait for the infection to get cleared up on its own, they would recommend antiparasitic drugs for the treatment. There may also be complications, especially when the infection is found in children and infants, the most common complications are; dehydration, lactose intolerance, and malnutrition which can affect children's physical and mental health development.
I always believe it is best to prevent something from happening (if you can), then look for the solution, if you had prevented it in the first place, you will save yourself the stress of finding a solution, let's check out the available prevention techniques that will help reduce the chances of catching a giardiasis infection.
Constantly wash your hands: Regular hand washing is the best way to save ourselves from different types of infection. Constantly wash your hands with water and soap especially after changing diapers and using the toilet, also before preparing food, wash your hands adequately.
As much as you can, try not to drink any form of untreated water, especially water from lakes, springs, rivers, shallow wells, and ponds.
Always wash raw fruits and vegetables with clan, uncontaminated water, and peel your fruit before eating them.
Keep your mouth closed while swimming.
When you travel to places where you are not sure of the water system, use bottled water to brush your teeth and drink.
Practice safe sex consistently.
Conclusion.
Funny how lots of diseases can be avoided if we practice good hygiene and properly look out for ourselves, Giardiasis can be avoided if we constantly look out for ourselves by watching the things we eat, drink and do, but once the symptoms are noticed, medical help should as well be gotten instantly, no procrastination when it comes to health.
References.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15238-giardiasis
https://www.cdc.gov/dpdx/giardiasis/index.html
https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/176718-overview
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/giardia-infection/symptoms-causes/syc-20372786
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/giardia-infection/symptoms-causes/syc-20372786
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giardiasis
https://www.healthline.com/health/digestive-health/yellow-stool#causes