Food poisoning happens when you consume contaminated food. Contaminated means infected with a harmful organism, such as a bacterium, fungus, parasite, or virus. Toxic metabolites produced by these microbes can occasionally cause food poisoning. When you consume anything harmful, your body reacts by purging the toxins. You may purge via vomiting, diarrhoea, or both. You may also get a fever. The uncomfortable symptoms of food poisoning are your body’s attempt to repair itself. It typically works in a day or two.
Food poisoning symptoms
- The predominant symptom is abrupt onset diarrhoea, which is typically accompanied by vomiting. Diarrhoea is defined as “loose or watery stools (faeces) occurring at least three times in 24 hours”. Certain infections might cause blood or mucus to appear in the faeces.
- Crampy pains in the abdomen are common. The pains may subside for a bit after you pass some diarrhoea.
- You could feel hot one minute and freezing and shivery the next. These are signs of a high temperature (fever), which can appear alongside stomach discomfort.
- General illness symptoms include a lack of energy and appetite.
Vomiting and diarrhoea usually begin hours or days after consuming infected food or drink. Vomiting usually lasts around a day, although it might last longer. Diarrhoea frequently persists after vomiting ends and can stay for many days or longer. Slightly loose stools can last for a week or longer until the typical pattern returns.
Who develops food poisoning?
Anyone can acquire food poisoning if they eat contaminated food, although some people are more susceptible to illness from contamination than others. It depends on how much toxin they consumed and how concentrated it was. Your general health affects your risk of contracting food poisoning. Your immune system is constantly fighting infections without your knowledge. Even with the most sanitary food handling methods, your meal will usually contain some infection. It becomes “poisonous” when your immune system reaches a certain level.
When to Get Help?
You should get medical advice if:
- You think you’re getting dehydrated.
- You’re vomiting and can’t keep any fluids down.
- You have blood in your poop or vomit.
- You’re experiencing a terrible stomach ache.
- You have significant symptoms or believe your illness is becoming worse.
- You have a fever, or high temperature, that persists for three days or more or does not go away with medications like paracetamol.
- Your symptoms, such as vomiting that lasts more than a few days or diarrhoea that doesn’t go away after three to four days, are not going away.
- Your infection was acquired overseas.
- You are aged or suffer from a chronic illness like diabetes, epilepsy, kidney disease, or inflammatory bowel disease.
- Because of things like chemotherapy, long-term steroid medication, or an uncontrolled HIV infection, your immune system is compromised.
- You’re expecting a child.
- You think that consuming meals from a restaurant or ordering takeaway may have caused you to get a food illness.
How can food poisoning be prevented?
The most important strategy to prevent food poisoning is to follow safe food handling procedures. Those who harvest, handle, and prepare food must be vigilant at all stages of the process to avoid contamination. For example:
- Clean: Thoroughly wash raw produce using clean, sanitary water. Wash your hands and utensils before preparing food. All surfaces that will come into contact with your food, including cutting boards, countertops, and plates, should be washed and disinfected.
- Separate: To avoid cross-contamination, keep raw meats and eggs separate from fresh produce and other foods. Cooking at the right temperature will kill bacteria on animal products. However, if those bacteria spread to raw food, they may live and infect it.
- Cook: To eradicate bacteria, make sure to fully cook meats and seafood to the right temperatures. If the outside of a whole cut of meat is well-seared, the inside may appear pink. Ground meats must be cooked all the way through so that no pink remains. Fish should be easy to flake with a fork and opaque rather than transparent.
- Chill: To prevent bacteria from growing, place prepared items in the refrigerator or freeze them within two hours of cooking. While serving, make sure that any dish that contains gravy, sauces, mayonnaise, or creams has remained at the right temperature. Examine your food in the refrigerator for the formation of mould or other microorganisms. Dairy products should be thrown out if their expiration dates have passed or they smell “off.”
Additionally, by alerting the public to potential outbreaks, your public health agency works to prevent food poisoning. When food recalls are announced to the public, pay heed. Report food poisoning if you contract it.
Medicines
Usually, antidiarrheal medications are not required. You will heal faster if you allow your body to do its best job of eliminating the germ for you. However, in certain particular circumstances, a medication known as loperamide could be recommended. Consult a chemist before taking this medication.
A moderate headache, a high fever, or mild stomach pain can all be relieved by paracetamol. Obtain a sample of the diarrhoea in certain situations. If a bacterium is found, a course of antibiotic medication may be prescribed.