Gastroenteritis: these essential actions to avoid catching it (or transmitting it)

Winter is in full swing and so are the viruses that come with it. France is currently going through a flu epidemic, but gastroenteritis is also circulating more and more. In Hello! The Morning TF1 (new window)Doctor Vincent Valinducq gives us his advice to avoid it and get through the season without unpleasant surprises.

• Read also

  “The flu is preventable, that’s what’s absurd”: how to explain the decline in vaccination?

How to avoid transmission

Gastrointestinal infection due to various viruses, bacteria or parasites, gastroenteritis is “inflammation of the lining of the digestive tract responsible for diarrhea and frequently abdominal pain and vomiting“, reminds the Health Insurance website. This disease is particularly contagious and can be contracted by direct or indirect transmission, hence the importance of barrier gestures. The first of these: hand washing! “Before eating and after each trip to the toilet“, recalls Doctor Vincent Valinducq. We also avoid exchanging cutlery or glasses during a meal, to reduce the risk of indirect transmission.”Toothbrushes should be separated carefully and, if possible, stored in the cupboard, especially if your toilet is in your bathroom.“, adds the doctor. We do not forget to lower the toilet seat after each visit to prevent viruses from spreading when we flush the toilet and contaminating objects. We also disinfect cell phones, handles door, remote controls to reduce the risk of transmission Finally, for prevention, it is possible to vaccinate children from six weeks to six months to protect them from rotavirus, which is one of the agents responsible for gastroenteritis. Each year, it is responsible for 20,000 hospitalizations for children under three years old.

What to do to treat gastroenteritis?

The moment is never pleasant, but it is possible to get through it without medication. However, frail or elderly people must consult. Otherwise, you have to wait for it to pass. There are also medications to relieve stomach pain and diarrhea; otherwise, paracetamol is effective in providing relief. It is important to take care of your diet when you suffer from gastroenteritis. Thus, we favor rice, pasta, bananas and potatoes, but we avoid foods rich in fiber which boost transit. It is also important to split meals, because the stomach is very fragile and, by eating small portions, you avoid overloading it. Finally, it is important to drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration. Although we often hear that soda helps relieve the symptoms of gastroenteritis, in reality, it is not the best solution. Not only does it not help with dehydration, but worse, the gas in the drink can play tricks on your digestive system. It is preferable to opt for rehydration solutions, especially for infants and the elderly. These are small sachets of 200 milliliters of water rich in mineral salts. Otherwise, the best solution is to drink water with a little sugar added. “I advise my patients to add grenadine syrup or strawberry syrup“, explains Vincent Valinducq. Sugar will help calm nausea and counter the production of ketone bodies. Finally, rather than drinking a large glass of water, we opt for small sips every ten minutes so that the water can remain in the body After all, it is better to swallow small glasses than to send back a large glass!