In my last few posts I have been writing about recommended health screenings for newly internationally adopted children, and about the "yucky side" of adopting a new child internationally. I have given some general information on some of the most common creepy crawlies that new adoptive parents often have to deal with. As I have written, lice, scabies and ringworm are all fairly commonly found in newly arrived international adoptees.

In this post I am going to write about a fourth "ickiness" that is a common ailment of newly adopted children, and that is giardia.

Giardia is a protozoan parasite, which causes an illness of the lower intestine. It is found in many children adopted from developing countries because of the high frequency of parasites and bacteria in the water in those countries. It is also commonly found in the United States in day care centers and similar settings.

Giardia symptoms are typically diarrhea (often explosive in infants), upset stomaches, distended stomaches and very foul-smelling gas and poop. I cannot tell you how many adoptive parents i have heard describe the "massive diaper blowouts" of their sweet, tiny, new little babies, who happened to be suffering from giarida.

Giardia is often spread through contaminated water, however it is also very easily spread by casual contact between people and by touching contaminated surfaces such as toilets, doorknobs and sinks. Because it is so easily spread, it is very important if your child has giardia or if your child may have giardia, to practice very careful hygiene in the bathroom and with diaper changes, and lots and lots of hand-washing is essential.

Testing for giardia can be tricky (and is really, really, really not fun). It typically involves "collecting" three different stool samples from three different days and then delivering them to your doctor. Three are needed because "finding" parasites in stool samples can be very tricky, as they are not always present in every sample. I know many families have only done one sample test and gotten a negative result, but then after continued symptoms for a period of time retested, and found that their child did have giardia. Because of this, if you child tests negative for giardia but has the symptoms and was adopted from a place where contaminated water is very common, then they are likely to treat the child for giardia anyway.

The most common medication prescribed to treat giardia is Flagyl, which is usually the most effective and often eliminated giardia with just one two to three week course.

While giardia is a very common intestinal parasite, there are many others that are commonly found in internationally adopted children, and your child should be tested/screened for any that your doctor feels are appropriate. When a child is infected by parasites, the parasites prevent the nutrients of the food the child is eating from being absorbed properly, and the result can often by failure to thrive. It is also worth noting that if your child tests negative for giardia and parasites or continues to have similar symptoms after treatment, lactose intolerance often has similar intestinal symptoms and is common in many internationally adopted children.

*As always, this information is just a starting point, and you should consult with your doctor before treating your child.

(And no, for this post, I didn't even try to find a picture!)