Just when you thought that you knew how to manage your kids’ vomiting/diarrhea, researchers come up with a slew of new findings that turn your management “skills” into old wives’ tales. This is part one, Prevention, of a two-part series. Next posting: Treatment. 1. Most cases of vomiting and diarrhea in children are infectious. And [...]

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Tags: airborn, alcohol-based sanitizers, bathroom, children, Diarrhea, diseases in stool, disinfected, flush toilet with seat down, hand washing, Infants, infected, kids, pathogens, poor hand washing techniques, potty chair, rubber gloves, sanitize, sinks, soap, stool, swimming, toilets, toothbrush, vomit, Vomiting

Think twice before allowing your kids to swim in water where there are many infants.  The more infants in the water, the greater is the risk that the water is polluted with intestinal disease-causing microorganisms.  Here is what you should know: 1. Recreational water is an underappreciated source of intestinal diseases. Such water includes swimming [...]

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Tags: bacterium, bowel movements, CDC, chloramines, chlorine, cryptosporidium, Diarrhea, e. coli, eye irritation, giardia, hepatitis a, illness, infants in swim diapers, infants swimming, inflatable pools, intestinal illness, microorganisms, o157:h7, parasite, recreational water, septic, sewage, swim diapers, swimming facilities, urine, virus

Are you familiar with the harmful effects that may result from medications you give your children? That when you give more than one medication, the two may interact and cause adverse reactions not caused by one alone? That travel-related factors can cause additional interactions? (This is Part 1, one of a two-part series. Watch for [...]

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Tags: adverse effects of medication, antacids, blood test strips, children, children medications, children travel doctor, Dehydration, Diarrhea, dimenhydrinate, Dizziness, Dr. Karl Neumann, dramamine, exotic foods, insulin, Kids Travel Doc, kids travel doctor, medication, medication interactions, medications overseas, motion sickness, motion sickness-related nausea, over the counter medication for kids, Travel, travel-related, vitamins, Vomiting

Facts about infants/air travel/in-flight comfort/feeding: (This is an update of an earlier posting – but bears repeating). Check the top twenty entries on Google regarding infants/air travel/feeding or air travel/infants/health. Nineteen say that you must give infants lots of fluids to prevent them from becoming dehydrated. One entry says that in flight dehydration is a [...]

Posted in Destinations, Prevention, Travel No Comments »
Tags: Air Travel, air travel with infants, air travelers, Diarrhea, feeding infants, in flight dehydration, in-flight comfort, infant feeding, infant health, Infants, Kids Travel Doc, kids travel doctor, sweating, Vomiting

Quarantines* and other restrictions on international travel do little to limit the spread of disease, in this case, H1N1flu, when the disease already exists in most countries, says World Health Organization. Nevertheless, public health authorities in some countries, mostly in the Middle East and Asia, are monitoring arriving travelers for symptoms suggestive of H1N1 and [...]

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Tags: Air Travel, anti-flu, anti-flu medication, body aches, bubonic plague, chills, chronic diseases, contagious diseases, cough, Cruise ships, daycare, decontaminating, Diarrhea, epidemic, Fatigue, fever, flu outbreaks, flu season, flu virus, flu-like illnesses, flu-related, H1N1, h1n1 flu, h1n1 for travelers, h1n1 immunization, h1n1 outbreaks, h1n1 related, h1n1 symptoms, hand sanitizer, Headache, hospitalization, immunize, immunized, international travel, meningitis, meningitis vaccination, nasal congestion, nasal swab, pandemic, quaranti giorni, quarantine, rapid nasal swab, school, seasonal flu, self-medicate, sickbay, Sore throat, spread of disease, spread widely, swine flu, tamiflu, temperature scanning, traveler's assistance insurance, traveler's insurance, vaccinated, Vomiting, World Health Organization

Are there any fun activities left for kids to do, activities that are healthy, safe and wholesome, where parents need not constantly restrain children’s imaginations and exuberance with that annoying, killjoy utterance, “How many times do I have to tell you not to do that?”   Can you believe that playing in sand may be [...]

Posted in Outdoor Recreation, Prevention, Safe & Healthy Travel, Sun No Comments »
Tags: creeping eruption, cutaneous larva migrans, Diarrhea, e. coli, ethyle chloride, gastrointestinal, microorganisms, parasite, public beaches, sand, sand box, sand boxes, sand pollution, sandbox, sandbox play, sandbox safety, sandboxes, stomach ache, Vomiting

Children old enough to brush their own teeth may be exposing themselves to diarrheal illnesses via their toothbrushes, especially when traveling in areas where such illnesses are common. Here is the theory: Children often place their toothbrushes on sink counter surfaces when finishing brushing, or in the middle of brushing if something more interesting catches [...]

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Tags: Diarrhea

Swimming: The source of many illnesses Most kids’ favorite summer activity is swimming, no matter if it’s splashing in a small backyard pool, or on the beach of a five-star resort. But the reality is that no fun activity is totally safe and healthy. For information on water safety, see TenTips: Waterfront. For avoiding illnesses [...]

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Tags: Diarrhea, Infants, Intestinal illnesses, Respiratory infections, Skin conditions, Sun exposure

Family vacations in snow country can be just as healthy, comfortable, and rewarding as more traditional stays in warmer climes – if you know how to cope with the cold. Here is what you should know: 1. Children do not get colds from the cold. Colds come from viruses. Colds may be more common in [...]

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Tags: Cold weather, Common cold, Diarrhea, Frostbite, Hypothermia

1. Wash your hands frequently and before you eat. While this is hardly breaking news, compliance remains poor. Proper hand hygiene (it’s no longer called hand washing) interrupts transmission of most diarrhea-causing micro-organisms. Such organisms abound in areas of poor sanitation. You acquire organisms via your hands, by touching doorknobs and money, and by shaking [...]

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Tags: Diarrhea, Intestinal illnesses, Respiratory infections, Third world, Tropics