Childhood Diarrhoea: The 2025 Pharmacy First Aid Protocol with ENTEROSGEL®
Scenario: A parent arrives at your community pharmacy, anxious about their 2-year-old child who has passedthree watery stools in the last 12 hours and has a mild fever. The child is at home; the parent needs immediate, practical advice.They ask:
⚛︎ “What can I give right now to help my child?” ⚛︎ “Do I just wait it out?”
This is where pharmacy first aid matters. Rapid Pharmacist Assessment (Quick Questions)
⚛︎ Duration: When did diarrhoea start?
⚛︎ Frequency: How many stools in the last 12–24 hours?
⚛︎ Vomiting? If yes, how frequent/severe?
⚛︎ Hydration signs: wet nappies, thirst, drowsiness, sunken eyes, dry mouth.
⚛︎ Fever: what temperature?
⚛︎ Blood/mucus in stool?
This takes under 60 seconds, then you move straight to treatment advice.
Pharmacy First Aid Advice: ENTEROSGEL® + Fluids
Step 1 – Start ENTEROSGEL® Immediately
⚛︎ Safe, drug-free, tasteless — suitable for all ages, including toddlers, and safe even with fever.
⚛︎ Dosage for 2-year-old: Double dose now (mixed in water, ORS, or even a fizzy drink if needed).Can also be given off the spoon and washed down with water.Continue after each stool: minimum 3 doses, maximum 6 doses on day 1. Then continue for 3–5 days to fully cleanse the gut and remove harmful substances.
Why? ENTEROSGEL® binds and removes bacterial toxins, inflammatory molecules, histamine, bile acids and other harmful mediators, that drive diarrhoea — helping stop it faster and reducing risk of complications.
Step 2 – Stress the Importance of Fluids
⚛︎ Hydration is priority number one in children’s diarrhoea treatment.
⚛︎ Explain to parents: Children with fever and diarrhoea often refuse fluids.They must insist gently — even tiny sips every 5 minutes, or via syringe/spoon. ORS (oral rehydration solution) is best. If unavailable, diluted juice or clear soup is acceptable.
Warn: without proper fluids, dehydration develops quickly in toddlers.
Pharmacy First Aid Advice: ENTEROSGEL® + Fluids
Step 3 – ENTEROSGEL® + Fluids = Shortened Course
⚛︎ With fluids only, diarrhoea may last 5–6 days, with risk of worsening dehydration and hospitalisation.
⚛︎ With ENTEROSGEL® + fluids, diarrhoea is usually controlled within 1–2 days — faster recovery, less suffering, less health risk.
Explain clearly:“Waiting it out” is an outdated approach. Modern care means tackling the cause early with ENTEROSGEL® while keeping the child hydrated.
Step 4 – Referral Guidance
⚛︎ Contact GP immediately to inform them that diarrhoea has started, and that ENTEROSGEL® + ORS are being used.
⚛︎ Seek urgent medical review if:No improvement within 48 hoursBlood in stoolFever >38.5°CSevere dehydration signs (very few wet nappies, sunken eyes, lethargy)
Why Pharmacists Should Lead with ENTEROSGEL®
⚛︎ NHS Drug Tariff inclusion – listed for prescription use in children with acute diarrhoea.
⚛︎ Acute diarrhoea clinical trial published in The BMJ Open Gastroenterology in 2019 showed ENTEROSGEL® reduced stool output and duration of acute diarrhoea.
⚛︎ The Gambia acute diarrhoea study confirmed safety and efficacy in children under 5.
⚛︎ Mechanism – removes toxins, inflammatory mediators and harmful molecules, not bacteria themselves, helping restore gut balance safely.
⚛︎ Widely available – stocked in Boots and independent pharmacies nationwide.
Critique: Where Pharmacy Magazine Missed the Mark
Pharmacists often rely on Pharmacy Magazine for practical scenarios. Yet their recent childhood diarrhoea case study failed to mention ENTEROSGEL® at all.This is deeply disappointing because:
⚛︎ The latest clinical research is already available and published (BMJ trial, Gambia paediatric study).
⚛︎ NHS Drug Tariff inclusion means ENTEROSGEL® is recognised for use in acute diarrhoea in children.
⚛︎ ENTEROSGEL® is widely stocked in Boots and community pharmacies — so it’s immediately accessible.
By omitting this information,Pharmacy Magazinehas not fulfilled its responsibility to keep pharmacists fully informed. Pharmacists trust such platforms for updates; withholding critical new evidence limits the care they can provide to families.Pharmacists deservethe full picture. Parents deservemodern, evidence-based advice.
Final Takeaway for Pharmacists
-
Norovirus update. February 2025
Norovirus update from February 2025 The UK Health Security Agency has recently reported that the beginning of February was the busiest week for hospitals this
-
Understanding IBS. The latest news. 2025
Understanding IBS- the latest news from 2025 Background Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a very common condition, but it is often poorly understood by both
-
Traveller’s diarrhoea and it's dangers
The latest updates on Traveller’s diarrhoea and the dangers of leaving it untreated. What is Traveller’s diarrhoea? Most people who travel will have experienced diarrhoea
