Coping with... RECURRENT GASTROENTERITIS

Gastroenteritis is an infection of the bowel, causing diarrhoea, vomiting, abdominal pain and fever. It’s common, usually mild and should settle on its own.

Most cases in children are caused by viruses, the most common was rotavirus, although this is now vaccinated against as part of the NHS infant vaccination schedule in the eight and 12-week jabs.

In both adults and children another viral cause is norovirus. It often recurs, as it’s highly infectious, surviving on unwashed surfaces for several days, yet we don’t tend to develop much immunity.

Bacterial infections can also cause gastroenteritis and,