Food poisoning is no joke; once you have had it, you will do whatever it takes to avoid getting it again. So what exactly is food poisoning? Simply put, food poisoning is a food borne illness people get from eating food contaminated with toxins or bad bacteria. Sometimes foods will look a little funny or smell a little funny; but very often, you will not know the food you are about to eat is contaminated with bad bacteria that could be harmful to your health.
What does food poisoning do to your body? Well, that depends on what kind of food poisoning you have and whether you have a compromised immune system due to your age or an underlying medical condition. There is more than one type of food poisoning; so let's look at some of the types and how they can affect you.
Shigella: Shigella is a bad bacterium that causes severe diarrhea; it is spread from human to human through fecal matter and poor hygiene. The symptoms of this disease are very similar to Salmonella in that it causes fever, cramps, nausea, and the diarrhea which is usually bloody. A doctor is able to test the stool of the person suspected of having Shigella to know for sure whether this bacterial infection is present in the patient.
Preventing Shigella is easy if one practices consistent personal hygiene by washing hands thoroughly and keeping bathroom and kitchen surfaces free of fecal matter. This can be done by practicing good cleaning methods with common household disinfectants.
Botulism: There are three types of Botulism bacteria: wound, infant botulism and food borne. Wound botulism is caused by a rare bacteria toxin that infects a wound. Infant botulism is caused by bacteria living inside the intestines of a baby. One culprit can be raw honey. It is very important infants are never given raw honey as it may have serious side effects. Improperly canned and processed foods are the main cause of food borne botulism.
Botulism can cause dry mouth, muscle weakness, blurry vision, slurred speech and difficulty in swallowing. It can also, in severe cases, cause paralysis and respiratory failure.
The way to eliminate many cases of Botulism is to continually educate food handlers how to properly can, cook and prepare foods. It can be avoided in infants by simply not giving them honey. Most food borne illnesses or food poisoning cases can be avoided by taking some simple precautions such as consistent and thorough hand washing procedures, sanitary practices for surfaces in the bathroom and kitchen environments, as well as taking the time to make sure meats are fully cooked and raw materials from animals are handled in a sanitary manner.
Salmonella is an infection that can be passed to the human body from both wild and domesticated animals through the meat, eggs or milk produced from the animals. You can get salmonella from eating meat that is undercooked, from milk that is unpasteurized or from raw or improperly cooked eggs. You can also get it from surfaces that are touched by any of those items. Some people can be carriers of salmonella and not show any symptoms, yet it can be passed on to other humans if there are food handlers.
How do you know if you have salmonella poisoning? Some of the symptoms of salmonella food poisoning are nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever and vomiting. The symptoms can last 5-7 days. Fortunately for most with Salmonella, they just have to take care not to get dehydrated. However, the very young child, the elderly, or people with a chronic illness could be in more serious danger. In those situations, there are times when a doctor will prescribe antibiotics to help fight the bacterial infection.
To help avoid getting Salmonella one should not eat raw eggs, drink raw milk, and always make sure the meat you eat is fully cooked. You also must keep all surfaces in the kitchen and refrigerator clean and wiped down with disinfectant if they come in contact with uncooked meat, juices, eggs or milk products.
E.coli is a bacterial infection that contaminates food, milk and even unsanitary swimming water. It causes the same type of symptoms as the previous bacterial infections, however, sometimes bloody diarrhea is present and sometimes it is not. A stool sample must be submitted to the doctor to know for sure if E.coli is the bacteria responsible for causing the illness in a patient complaining of these symptoms.
In some patients, E.coli can cause serious complications for their red blood cells which can result in kidney failure. It is recommended if a person suddenly starts having bloody diarrhea, they should immediately seek medical help to determine what bacteria is the cause. This is critical to avoiding further complications to the overall health and well being of the infected person. This type of bacterial infection can be avoided by simply taking the precaution of cooking meats until there is no question it is done and taking extreme care to wash hands and surfaces carefully when using a restroom, changing diapers, performing personal care for the elderly or after handling raw meats when preparing them for a meal.
Listeria is a bit different from other bacteria because of the way it enters into the food supply. It is mainly spread through the soil and water. The soil or water can be contaminated through the fertilizer used in the growing process. Foods contaminated with Listeria must be heated or pasteurized to kill the bacteria. There are many cases each year of people who have been infected with Listeria through sandwich meats which were infected with the bacteria through the manufacturing process.
Listeria food poisoning is very serious and can cause death. Symptoms can include diarrhea, fever, nausea and muscle pain. Other symptoms such as confusion, convulsions and a lack of balance can occur if the bacteria travel to the nervous system
Additionally, if a pregnant woman should become infected with Listeria it could cause her to prematurely deliver her baby. It is very likely the baby would also be infected or Listeria can even cause a baby to be stillborn. A diagnosis of Listeria is made by blood or spinal fluid testing and it is often treated with antibiotics.
Again, most food borne illnesses or food poisoning cases can be avoided by taking a few simple precautions such as consistent and thorough hand washing procedures, sanitary practices for surfaces in the bathroom and kitchen environments, as well as taking the time to make sure meats are fully cooked and raw materials from animals are handled in a sanitary manner. Food safety is really very simple; but not followed, the results can be deadly.
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