Wilderness Sickness
Have you ever been out camping or hiking? Yes you have, you look
like the hiking and camping type. Well in your experiences out
in the wilderness you mave have had a time where you drank water
from a stream or a pump. how did you feel later on? You may have
come down with "beaver fever"...
Commonly called beaver fever, "Giardiasis", is a disease contracted from
contaminated food or water, generally in the wilderness or 3rd
world countries, or a daycare, as it can be passed on by
personal contact. Giardiasis infects somewhere in the vicinity
of 200 million people worldwide, and is transferable between
animals and humans.
If you do come down with giardiasis, these are some of the
symptoms that you may have to endure: - Diarrhea - Stomach
cramps - Loss of appetite - Lethargy - Upset Stomach - Bloating
- Flatulence
These symptoms generally start a fortnight (2 weeks) after
infection occurs. A common problem with the condition is that
generally, symptoms can go away, and then reappear in a cycle.
This makes it difficult to determine whether or not you are
still contagious.
However, only about a third of the infected will show symptoms,
thus making spread easier. The body is able to defeat the
infection on its own, but antibiodics can always help.
Antibiodics for adults: metronidazole, albenzazole and
quinacrine. Antibiodics for children: Furazolidone and
nitazoxanide.