GASTROINTESTINAL ILLNESSESJOHNSON COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT
AMBER TERHUNE, RN, BSN, HEALTH EDUCATOR
MARCH 2018
ABOUT GASTROINTESTINAL ILLNESSES
MORE THAN 200 MILLION CASES OF GASTROINTESTINAL ILLNESS IN US PER YEAR
CAUSED BY:
• People
• Animals
• Food
• Water
Syedjuned. Food Poisoning with Some Harmful Food Items, 27 Jan. 2015. https://syedjuned.wordpress.com/2015/01/27/food-poisoning-with-some-harmfull-food-items/
HIGH RISK
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HOW THEY ARE SPREAD
Walker, Jim. Cruise Law News. Cruise Ship
Norovirus- Something in the Water? 29 Jun. 2010.
http://www.cruiselawnews.com/tags/sickness/
• Not washing hands well
• Contaminated surfaces
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COMMON INFECTIONS
Campylobacteriosis Cryptosporidiosis Escherichia coli Giardiasis Hepatitis A
Norovirus Rotavirus Salmonellosis Shigellosis
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CAMPYLOBACTERIOSIS
About14 cases/100,000 people diagnosed per year in US
• Incubation 2-5 days
• Recovery about 7 days
• Complications:
• Dehydration
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Arthritis
• Guillain-Barre syndromeGrunebaum, MD, Amos. Baby Med. Campylobacter, n.d.
https://www.babymed.com/campylobacter-infection-during-pregnancy
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CRYPTOSPORIDIOSIS
Herriman, Robert. Outbreak News Today. Ohio: Cryptosporidium Outbreaks Tops 800 Cases, 28 Sep.
2016. http://outbreaknewstoday.com/ohio-cryptosporidium-outbreak-tops-800-cases-43746/
Estimated 748,000 cases per year in US
• Incubation about 7 days
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• Recovery 1-2 weeks
ESCHERICHIA COLI
Finkel, Cailyn. Faith Tap. Make Everyone Take Off Their Shoes Before Entering Your House, Here’s Why,
12 Feb. 2016. http://www.faithtap.com/5757/stop-the-spread-of-sickness-by-leaving-shoes-outside/
About 265,000 STEC infection
per year in US
• Incubation 3-4 days
• Recovery 5-7 days
• Complications:
• Dehydration
• Hemolytic uremic syndrome
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GIARDIASIS
Estimated 1.2 million
cases per year in US
• Incubation 1-3 weeks
• Recovery 2-6 weeks
• Complication:
• Dehydration
Leremy. Getty Images. Indigestion Problem Stick Figure Pictogram
Icons-Illustration, 5 Jul. 2015.
https://www.istockphoto.com/vector/indigestion-symptoms-
problem-stick-figure-pictogram-icons-gm479787532-68104929
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HEPATITIS A
Find a Top Doc. Hepatitis A, n.d. https://www.findatopdoc.com/Medical-
Library/Diseases-and-Conditions/Hepatitis-A
About 2800 cases in 2015 in US
• Incubation 28-30 days
• Recovery within 2 months
• Complications:
• Hospitalization
• Death is rare
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NOROVIRUS
19-21 million cases per year in US
• Incubation 1-2 days
• Recovery 1-2 days
Cartoon Dealer. Norovirus, n.d. https://cartoondealer.com/illustrations/pg1/norovirus.html
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• Complication:
• Dehydration
ROTAVIRUS
Vaccine decreased diarrhea related ER
visits by 40,000-60,000 per year in US
• Incubation 2 days
• Recovery within 8 days
Pinterest. Pediatric, n.d.
https://www.pinterest.com/caitlinkelley75/pediatric/
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SALMONELLOSIS
Theophilus Makama, Funom. Hub Pages. Salmonella Infections With An Overview On Typhoid
Fever, Its Epidemiology and Pathogenesis, 22 Mar. 2014. https://hubpages.com/health/Salmonella-
Infections-With-An-Overview-On-Typhoid-Fever-Its-Epidemiology-And-Pathogenesis
1.2 million illnesses per year in US
• Incubation 1-3 days
• Recovery 4-7 days
• Complications:
• Dehydration
• Reactive arthritis
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SHIGELLOSIS
Causes 500,000 diarrhea cases
per year in US
• Incubation 2-3 days
• Recovery 5-7 days
• Complications:
• Dehydration
• Reactive arthritis
• Hemolytic uremic syndrome
Food Safety Training. E. Coli More Commonly Linked to Flour, n.d.
http://foodsafetytrainingcourses.com/blog/articles/food-safety-news/e-coli-more-commonly-linked-to-flour/
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DIAGNOSING GASTROINTESTINAL ILLNESSES
Health Essentials. Could a Blood Test Someday Diagnose Lung
Cancer? 12 Nov. 2014. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/could-
a-blood-test-someday-diagnose-lung-cancer/
Johny Fit. Abdominal Pain and Diarrhea, n.d. http://www.johnyfit.com/abdominal-pain-and-diarrhea/
Pinterest. Explore Nurse Humor, Medical Humor, and More!
n.d. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/102597697735515914/
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WHEN TO CALL THE DOCTOR
• Diarrhea more than 2 days
• Diarrhea with high fever
• Bloody or black stools
• Diarrhea after recent travel
• Yellowing of skin or eyes
• Signs of dehydration
I Am Living It. Trekking Basics: How to Overcome Dehydration
in Cold Weather, n.d. https://www.iamlivingit.com/hiking/cold-
weather-dehydration
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PREVENTING GASTROINTESTINAL ILLNESSES
WikiHow. How to Prevent a Campylobacter Infection, n.d.
https://www.wikihow.com/Prevent-a-Campylobacter-Infection
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REFERENCES
Biomérieux Diagnostics. “Gastrointestinal Infections.” Biomérieux-diagnostics.com, n.d.
http://www.biomerieux-diagnostics.com/gastrointestinal-infections. Accessed 23 Mar. 2018.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “About Enteric Zoonotic Diseases.” CDC.gov, 1 Jun. 2017.
https://www.cdc.gov/zoonotic/gi/about.html. Accessed 23 Mar. 2018.
Indiana State Department of Health. “Diseases and Conditions Resource Page.” ISDH.IN.gov, 26 Sep.
2016. http://www.in.gov/isdh/20209.htm#e. Accessed 23 Mar. 2018.
Mayo Clinic. “Diarrhea.” MayoClinic.org, 25 Oct. 2016. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-
conditions/diarrhea/symptoms-causes/syc-20352241. Accessed 23 Mar. 2018.
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