Wilderness Sickness

Have you ever been out camping or hiking? Yes you have, you look like the hiking and camping type. Well in your experiences out in the wilderness you mave have had a time where you drank water from a stream or a pump. how did you feel later on? You may have come down with "beaver fever"...

Commonly called beaver fever, "Giardiasis", is a disease contracted from contaminated food or water, generally in the wilderness or 3rd world countries, or a daycare, as it can be passed on by personal contact. Giardiasis infects somewhere in the vicinity of 200 million people worldwide, and is transferable between animals and humans.

If you do come down with giardiasis, these are some of the symptoms that you may have to endure: - Diarrhea - Stomach cramps - Loss of appetite - Lethargy - Upset Stomach - Bloating - FlatulenceThese symptoms generally start a fortnight (2 weeks) after infection occurs. A common problem with the condition is that generally, symptoms can go away, and then reappear in a cycle. This makes it difficult to determine whether or not you are still contagious.

However, only about a third of the infected will show symptoms, thus making spread easier. The body is able to defeat the infection on its own, but antibiodics can always help. Antibiodics for adults: metronidazole, albenzazole and quinacrine.

Antibiodics for children: Furazolidone and nitazoxanide.