What causes diarrhea in babies?
There are various possible causes of diarrhea in infants, but most common cause is viral intestinal infection due to enteroviruses. Other causes are bacteria (salmonella, shigella, E. coli, campylobacter), food or milk allergy, food poisoning (contaminated food, shellfish, mushrooms) parasites (ascaris, giardia), from side effect of antibiotics they are taking, and Rotavirus infection (the worst). There are no effective drugs for viral intestinal infection. Over-the-counter drugs for diarrhea can be dangerous for infants and younger children. These medications usually worsen the intestinal injury by transferring valuable fluid and salt (sodium) out of the circulating blood stream into intestinal walls, leading to swelling of the intestines. This fluid “escape” (transfer) dehydrates the baby even when the diarrhea appears to have stopped. Dehydration is very dangerous in infants and young children. Dehydration can kill within matter of hours. Oral fluid replacement for mild diarrhea, an
