Forecast
As a rule, a “classic gastro-enteritis” heals within a relatively short time and leaves no permanent damage. However, complications can occur with some rare pathogens, such as bloody diarrhoea during the EHEC epidemic in 2011. In Germany, moreover, inflammations such as diverticulitis or appendicitis have an extremely good prognosis. In the field of chronic inflammatory bowel diseases, great therapeutic progress has been made in recent years, so that patients suffer less from their disease.
Prophylaxis
Particularly in the case of intestinal inflammation, the risk of falling ill can be drastically reduced with a few simple means: Washing your hands regularly, especially after each visit to the toilet, before preparing meals and before eating, minimizes the infection with pathogenic germs. To do this, hold your hands under running water, rub in soap for 20-30 seconds, rinse them thoroughly and finally dry them carefully. It is also important to clean thumbs and fingertips thoroughly.
Some germs and parasites adhere to food and can only be removed by thoroughly washing them off. Also make sure that the preparation of raw meat and vegetables is strictly separated. If possible, those affected by a gastrointestinal infection should use a separate toilet.
In this way you effectively prevent infection! If this is not possible, the toilet must be cleaned and disinfected after each use. Finally, direct physical contact between sick and healthy people should be avoided if possible.
