Early symptoms of food poisoning and how to prevent it. How to avoid food poisoning in summer Unwashed hands and unwashed food

in most cases, they occur on holidays and days of rest, their greatest peak is in the summer season. Therefore, when going on vacation, be extremely careful .. So let's figure out what are the symptoms of poisoning and how it can be prevented.

Food poisoning (food infection)- This is a disease caused by eating poor-quality food, less often poisonous plants. Most cases of food poisoning are easily treated, but sometimes the disease can become severe. Most often, food poisoning occurs during the holidays, when products are purchased in a hurry. Customers do not particularly pay attention to the quality of the products offered, and unscrupulous sellers take advantage of this.

Why is this happening
The most common cause of food poisoning is a violation of the sanitary and hygienic rules for the storage and preparation of products, which contributes to the contamination of products with pathogenic microorganisms (staphylococcus, proteus, entrotoxigenic strains of Escherichia coli, etc.) Some toxins secreted by microorganisms (for example, staphylococcus aureus) are resistant to thermal processing, so food poisoning can occur even after cooking. The consequences of food poisoning are dysbacteriosis and chronic intestinal infections.

Symptoms of poisoning
The picture of the disease depends on the type and amount of the poor-quality product eaten. The first signs of food poisoning can appear as early as 30 minutes after eating. Headache, chills, muscle aches, fever, vomiting, diarrhea - this is a consequence of food poisoning. The most serious is botulism. Poisoning occurs several hours or days after eating contaminated foods. Botulinum bacillus spores reproduce exclusively in an oxygen-free environment - in meat products, in canned food. When infected with botulism, the nervous system is affected. Symptoms: abdominal pain, vomiting. A few hours later - weakening of vision (a grid appears before the eyes, fog), impaired speech, swallowing, paralysis of other muscles of the body. Failure to provide emergency medical care can lead to death.

First aid
If food poisoning is suspected, it is necessary to wash the stomach with a weak solution of potassium permanganate with inducing vomiting, drink activated charcoal (calculated as 1 tablet per 10 kg of human weight). After washing, you can drink strong hot tea. If the symptoms persist - abdominal pain, temperature above 37 ° C, the whites of the eyes turn yellow, nausea appears after eating, indomitable vomiting with blood, frequent diarrhea with blood - then you need to urgently consult a doctor.

Prevention of food poisoning
To avoid food poisoning, you should use only fresh food for cooking. In particular, special attention should be paid to freshly frozen products, since they are most often subjected to secondary freezing, and this affects the quality of the products. When preparing meat and seafood dishes, elementary rules must be observed. Meals cannot be undercooked or undercooked. Ready meals are stored in a tightly closed container in the refrigerator, but this does not mean that they can be stored in it for a long time.

quality products
Ready meals must be used within the next two days. When cutting fresh products and ready-made dishes, you need to use different cutting boards and knives. It is not necessary to use products of dubious quality, unknown mushrooms and berries for cooking. Do not store canned food in open cans. The main thing to remember is that food poisoning is not always a minor discomfort for a few days. It can seriously harm health, and sometimes carries a mortal threat.

A fairly large percentage of emergency medical attention falls on cases of poisoning. This is the name of acutely developed conditions associated with the entry into the circulatory system of substances toxic to humans. Most often, food poisoning occurs, while the toxic factor enters the body through the gastrointestinal tract with food or drinks.

Types of food poisoning

Depending on the type and source of the toxin, there are several types of food poisoning:

Food poisoning	Associated with contamination of food with live bacteria. The toxins they release disrupt the functioning of the intestinal mucosa and are absorbed into the bloodstream, causing a general toxic effect. Such a disease can be caused by various bacteria, and the most common variant of food poisoning is salmonellosis. It is he who causes most poisoning with eggs, dairy products, ice cream, confectionery and sausages.
Food bacteriotoxicoses	The onset of symptoms is due to the ingestion of food contaminated with bacterial toxins. Moreover, the microbes that secreted them usually die by the time of poisoning. A classic example of bacteriotoxicosis is botulism.
Mushroom poisoning	The cause of the disease is the consumption of poisonous or improperly processed conditionally edible mushrooms.
Poisoning by poisonous plants	Plant poisons can enter the digestive system through mistaken or intentional eating of a number of plants. Moreover, only certain parts of them can be poisonous: berries, leaves, rhizomes. Some medicinal plants also exhibit toxicity when the maximum allowable dosage or increased individual sensitivity of a person is exceeded.
Poisoning by poisons of animal origin	Milk of some fish during the spawning period, lamprey mucus can be toxic. Many fish of the pufferfish family (for example, fugu) are poisonous. In a special group, ciguatera poisoning is distinguished. It is associated with eating reef fish that have accumulated ciguatoxin in their bodies, a toxin secreted by single-celled marine creatures.
Alcohol poisoning	This includes conditions associated with the use of alcohol substitutes (methanol, ethylene glycol, technical fluids, etc.) or toxic doses of ethyl alcohol. Strictly speaking, alcohol poisoning is separated from other food poisoning in adults and is often treated as a separate type of poisoning. This is due to the peculiarities of the influence of such toxins on the human body, because they have a predominantly general toxic effect with damage to vital organs.

