Giardiasis is a small intestine infection, caused by a microscopic parasite known as; Giardia lamblia. It is an infection that can affect both animals and humans, once a person or an animal has been infected with Giardia, the parasite begins to live in the intestine and gets passed through the stool. Once this Giardia gets outside of the body, it has the capacity to survive for weeks or months.
Image source
Giardiasis spreads through contact with infected humans, and it can be gotten through the contamination of food and water. The infection is even more common among dogs and cats. The most common method of infection spread is through the consumption of contaminated water. This contaminated water could be gotten through; water bodies like lakes, swimming pools, and even spas. Other sources of contamination are diapers, agricultural runoff, and animal feces.
Sometimes, infected humans do not show symptoms or signs of Giardiasis infection, but they still remain carriers of the infection regardless, and in extension, there is a capacity to spread the infection to others through stool. For some humans who get to show symptoms while infected, they show symptoms, such as;
Gas, weight loss, nausea, fatigue, watery and sometimes foul-smelling diarrhea, vomiting, excessive gas, abdominal pain, and headaches.
Image source
While anyone can get Giardiasis, there are people who stand a higher chance of getting an infection;
- Those who get their household water from shallow wells.
- Those who have a weak immune system.
- Those who work or live in a childcare setting.
- Travelers who live in areas where there is poor sanitation.
- Swimmers, who constantly swallow water from swimming pools.
- Those whose immune system is weak.
- The people who have contact with an infected environment or animal poop.
- The spread of the parasite through anal sex.
There are some cases of complications, which are not usually common in industrialized countries, but lingering symptoms and complications can affect mostly children and infants. The most common complications include;
Inability to thrive: When chronic diarrhea occurs from Giardia infection, it can result in malnutrition which would lead to harm harm of physical and mental development.
Lactose Intolerance: So many people who get Giardia infection, usually develop lactose intolerance. This is the inability to properly digest milk sugar, this issue would persist for a longer time, even after the infection has cleared.
Dehydration: This happens when the body fails to have sufficient water to carry out its normal functions.
If humans know how to prevent Giardiasis, it would be a better path for a sickness-free society. The prevention requires;
- Proper hygiene during food preparation.
- Total avoidance of contact with stool especially during sex.
- Overall general hygiene.
- Proper treatment of public water.
Boiling water has proven to destroy this parasite, and it is a safe way for even hikers to make sure that lakes and water are safe for consumption.
There are several prescription drugs that are available for the treatment of Giardiasis. Although, it can infect all humans, infants, and pregnant women are likely to experience dehydration from the diarrhea caused by Giardiasis. Dehydration can be really life-threatening when it affects infants, so it is important that adequate care is taken to help treat infants.
Giardiasis can affect both humans and animals, but the Giardia parasite that makes humans sick is different from the ones that affect animals, so pet owners can relax as they are unlikely to get the infection from a pet or even from a wild animal.