“Diarrhea season” calls for extra vigilance around hygiene

By Ilhaam Hoosain
3 January 2008

Over the summer month’s people have been advised to be extra vigilant about hygiene during the "diarrhea season".

After hundreds of people in the city contracted a stomach ailment around the festive season comes this warning.

City of Cape Town director of Health Ivan Toms said it was usual for many more people to contract stomach bugs during Cape Town's hottest months than in the rest of the year.

He said the heat acted as a breeding ground for germs, so that people could easily become ill because of the food and water they consumed if they were not careful according to the Cape Argus.

The symptoms of the stomach bug are diarrhea, stomach cramps, headaches and nausea. Toms said it was easily spread from one person to another, warning that people should take precautions, especially when preparing or consuming food.

To help avoid catching the bug, he advised people to:

Wash hands regularly, especially after using the toilet and before eating or cooking, prepare food on a clean surface, avoid leaving food and water in the sun too long before consumption and stay hydrated.

Cobus Oosthuizen, a pharmacist at Lite-Kem Pharmacy in the city centre, said the bug was not an epidemic, confirming that it was normal for more people to catch it at this time of the year.

"We have this happening every year as soon as it gets hot. It seems to be a seasonal thing because when it is this hot, bugs are more active in water and food," he said.

"And it is the festive season, so people are eating badly and indulging in things they would not normally indulge in."

Toms said once the stomach bug was contracted, it was not vital to visit a doctor with an exception for severe cases and that people could rid themselves of it in two ways.

"People can take medication, such as Imodium, which will stop their cramps but the toxins in their system will remain there for longer.

"Otherwise, they can ride it out and allow their system to get rid of the toxins by itself, which will be a much quicker way to clean their system out."

It takes about 24 to 72 hours and they would have to keep hydrated by drinking plenty of water," he said.