What to do in order not to get poisoned

How to avoid food poisoning? Preventive measures include:

• Compliance with the rules of food storage, especially in the hot season. Expiration dates should be monitored, raw meat / fish (not closed with a bag, film or lid) and ready-made meals should not be placed in the refrigerator near each other, and re-freezing of semi-finished products, meat, fish and minced meat should be avoided. It is very important to put food that has cooled down after cooking, food brought home and the remaining unclaimed food into the refrigerator in a timely manner.
• Compliance with hygiene rules in the kitchen. You should thoroughly wash your hands and food, keep dishes and cutlery clean, use a separate board and knife for cutting raw meat and fish. It is recommended to wash the eggshell before breaking.
• Compliance with the rules of personal hygiene. You should develop the habit of washing your hands after the street, going to the toilet, before eating, after preparing food.
• Carrying out sanitization of the home, if someone close to you has contracted an intestinal infection. It is desirable that during the period of illness and for some time after it, he should use separate dishes, which should be regularly doused with boiling water and treated with disinfectants.
• Refusal to accept products if there are suspicions of a violation of the rules for their storage. Warning signs include the presence on the package of traces of opening and unintentional mechanical damage, re-labeling of the label, even a slight swelling of the walls of the container, uneven and excessive ice crust on frozen products.
• Refusal of food of dubious origin, because it can be contaminated with bacteria even at the stage of preparation or serving. The cause of food contamination can be chronic or latent forms of intestinal infections in cooks, cleaners and waiters, non-compliance with sanitary and hygienic standards in the kitchen (dirty tools, dishes, cutting boards). You should not eat in establishments where they pay insufficient attention to the cleanliness of the hall, tables, dishes and cutlery, where the waiters are untidy and indirect signs of the presence of insects and rodents are visible.

Such simple measures are a good prevention of food poisoning. If there are doubts about the quality of foods already eaten, it is possible to reduce the risk of poisoning with the help of enterosorbent preparations. They precipitate toxins and bacteria on their surface, while they themselves are not absorbed into the bloodstream and are non-toxic, even when taking several tablets at the same time. Filtrum® is a convenient, safe and versatile enterosorbent. It is also approved for use by infants.

Important: before use, consult a specialist.

How to Avoid Other Forms of Food Poisoning

To avoid poisoning by poisonous fish, only well-known breeds should be used for food. When traveling to exotic countries, it is advisable to order dishes from cod fish and other definitely edible species in restaurants. During the spawning period, it is recommended to refuse to eat the milk of pike, burbot, mackerel, perch, marinka fish and some others.

Mushroom poisoning can be avoided by carefully sorting the mushrooms before cooking. Any questionable instance should be discarded. If possible, refuse to eat conditionally edible mushrooms. If they are still collected, you must carefully follow the rules for their culinary processing. It is advisable not to use home-made dried, salted and pickled mushrooms bought from strangers in the markets for food.

The appearance of the first signs of poisoning with plant or animal poisons requires urgent medical attention. Prior to this, it is recommended to wash the stomach and take an enterosorbent (for example, Filtrum®) to reduce the concentration of toxins in the digestive tract.

Alcohol poisoning prevention

To avoid alcohol poisoning, it should be bought only in large trusted stores, giving preference to well-known brands. At the same time, each bottle should be checked for signs of falsification. A slightly different font or smeared letters on the label, an unevenly pasted and indistinctly printed excise stamp, a slightly different color shade of the liquid and sediment in the bottle - all this should alert you when buying. Such signs may indicate a counterfeit alcoholic beverage.

