Berlin (dpa) – Terrible are the days spent largely on – and bent over – the toilet. If you're afflicted with diarrhoea and vomiting, you fervently want your body to stop promptly expelling whatever you eat or drink. There are many possible culprits for these nasty gastrointestinal infections, frequently rota- or noroviruses. Bacteria can also be behind them, including Salmonella, Campylobacter and enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC). Whatever's responsible for the diarrhoea and vomiting, the infection causes the body to lose a lot of fluids and electrolytes – minerals key to many bodily functions. Groups at particular risk of severe illness – in part because of greater sensitivity to the effects of dehydration – are the elderly, infants and young children, and people with a weakened

See Full Page