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Diarrhoea and vomiting
In the developing world, diarrhoea and vomiting claim the lives of five million children under the age of five every year. It is one of the biggest killers, and the main cause of death is dehydration. In recent years, simple re-hydration solutions have saved millions of lives, and they’re also the key to treating symptoms in the West.
If your child suddenly gets an attack of D&V, the most likely cause is a viral infection. The infection can involve the gut itself (gastro-enteritis), but children may also get diarrhoea and vomiting when they have an infection in a completely unrelated area, for example an ear infection.
You also need to consider two other possibilities:
- Certain medicines can cause diarrhoea and vomiting – has your child recently started a course of antibiotics? These can cause D&V because, as well as killing the bad bacteria causing infection, they also kill all the good bacteria that normally live in our guts.
- Overfeeding can cause diarrhoea and vomiting in small babies – are you simply giving too much too often?
Yes. Fever and a rash commonly accompany gastro-enteritis in children. The rash is usually pink and disappears when you press on it (not like the rash in meningitis which does not disappear when you press on it).
The vomiting, rash and fever will probably stop after 24-48 hours. However, the diarrhoea may last up to two weeks.
What can you do?
Don’t try to stop the diarrhoea – just think about replacing the lost fluid. Even if they’re vomiting, give them drinks; small sips taken often is the key – very labour intensive but very effective. It’s really important not to let your child get dehydrated. Both water and salts are lost in the diarrhoea and vomit, so both of these need to be replaced, along with some sugar for energy. Ready made solutions like Dioralyte contain the right balance of sugars and salt, and flavoured varieties make them more palatable for small children.
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