Follow-up care for dysentery

For a child classified with dysentery, you need to provide follow-up care two days after the initial visit. Box 5.9 sets out the questions you need to ask at the follow-up care visit and what treatment should be provided. If you find the child’s symptoms are the same or have got worse, you should refer the child to hospital.

 Follow-up care for dysentery

Give follow-up care after two days as follows:

Ask:

• Are there fewer stools?
• Is there less blood in the stool?
• Is there less fever?
• Is there less abdominal pain?
• Is the child eating better?

Assess the child for diarrhoea. (Use the Assess and Classify chart to help you.)

Treatment:

• If the child is dehydrated, treat dehydration.
• If the number of stools, amount of blood in stools, fever, abdominal pain or eating problems are the same or worse: refer to hospital.
• If there are fewer stools, or there is less blood in the stools, less fever, less abdominal pain, and the child is eating better, continue giving the same antibiotic until finished. Review with the mother the importance of the child finishing the antibiotics.