Amebiasis: Definition
Entamoeba histolytica, a microscopic parasite, causes amebiasis, an intestinal infection.
What Are the Signs and Symptoms?
Approximately 10% of those infected with E. histolytica develop ill as a result of the illness. Intestinal or extraintestinal symptoms are possible. Some of the most frequent intestinal symptoms include loose stools, stomach discomfort, and stomach cramps. Amebic dysentery is a serious amebiasis infection that produces stomach pain, bloody stools, and a high fever.
E. histolytica can occasionally infect the liver and cause an abscess. It can also spread to other regions of the body, such as the lungs or the brain, though this is uncommon. The most common technique for a health care professional to diagnose amebiasis is to examine stools under a microscope. Obtaining many stool samples is sometimes necessary.
Who Receives It and How Do They Receive It?
This disease can affect anyone, but it is particularly common among people who live in underdeveloped nations with poor sanitation. Amebiasis is most commonly observed in immigrants from developing nations in the United States. It’s also common in persons who have gone to poorer countries or who reside in squalid facilities. The sickness affects the extremely young, the elderly, and pregnant women more severely.
Amebiasis is spread by ingesting the parasite’s cyst stage in contaminated food or drink. Amebiasis can be carried by some persons for weeks to years without causing symptoms. The following organisms can spread infection:
1. Putting anything into your mouth that has come into contact with E. histolytica-infected stool.
2. Ingesting something contaminated with E. histolytica, such as water or food
3. Touching and bringing cysts to your mouth that has been picked up from E. histolytica-infected surfaces
When Should People Suffering From This Illness Be Disqualified?
A child who gets acute diarrhoea while in child care should be relocated to a separate place away from other children until a parent can remove the youngster. If you have acute diarrhoea, you should continue to be excluded until diarrhea stops.
Before being readmitted, a kid with bloody stools should be evaluated by a health care practitioner and given antimicrobial therapy. The importance of frequent hand washing and environmental cleanliness in out-of-home child care.
Where Should I Report It?
If there are two or more known or suspected cases of amebiasis in a child care program, child care providers must notify their local health department and Licensing. The American Academy of Pediatrics, on the other hand, strongly advises child care providers to report even if there is only one case so that the local Public Health Department is aware that this deadly illness is present in a child care setting.
How Can I Prevent Amebiasis from Spreading?
1. Use universal precautions and the right processes when diapering, using the toilet, and training your child to use the toilet.
2. Proper handwashing is the single most important step in avoiding infection.
3. Follow sanitary food handling rules.
4. Drink only safe water.