To prevent person-to-person contamination

• Wash your child’s hands and hands regularly with soap and water (especially before eating, before preparing meals, after going to the bathroom and after changing a diaper).
• Wash clothing soiled with diarrhea or vomiting thoroughly.
• Clean any object soiled by diarrhea or vomiting with bleach (especially the toilet and sink).
• Do not share utensils or food with someone who has gastroenteritis.
• Do not share bath towels.
• Store toothbrushes separately.
• As much as possible, avoid direct contact with someone who has gastroenteritis.

To prevent food poisoning

• Cook foods well, especially red meat, poultry and eggs, and refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of cooking.
• Rinse fruits and vegetables that are eaten fresh with tap water.
• Do not cook on a surface that has come into contact with raw meat or poultry (use one board for cutting raw meat and another for vegetables).
• Thoroughly clean kitchen utensils after using them.
• Preferably eat pasteurized dairy products. Pasteurization kills germs with heat.
• Make sure that the temperature in the refrigerator does not exceed 4 ° C.
• When traveling in a country where sanitary conditions are poor, favor water, soft drinks and bottled beer and, with a little more care, tea and coffee prepared with boiled water. Avoid raw vegetables and unpeeled fruit.
• Get vaccinated against typhoid fever if you plan to travel to a country where the disease is common. In Canada, an oral vaccine against cholera and diarrhea with And coli (ETEC) is also available. Typhoid fever and cholera are both contracted by swallowing contaminated food or water. You can get more information from a travel health clinic.

To prevent gastroenteritis in young children

In children, rotavirus infections are almost inevitable, especially if the child is in the community. Thus, by the age of 5, more than 95% of children will have been infected at least once by this virus.

However, since 2006 there has been a vaccine against rotavirus gastroenteritis to be administered to babies from 6 weeks of age. The vaccination consists of 2 or 3 doses, administered orally, with an interval of at least 1 month between doses. Talk to a doctor.

It is necessary to rehydrate well in order to replace the lost fluids.

See a doctor if any worrying signs appear (see When to see?).