Epidemiologists from the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS) are calling on the population to keep sanitation in order to reduce diarrhea cases increase, that usually occurs during August and September.
Elenita Ramírez, an expert on emerging diseases, is worried because during this year, they have attended to 183,152 people at the fund’s medical centers. When compared to the same period last year, 20,162 more cases have been reported.
According to the specialist, the South Central region, followed by North Central and Central Pacific regions are the most affected areas. Moreover, children under 5 years old and adults aged 30 years old to 39 years old are the most common patients.
Under these circumstances, it is important to have basic hygiene measures like hand washing, proper food handling, treatment of water for human consumption and more information about the signs and symptoms of dehydration.
In children under 5 years old, these are the symptoms:
-Liquid diarrheal stool (3 or more in 24 hours).
-Thick saliva.
-Crying without tears.
Self-medication and drinking inadequate amounts of sugar and electrolytes are not indicated for patients’ hydration.