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[at-l] Giardiasis Fact Sheet.
- Subject: [at-l] Giardiasis Fact Sheet.
- From: WHHAWKINS@aol.com
- Date: Wed, 21 Oct 1998 15:11:27 EDT
Giardiasis
(GEE-are-DYE-uh-sis)
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What is giardiasis?
Giardiasis is an illness caused Giardia lamblia, a one-celled,
microscopic parasite that lives in the intestines of people and animals.
During the past 15 years, Giardia lamblia has become recognized as one
of the most common causes of waterborne disease in humans in the United
States. This parasite is found in every region of the United States and
throughout the world.
What are the symptoms of giardiasis?
Diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and nausea are the most common symptoms of
giardiasis. These symptoms may lead to weight loss and dehydration.
However, not everyone infected has symptoms.
How long after being infected do symptoms appear?
Symptoms usually appear 1-2 weeks after infection with the parasite.
How long will I have symptoms?
In otherwise healthy persons, symptoms may last 4-6 weeks. Occasionally,
symptoms last longer.
How can I get giardiasis?
•By putting anything into your mouth that has touched the stool of a
person or animal with giardiasis. •By swallowing water contaminated with
Giardia. A person can swallow a Giardia cyst, the infectious stage of
the parasite, by consuming water from swimming pools, lakes, rivers,
springs, ponds, or streams contaminated with sewage or feces from humans
or animals. •By eating uncooked food contaminated with Giardia cysts.
Thoroughly wash with safe water all vegetables and fruits you plan to
eat raw. •By touching and bringing to your mouth cysts picked up from
surfaces (i.e., toys, bathroom fixtures, changing tables, diaper pails)
contaminated with stool from an infected person.
Who is at risk?
Persons at increased risk for giardiasis include child care workers;
diaper-aged children who attend day care centers; international
travelers; hikers; campers; and others who drink untreated water from
contaminated sources. Several community-wide outbreaks of giardiasis
have been linked to drinking municipal water contaminated with Giardia.
What should I do if I think I have giardiasis?
See your health care provider who will ask you to submit stool samples
to see if you are harboring the parasite. Because Giardia can be
difficult to diagnose, your health care provider may ask you to submit
several stool specimens over several days.
What is the treatment for giardiasis?
Several prescription drugs are available to treat Giardia.
How can I prevent giardiasis?
•Wash hands with soap and water after using the toilet and before
handling food. •Avoid water or food that may be contaminated. •Wash and
peel all raw vegetables and fruits before eating. •Avoid drinking water
from lakes, rivers, springs, ponds, or streams unless it has been
filtered or chemically treated. •During community-wide outbreaks caused
by contaminated drinking water, boil drinking water for 1 minute to kill
the Giardia parasite and make the water safe to drink. •When traveling
in countries where the water supply may be unsafe, avoid drinking
unboiled tap water and avoid uncooked foods washed with unboiled tap
water. Bottled or canned carbonated beverages, seltzers, or pasteurized
fruit drinks, and steaming hot coffee and tea are safe to drink. You
should check the label on bottled water to make sure it has been
properly filtered before drinking. •If you work in a child care center
where you change diapers, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly with
plenty of soap and warm water after every diaper change, even if you
wear gloves. •Avoid swimming in pools if you or your child has Giardia.
Giardia cysts are fairly chlorine resistant and are passed in the stools
of infected people for several weeks after they no longer have symptoms.
My water comes from a well; should I have my well water tested?
Consider having your well water tested if you answer yes to the
following questions:
•Are other members of your family or users of your well water ill?
If yes, your well may be the source of infection.
•Is your well located at the bottom of a hill or is it considered
shallow?
If so, runoff from rain or flood water may be draining directly into
your well causing contamination.
•Is your well in a rural area where animals graze?
Well water can become fecally contaminated if animal waste seepage
contaminates the ground water. This can occur if your well has cracked
casings, is poorly constructed or is too shallow.
Tests specifically for Giardia are expensive, difficult, and usually
require hundreds of gallons of water to be pumped through a filter. If
you answered yes to the above questions, consider testing your well for
fecal coliforms instead of Giardia. Although fecal coliform tests do not
specifically test for Giardia, testing will show if your well has fecal
contamination. If it does, the water is likely to be contaminated with
Giardia, as well as other harmful bacteria and viruses. Look in your
local telephone directory for a laboratory or cooperative extension that
offers water testing.
My child was recently diagnosed as having giardiasis, but does not have
any diarrhea. My health care provider says treatment is not necessary.
Is this true?
In general, the answer supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics
is that treatment is not necessary. However, there are a few exceptions.
If your child does not have diarrhea, but is having nausea, or is
fatigued, losing weight, or has a poor appetite, you and your health
care provider may wish to consider treatment. If your child attends a
day care center where an outbreak is continuing to occur despite efforts
to control it, screening and treatment of children without obvious
symptoms may be a good idea. The same is true if several family members
are ill, or if a family member is pregnant and therefore not able to
take the most effective anti-Giardia medications.
For more information:
1.Addiss DG, Juranek DD, Spencer HC. Treatment of children with
asymptomatic and nondiarrheal Giardia infection. Pediatr Infect Dis J
1991;10:843-6.
2.Addiss DG, Davis JP, Roberts JM, Mast EE. Epidemiology of giardiasis
in Wisconsin. Increasing incidence of reported cases and unexplained
seasonal trends. Am J Trop Med Hyg 1992;47:13-9.
3.Bartlett AV, Englander SJ, Jarvis BA, Ludwig L, Carlson JF, Topping
JP. Controlled trial of Giardia lamblia: Control strategies in day care
centers. Am J Public Health 1991;81:1001-6.
4.Kreuter AK, Del Bene VE, Amstey MS. Giardiasis in pregnancy. Am J
Obstet Gynecol 1981;40:895-901.
5.Lengerich EJ, Addiss DG, Juranek DD. Severe giardiasis in the United
States. Clin Infect Dis 1994; 18:760-3.
6.Steketee RW, Reid S, Cheng T, et al. Recurrent outbreaks of giardiasis
in a child day care center, Wisconsin. Am J Public Health
1989;79:485-90.
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This fact sheet is for information only and is not meant to be used for
self-diagnosis or as a substitute for consultation with a health care
provider. If you have any questions about the disease described above or
think that you may have a parasitic infection, consult a health care
provider.
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Division of Parasitic Diseases
National Center for Infectious Diseases
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
NCID Home Page
DPD Home Page
URL: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/giardias.htm
Updated: Tue Sep 15 05:15:44 1998
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