Recently, high temperatures have continued to occur in the northern regions of China. Disease control experts suggest that when high temperatures strike, it is necessary to prevent intestinal infectious diseases in summer and pay attention to food and drinking water hygiene. Ms. Li from Shanghai has recently developed symptoms such as abdominal pain and diarrhea, with severe cases exceeding 10 bowel movements per day; Mr. Gong's son from Hubei Province had just finished summer vacation and started vomiting and diarrhea after eating cold watermelons that had been stored in the refrigerator for a night... The rising temperature and high humidity in the summer have led to active reproduction of Escherichia coli, dysentery bacilli, and a high incidence of intestinal infectious diseases. This type of disease is highly contagious and can easily spread among family members. What causes diarrhea? What should we do when we accidentally experience summer diarrhea? According to experts from the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention, there are many causes of diarrhea, generally including infectious diarrhea and non infectious diarrhea. Diarrhea in summer is mainly infectious diarrhea. The pathogens of infectious diarrhea are mainly bacteria, viruses and parasites, such as bacillary dysentery caused by dysentery bacilli, acute gastroenteritis caused by Escherichia coli, Norovirus enteritis, rotavirus enteritis, etc. Meanwhile, in hot weather, many people like to eat raw and cold food. Eating too much or too fast raw or cold food, or getting cold in the abdomen, can stimulate the more fragile gastrointestinal mucosa, causing stress reactions in the gastrointestinal tract and causing diarrhea. Zhai Huihong, director of the Department of Gastroenterology of Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University, said that prevention of intestinal infectious diseases in summer can start with attention to drinking water hygiene, separation of raw and cooked food, cultivation of good hand hygiene habits, reduction of contact with patients with intestinal infectious diseases, and frequent washing and changing clothes and bedding. High temperature can kill pathogenic microorganisms, and drinking water should be boiled before drinking. Wash your hands before meals and after defecation. Raw food must be washed clean and the intake of raw and cold food should be minimized as much as possible. Experts remind that for families with pets, it is important to pay attention to pet hygiene and warn children not to feed their pets while eating. Summer leftover food should be stored in the refrigerator in a timely manner, and the storage time should not be too long. Low temperatures in refrigerators can only slow down bacterial growth and cannot sterilize, so food needs to be heated thoroughly before consumption. Some members of the public are concerned about how to respond if symptoms of diarrhea occur. The National Bureau of Disease Control and Prevention reminds that if diarrhea symptoms occur, they should be treated according to the situation. If the diarrhea is not serious, the symptoms can be improved within 2 to 3 days by adjusting diet, Symptomatic treatment and paying attention to daily rest; Those with severe diarrhea, especially those with severe symptoms such as dehydration and high fever, as well as children and elderly people with low immunity, should seek medical attention in the hospital's intestinal outpatient department in a timely manner. Zhai Huihong said that the commonly used drugs for diarrhea are mainly oral rehydration salts, antidiarrheal drugs, antibacterial drugs and probiotics. It is important to supplement oral rehydration salts or drink plenty of water in a timely manner, as diarrhea can easily cause the body to lose a large amount of fluid and electrolytes from the intestines. Patients should eat light and easily digestible liquid or semi liquid foods, and gradually transition to a normal diet after symptoms improve. Patients visiting the intestinal clinic can use clean small boxes or preservation bags to collect fresh stool samples and send them to the hospital for testing, so that doctors can provide targeted treatment. Xinhua News Agency reporter Gu Tiancheng