Currently, it is possible to check the legality of alcohol using a QR code. It is available only on officially released bottles and is read by a special scanner at the time the receipt is generated at the checkout. This is an effective way to protect against the purchase of counterfeit products, so you should buy alcoholic beverages only in stores with such a scanner.

If doubts about the authenticity of alcohol arose after opening the bottle, you should refuse to take such alcohol. When the first signs of poisoning appear, it is necessary to call an ambulance, wash the stomach and take an enterosorbent (for example, Filtrum ®). The questionable bottle should be kept for toxicological examination.

Perhaps there is not a single person who would not feel such symptoms when a real hurricane begins, it is very sick and it is very scary to move away from the toilet for a long time. This is the real food poisoning and most often it happens in the summer! What kind of disease is this, how to prevent it, and what should be done in case of food poisoning in the summer, both in adults and in children.

Why do food poisonings most often occur in the summer?

Of course, you can get poisoned in the middle of winter! But the season of food poisoning falls on the summer period! But why is this happening?

With the onset of summer, all foodstuffs begin to deteriorate much faster. If you pour kefir into a glass and leave it on the table all night in winter, then it is unlikely that something will happen to it, but in the middle of summer it will turn sour in just a few hours. Even if you put it in the refrigerator, because the temperature in summer is different from the temperature in winter. Therefore, you need to check the expiration date in advance on all products that quickly deteriorate, you need to subtract several days from the specified date and do not eat products that have lain for a long time without a refrigerator.

Unwashed hands and unwashed food

Usually this is a common cause of poisoning during a picnic in nature, in the country, during a hike - that is, in those places where it is impossible to observe food hygiene.

Vegetables and fruits

The wrong combination of vegetables and fruits with other foods that are incompatible with them. For example, a combination of cucumbers and dairy products, since indigestion occurs as a result of the fermentation of lactic acid bacteria (this can be seen if you put a cucumber in milk or kefir).

Eating unripe fruits

This can cause poisoning or a slight upset stomach. You do not need to pay attention to the opinion of your "experienced" acquaintances, who are happy to eat unripe vegetables. Since the resistance of the stomach to such products is different for everyone.

More sensitive to such unripe vegetables and fruits are children, so you do not need to stuff your baby with such unripe foods in large quantities.

Symptoms of food poisoning

Food poisoning in the summer occurs due to the multiplication of bacteria in the human stomach. In another way, it can be described as the "fermentation" of bacteria in the intestines and stomach.

Depending on how much spoiled food you have eaten, the symptoms of poisoning may appear at different times after eating: for example, drinking milk with cucumbers will have an effect in about a couple of minutes, and after you eat one kilogram of green apricots, the result can be seen In a few hours. But fatty, meat and other more “heavy” foods are digested much longer in the body, and the first signs appear after 6 hours.

• Vomiting and nausea. The human body itself can recognize everything that is harmful to it and will try to get rid of it!
• Diarrhea.
• In some cases, severe headache. But this symptom is not required.
• Heaviness in the stomach, lethargy of the whole body. This condition is usually recognized by women who have gone through pregnancy toxemia!
• Sometimes body temperature may rise.

In a small child who cannot tell his parents that he is not feeling well, and recognize poisoning in the summer even before the child has asked to sit on the potty, you can recognize by the following signs:

Lethargy of the child and his desire to attract your attention, pale face.

• Smell from the mouth
• "Grumbling" in the abdomen and bloating
• Refusal of food, complete lack of appetite, atypical thirst
• low body temperature

But these are only indirect signs that are also characteristic of other diseases, so you don’t need to immediately write them off for food poisoning - call an ambulance or your pediatrician as soon as possible.

First aid

What can be done if food poisoning has already occurred? First of all, you need to try to induce vomiting to cleanse the stomach. If at this moment you are not sick yet, drink a glass of water, or at least as much as you can, and then induce vomiting, for this you need to take a regular spoon and put it on your tongue. You can not try to take any medications, as they simply cannot be absorbed.

After cleansing the stomach, you need to take sorbents, such as regular activated charcoal.

If you are afraid to move away from the toilet, then you should not stop this process with the help of lepedium, as you need to free your intestines! "Fixing" can be drunk after "torsion" in the stomach and ineffective urges ceases to torment you.

If you have a fever and a headache, do not eliminate these symptoms with the help of special medications after the intoxication of your body has passed.

After the disappearance of nausea and gastric lavage, you can take Citramon or Analgin and the temperature will disappear!

