The most frequent diarrheal diseases in Mexico are gastroenteritis, salmonellosis, typhoid, cholera and rotavirus, according to data provided by the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS).
A diarrheal disease is one characterized by a bacterial, viral or parasitic infection of the digestive tract with diarrhea as the main symptom. Worldwide, diarrheal diseases rank second as the cause of death for children under five years of age.
In Mexico in particular, they represent a serious problem of public rooms. For its part, the World Health Organization defines diarrhea as the stool of loose or liquid stools with a frequency equal to or greater than three times.
In the Mexican nation, diarrhea symptoms tend to be viral in nature and risk factors are of a health, socioeconomic and cultural nature.
Stomach flu
Gastroenteritis is an infection of the stomach and intestines. The most common symptoms are vomiting and moderate to severe diarrhea.
Other symptoms include: metallic taste in the mouth, fever, chills, tremors, muscle pain, and headache.
These usually start within 24 to 48 hours of infection. Gastroenteritis, which is highly infectious, is transmitted through the fecal-oral route.
Salmonellosis
Salmonellosis is an infection caused by the bacteria Salmonella. It generally affects the intestines and, in some cases, the bloodstream.
High-risk groups are infants, the elderly, and the immunocompromised. Salmonella can be spread either by consuming contaminated food or water or by contact with infected people or animals.
Its symptoms generally appear on the third day of contact, and are: mild or severe diarrhea, abdominal cramps, fever and occasionally vomiting.
Bloodstream infections can be quite serious, particularly in the very young or in the elderly.
Typhoid fever
Typhoid fever is caused by the bacteria Salmonella Typhi. It is spread through contaminated food and water, or by contact with an infected person.
Symptoms include: diarrhea or constipation, high fever, headache, and abdominal pain.
Typhoid fever can be cured with antibiotics, but in a small proportion it can be fatal.
Anger
Cholera is an acute epidemic infectious disease caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae.
Its characteristic symptoms are: watery diarrhea, extreme loss of fluids and electrolytes, and severe dehydration. If it is not treated in time, the mortality rate is high.
Rotavirus
Rotavirus is a highly contagious infection that especially affects children under 5 years of age.
Rotavirus symptoms tend to be more prominent in children. Symptoms can appear within two days after exposure to rotavirus.
The most common type of rotavirus is severe diarrhea, but vomiting, black or pus stools, severe fatigue, high fever, irritability, dehydration, and abdominal pain can also occur.
References
- Hernández Cortez C., Aguilera Arreola MG, and Castro Escarpulli G. (2011). Situation of gastrointestinal diseases in Mexico. Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, Vol. 31, No. 4, October-December, pp. 137-151.
- Diarrheal Diseases. (s / f). Hospital MéxicoAmericano. Recovered from nvl.hma.com.mx.
- World Health Organization (WHO) (2017, May). Diarrheal diseases. Retrieved from who.int.
- Perdigón Villaseñor, G. and Fernández Cantón SB (2008). Mortality from diarrheal diseases in children under five years in Mexico, 1950-2005. Medical Bulletin of the Children's Hospital of Mexico. Vol. 65, July-August, pp. 325-326. Recovered from scielo.org.mx/pdf/bmim/v65n4/v65n4a10.pdf.
- Mandal, A. (2014, March 31). What is Gastroenteritis? News Medical. Recovered from news-medical.net.
- Salmonellosis. (2011, August). Department of Health, New York State. Recovered from health.ny.gov.
- Typhoid fever. (2015, July 11). Mayo Clinic. Recovered from mayoclinic.org.
- Kraft, S. (2017, February 01). Cholera: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment. Medical News Today. Recovered from medicalnewstoday.com.
- Cherney, K. (2017, May 23). What Is Rotavirus? Health Line Newsletter. Recovered from healthline.com.