NONTHABURI – The Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) has issued a warning to the public on the spread of diarrhea during winter season, and urges the public to perform sanitary practices when consuming foods.
The MOPH Permanent-Secretary Sopon Mekthon made his remarks saying the cold weather can enable germs to live longer, causing many diseases such as common colds, influenza, and diarrhea to be commonly found during this time.
He cited information from Bureau of Epidemiology showing the number of diarrhea patients receiving treatments in MOPH supervised hospitals nationwide to be at 80,000 – 100,000 patients each month, with patients peaking during January to March at more than 100,000 people.
The public is encouraged to use sanitary practices when consuming foods, including eating hot cooked foods, using serving spoons, and washing their hands frequently. The public is also urged to refrain from eating raw foods, while parents must be especially careful with the diet of their infants aged less than 5 years.
Patients of diarrhea should adjust to a diet of soft and easy digest foods, while child patients should consume only liquid food. Patients with persisting symptoms such as frequent defecating, vomiting, inability to eat, excessive thirst, high fever, and defecating with blood, are requested to seek medical attention.
