Dysentery and What Should Be Done

What is Dysentery?

Dysentery is a contagious and epidemic large intestine disease seen together with diarrhea. It is much more dangerous in the elderly, small children, and infants and can even result in death.

What Are the Symptoms?

  • The main symptom is frequent and bloody diarrhea.
  • Loss of appetite, severe abdominal pain, and fever may also be seen.
  • In some cases, nausea and vomiting may accompany diarrhea.

How Does It Spread?

Dysentery spreads through direct contact or indirectly via water and food. In direct transmission, microbes are taken from door handles, forks, spoons, cups, towels, and toilet faucets touched by the patient.

Those who have mild dysentery and walk around without needing to lie down easily spread the disease. The dysentery microbe causing mild illness in one person can cause a severe disease picture in another.

The main causes of dysentery are dirty water and poorly washed foods. Therefore, care must be taken with water, hand, and food hygiene. It spreads through dirty water and food. Crowded environments such as schools, hotels, and dormitories are suitable places for the disease to spread.

There Are Two Types of Dysentery:

  • Amoebic Dysentery: Symptoms appear 10-21 days after the microbe enters the body. The patient experiences bloody diarrhea, fever, abdominal cramps, weight loss, and weakness.
  • Bacillary Dysentery: Symptoms appear 2-7 days after the microbe enters the body. Houseflies play a leading role in the epidemic spread of the disease. The patient has bloody and mucus-like diarrhea, abdominal pain, weakness, and fever.

What Should Be Done

The first thing to do is to isolate the patient from other people to prevent the spread of the disease.

Prevention

  • The most important point is to treat patients and prevent transmission through carrier status (portership).
  • Well water and water in reservoirs should be chlorinated; vegetables and fruits, especially those contaminated with soil, should be washed more carefully and disinfected.

Note: What should be done may be more than what is mentioned above. Important points are mentioned as reminders, and the order of importance may vary depending on the risk situation.