Parents should call a physician if their child has diarrhea and is younger than 6 months old, or older than 6 months old and has a fever of 101.4 degrees Fahrenheit (38.6 degrees Celsius).

Parents are urged to call a physician if their child experiences severe diarrhea or diarrhea that lasts longer than 48 hours. Blood or mucus in stools, severe abdominal pain or abdominal pain lasting more than two hours, skin rash and jaundice, and excessive fever or vomiting are other symptoms that require a physician’s attention.

Diarrhea associated with abdominal pain that begins in the navel and moves to the lower right abdomen may indicate appendicitis, which requires emergency medical attention.