Pointers for Parents
(NAPS) — When 16 people in Connecticut developed diarrhea and other distressing symptoms several days after eating the same salad at a picnic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) determined that they had giardiasis. The CDC tracked the source of the infection to a woman who had mixed the salad with her hands.
She had probably become a carrier of the infection when failing to wash her hands properly after diapering her child.
The infectious parasite that causes giardiasis, known as Giardia, can be picked up during diaper changing and from surfaces such as changing tables and diaper pails contaminated with the feces of an infected person.
Washing your hands carefully after diapering a child can help prevent the spread of an infectious disease called giardiasis.
The CDC estimates that up to 2.5 million cases of giardiasis occur annually in the United States. Day care centers are common sites of infection.
Everyone who comes in contact with a day care center—staff, parents and children—should wash their hands often because the infection is spread so easily.
Symptoms usually appear one to two weeks after a person has been infected and may include abdominal discomfort, bloating due to intestinal gas, flatulence and diarrhea.
These symptoms may last two to six weeks. If left untreated, symptoms may persist for months.
"Because giardiasis can be spread after swallowing only a small amount of contaminated material, hand washing is the single most effective way to prevent the spread of this highly contagious disease," explains Dr. Bradley A Connor, medical director, The New York Center for Travel and Tropical Medicine and clinical associate professor of Medicine, Weill Medical College of Cornell University.
If you think you have giardiasis, tell your health care provider. By providing all the facts, you are more likely to receive a proper diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Several drugs are available to treat the infection, including Tindamax, a single-dose prescription therapy.
"Single-dose therapies have been shown to help patients take the medication as prescribed, which is important when treating a condition like giardiasis," says Dr. Connor.
Tindamax has been designated as a drug of choice for the treatment of giardiasis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Before giving any medication to a child, be sure to consult a health care professional.
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Important Safety Information
WARNING: POTENTIAL RISK FOR CARCINOGENICITY
Carcinogenicity has been seen in mice and rats treated chronically with metronidazole, another nitroimidazole agent. Although such data have not been reported for tinidazole, the two drugs are structurally related and have similar biologic effects. Its use should be reserved for the conditions described in INDICATIONS AND USAGE.
Contraindications
- Prior history of hypersensitivity to tinidazole or other nitroimidazole derivatives
- First trimester of pregnancy
- Nursing mothers, unless breast-feeding is interrupted during tinidazole therapy and for 3 days following the last dose
Warnings and Precautions
- Seizures and neuropathy have been reported. Discontinue Tindamax if abnormal neurologic signs develop
- Vaginal candidiasis may develop with Tindamax and require treatment with an antifungal agent
- Use Tindamax with caution in patients with blood dyscrasias. Tindamax may produce transient leukopenia and neutropenia
Adverse Reactions
Most common adverse reactions for a single 2 g dose of tinidazole (incidence >1%) are metallic/bitter taste, nausea, weakness/fatigue/malaise, dyspepsia/cramps/epigastric discomfort, vomiting, anorexia, headache, dizziness and constipation. To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Mission Pharmacal Company at 1-800-298-1087 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch
This material is intended to provide basic information. Patients should discuss all medical advice, diagnosis, and treatment with their healthcare provider.
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