The next day after the disappearance of symptoms, you must definitely go on a diet, at least for a few days - do not eat fresh fruits and vegetables, no fried, fatty, sour, salty, canned foods!

You can eat light soups, cereals, black bread crackers, strong tea and drink liquids as much as possible.

When should you quickly call an ambulance?

At the slightest suspicion of the following signs, you should call an ambulance as soon as possible!

If diarrhea does not stop after taking "fixing" drugs. This indicates the occurrence of an intestinal infection!

Pain in the liver, kidneys. A more accurate diagnosis will be made only by a therapist.

Headaches are severe, which can accompany other diseases. But due to poisoning in the summer, the headache disappears after vomiting.

Increased sweating, high fever, in some cases, this may mean poisoning with products treated with pesticides. Therefore, you need to call a doctor or an ambulance as soon as possible.

Prevention of poisoning is moderation in the use of unripe vegetables and fruits, hygiene and be careful with perishable foods!

Food poisoning is at least unpleasant, and in the worst case, it can be fatal. Start with the first step below to learn important information about reducing your chances of getting food poisoning (whether in a restaurant or at home), along with information on how to cook food safely.

Steps

Part 1

Proper cooking

Buy products with care. Food safety starts at the grocery store, so choose your foods carefully:

• Check the expiration date on all purchases and try to determine if the food has been stored at the correct temperature.
• Pack meat and poultry products in separate bags and don't let raw meat touch any other food items while you shop and carry them home.

1. Maintain temperature. Keep refrigerated and frozen foods at a low temperature for as long as possible, especially on the way home from the store:

   • Wrap your groceries in newspaper or buy a small cooler bag that will take chilled and frozen foods home.
   • If possible, leave such products at the final stage of your purchases.
   • Upon returning home, lay out all the products quickly and correctly.

2. Always wash your hands before and after preparing food. Wash your hands thoroughly with hot water and antibacterial soap before and after preparing food, especially after handling raw meat.

   • Wash kitchen towels and napkins regularly to prevent bacteria from accumulating on fabrics.
   • Is always wash your hands after contact with animals (especially reptiles, turtles and birds), after using the restroom and cleaning up after animals.

3. Keep your kitchen clean. It is essential that kitchen work surfaces are clean, especially when preparing high risk foods such as meat, poultry and eggs.

   • To do this, it is not necessary to use disinfectants, hot water and soap will be enough to clean work surfaces, cutting boards and utensils.
   • Also, make sure you rinse your sink after rinsing raw meats - you don't want bacteria to be transferred to any clean surfaces.

4. Use separate cutting boards for cutting raw meat, poultry and vegetables. Keep them separate from each other to prevent bacteria from spreading to other food products.

   • If you can't keep your cutting boards separate, make sure you sanitize the board thoroughly after use. (see recipe in "Tips").
   • Plastic cutting boards are preferred over wooden ones as they are easier to clean.

5. Be careful with defrosting. Do not defrost food (especially meat and poultry) at room temperature in order to speed up the process.

   Prepare foods carefully. This is especially important with red meat, poultry, and eggs, which are high-risk foods.

   Maintain the temperature of hot and cold foods. Bacteria multiply rapidly at temperatures between 4°C and 60°C, so it is important to keep the temperature below or above these marks.

   • Make sure your refrigerator is set to 4°C or less and that cooked food reaches at least 74°C.

6. Reheat thoroughly cooked meals before serving. Poorly heated leftover food may contain active pathogens. In addition, if the food leftovers are spoiled, no amount of reheating will make them safe for health.

   • Do not store food for too long. Any signs such as discoloration, slime, mold growth, etc. are indications that the products need to be disposed of.
   • Never reheat food more than once, and never re-freeze without changing the condition. (I.e., you can safely freeze raw food, thaw it, cook it, and then re-freeze the already prepared dish, and then defrost and reheat. However, if any of the reheated food is spoiled, discard it, as there is a very high chance of poisoning!)

   Part 2

   Proper food storage

   1. Store food in accordance with regulations. The type of storage depends on the type of products.

      • Dry foods such as pasta, rice, lentils, beans, canned food and cereals can be stored in a cool, dry place such as a pantry or kitchen cabinet.
      • With other products, things can be a little more complicated and you should take care to store them in the proper conditions:

   2. Freeze or store in the refrigerator if needed. Place frozen food in the refrigerator no more than 2 hours after you take it out (although it is best to do this as soon as you get home).

