How is beaver fever transmitted

Publications Giardiasis What is giardiasis? How common is giardiasis? Giardia infection may causea variety of intestinal symptoms, including : diarrhea bloating, gas or flatulence greasy stools that tend to float stomach or abdominal cramps upset stomach or nausea fatigue, and weight loss Symptoms of giardiasisusually begin seven to 10 days after exposure, but it can also be as little as three days or as long as 25 days.

How is giardiasis spread? You can become infected by : ingesting contaminated drinking or recreational water touching your mouth with contaminated hands, putting something in your mouth that has come into contact with the droppings of infected animals or the stool of infected humans, eating raw or undercooked food that is contaminated, inadequately washing hands before preparing food, before eating, and after toileting or diapering, or exposure to feces of an infected individual through sexual contact.

How is giardiasis diagnosed and treated? If you think you have giardiasis you should see your doctor for testing, advice and treatment. How can you prevent giardiasis? The most important preventative measure is good hygiene. Wash your hands with soap and water : after using the toilet after changing diapers after assisting others with the toilet after contact with animals after working in the garden, and before and after handling food Avoid swallowing water while swimming in lakes, rivers or pools.

What causes giardiasis outbreaks? For More Information. Explore Government Government Ministries. Many prescription drugs are available to treat giardiasis. Although Giardia can infect all people, infants and pregnant women may be more likely to experience dehydration from the diarrhea caused by giardiasis.

To prevent dehydration, infants and pregnant women should drink a lot of fluids while sick. Dehydration can be life-threatening for infants, so it is especially important that parents talk to their healthcare providers about treatment options for their infants. Your child may not need treatment if they have no symptoms, though it is important to consider that their poop may remain a source of infection for other household members for an uncertain period of time.

However, if your child does not have diarrhea but does have other symptoms, such as nausea or upset stomach, tiredness, weight loss, or a lack of hunger, you and your healthcare provider may need to consider treatment. The same is true if many family members are sick or if a family member is pregnant and unable to take the most effective medications to treat Giardia. Contact your healthcare provider for specific treatment recommendations.

Giardia -contaminated poop can enter ground water through different ways, including sewage overflows, sewage systems that are not working properly, and polluted storm water. Wells may be more likely to be contaminated by poop after flooding, particularly if the wells are shallow, have been dug or bored, or have been covered by floodwater for long periods of time.

Overused, leaky, or poorly maintained septic systems could contaminate nearby wells with germs from poop, including Giardia. Read more about testing your well. To prevent and control Giardia infection, it is important to:. For more information, see Prevention and Control. The chances of people getting a Giardia infection from dogs or cats are small. However, giardiasis responds fairly well to anti-parasitic medication.

Your doctor will decide if treatment with anti-parasitic medication is necessary in your case. After your infection, you may have difficulty digesting milk and milk products. This causes symptoms similar to those of a giardia infection and can last several weeks.

Avoid milk and milk products for a few weeks and then slowly add them back into your diet. Consult your doctor if you have questions. If you think you have a giardia infection, see your family doctor for testing, advice and treatment. Giardia is passed in the feces; therefore, people with diarrhea which may be due to infection should not go to work or school. Giardiasis spreads easily in day care settings. If you are a food handler or health care worker it is possible for you to transmit giardia to others while carrying out your duties in these settings.

Do not work while you have diarrhea or vomiting and do not return to work until 48 hours after your last loose stool or episode of vomiting. This time period will ensure you have a chance to recover and lessen the possibility of transmitting the infection to others. Children in day care who have diarrhea can be cared for temporarily in an area separate from other children until picked up by their parents.

Children cannot return to day care until 48 hours after their last loose stool or episode of vomiting. To ensure proper hand washing, children in day cares should be supervised by an adult when washing their hands. If you recover without treatment, you may excrete giardia in your stools for several months and possibly infect others. After using the toilet and before eating or preparing foods wash your hands thoroughly with liquid soap and water. All Rights Reserved.

Giardia may cause: diarrhea abdominal cramps gas bloating frequent loose and pale greasy stools nausea poor absorption of fats and vitamins weight loss, and fatigue.

Fecal material from infected humans or animals can get into our mouths by: consuming contaminated food or drink contact with the feces of infected humans that is not followed by proper hand washing contact with the feces of domestic or wild animals, including pets and farm animals, that is not followed by proper hand washing. Navigation menu. Giardiasis beaver fever Last Reviewed: September What is giardiasis? Who gets giardiasis?

How is this parasite spread? What are the symptoms of giardiasis and how soon do they appear? How is giardiasis diagnosed? Giardiasis is diagnosed by testing samples of your stool poop. Sometimes, several stool samples must be obtained because the number of Giardia being passed in the stool, which varies from day to day, may be too low to detect from any single sample.