      • Meat, poultry, eggs, fish, prepared meals, dairy products should always be kept refrigerated.
      • Many foods need to be stored either in the refrigerator or in a cool, dark place, such as a basement or pantry, immediately after unpacking. When in doubt, always choose storage with cooling devices.

   3. Never store food in an open container. Food, especially raw meat and leftovers, should never be stored in an open container.

      Pay attention to the shelf life. All products, regardless of the method of storage, should be consumed as soon as possible, before the expiration date.

      Store food separately. Always keep raw meat, raw eggs, and poultry separate from cooked meals, fresh fruits, and vegetables.

      Protect your food from insects and animals. Food can spoil very easily if it is freely available to pets and harmful insects.

      • If you store food properly, in airtight containers, in the refrigerator, freezer, or kitchen cabinet, it will help keep food away from insects and pets.
      • However, food may be contaminated during preparation and serving. Do not leave food unattended during cooking and cover cooked food with lids or wrapping film until they are ready to serve.

   4. Be especially careful during the warm season. Bacteria multiply much faster on food in warm weather.

      • If you're eating outdoors, make sure everyone eats quickly and puts leftovers in a cool place within an hour.

   Part 3

   Safe food

   1. Always wash your hands before eating. Wash them with warm water and antibacterial soap and dry thoroughly with a clean hand towel.

      Avoid drinking unpasteurized milk and juices. Pasteurized foods have been processed to kill germs.

      • If milk and juices are pasteurized, then this information is usually indicated on the packaging. Other foods made with unpasteurized milk, such as some cheeses, should also be avoided.
      • In any case, packaged juices and juice concentrates sold at room temperature have a long shelf life and must be pasteurized, even if there is no information about this on the label.

   2. Consume foods soon after they have been prepared. This way, harmful microbes won't have time to multiply.

      • Follow the 2-2-4 rule when it comes to leftover food - don't leave food out of the fridge for more than two hours after cooking, refrigerate food in containers no more than 2 inches deep, and throw away leftover food if it's more than four days old.

   3. Wash and rinse raw vegetables and fruits well. Food that is not cooked before consumption, such as fresh vegetables and fruits, should be rinsed under water and cleaned if necessary.

      Be careful with raw eggs. Raw eggs are one of the most common causes of food poisoning.

      Don't eat raw shellfish. Eating raw foods is an extraordinary risk, although raw shellfish and oysters are considered a delicacy. There are several risk factors that make shellfish even more dangerous than raw fish:

      • Red algae and other organic bacteria can contaminate the shellfish, which accumulate harmful toxins. The risk of getting hepatitis is very high, especially for alcoholics and people with a diseased liver.
      • If you do eat raw shellfish, make sure they are still alive at the time of purchase. Mussels, clams, and oysters will have closed shells, or they will close when you tap on it. Discard the clam if its shell is open.

   4. Pay attention to additional details when going to any catering establishment. Every year, many people get poisoned in restaurants, delis and canteens that do not comply with food safety and hygiene standards. So it's especially important to be vigilant about food safety, especially when you're out for lunch.

      • Check the room. The level of hygiene will immediately become apparent. Always pay attention to the restrooms before you dine in an establishment - if it is dirty, it is reasonable to assume that the kitchen is the same.
      • Be careful with buffet meals. Make sure hot food is at the right temperature, not just room temperature. Rice can cause food poisoning if left too long. Salads can also cause problems if they are not fresh.
      • Be careful with salad dressings. This applies to mayonnaise, hollandaise sauce, bérnaise, and other sauces that contain raw egg, as well as meringue.
      • Send unfinished food back to the kitchen. If you are served undercooked meat or a dish with a raw egg, without a twinge of conscience give it to the kitchen for cooking. Also don't forget to ask for a new plate.

   5. Do not eat the dish if you have any doubts. Trust your feelings! If the dish looks unusual, smells bad, or is questionable for any other reason, just set it aside.

      • Even if you've taken every precaution and the food tastes strange or nauseating, stop chewing and remove it carefully from your mouth.
      • Better to be healthy than polite!

   Part 4

   Understanding Food Poisoning

   1. Understand what causes food poisoning. It occurs due to the intake of food, which contained:

   2. Be aware of the dangers of the food industry. Whether in a large factory or in your own kitchen, the food industry can be a major source of pollution.

      • Surfaces used for food preparation must be kept perfectly clean, as contamination can occur very quickly and easily, which is especially true for meat products.
      • Natural bacteria that live in the intestines of animals are a major source of contamination if mishandled.