Food poisoning, also called foodborne illness, is an extremely common infection or irritation of the digestive tract after eating contaminated food.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 600 million – almost 1 in 10 people in the world – fall ill after eating contaminated food and 420 000 die every year, resulting in the loss of 33 million healthy life years.
The Causes
How do you get food poisoning?
Food poisoning can be caused by bacteria-contaminated foods or by eating foods containing poisonous toxins.
Experts explain that when people eat these foods, they introduce a foreign organism or toxin to their bodies. At this stage, the patients start to experience certain symptoms that are caused either by direct irritation of the gastrointestinal system from the harmful pathogen or from the body’s response to throw it outside the digestive tract.
Food and water may be contaminated by:
- Bacteria
- Viruses
- Parasites
- Funguses
- Toxins
- Chemicals
There are multiple types of pathogens including bacteria, such as salmonella, E. coli, campylobacter, or listeria.
Furthermore, there are different viruses that could cause illness, for instance norovirus (a very common virus) and parasitic organisms (very rare virus).
Pathogens and viruses can contaminate food in different ways, most probably during preparation.
The Symptoms
Persons with food poisoning can notice these symptoms as quickly as 30 minutes to an hour after being exposed, or within a few days.
They include:
1-Abdominal pain and cramps
Contaminated food which includes harmful toxins can irritate the stomach lining, causing cramping that becomes even worse when abdominal muscles attempt to eliminate the harmful organisms.
2-Diarrhea
Diarrhea is a very common symptom usually accompanied by an urgent need to use the bathroom, cramping, nausea and pain in the abdomen.
3-Headaches
Food poisoning may cause headaches because vomiting and diarrhea also increase the possibility of getting dehydration-related headaches.
4-Vomiting
Vomiting is the fast initial response after eating contaminated food as the body swings into action and tries to throw out these toxins and organisms.
5-Fever
Upon eating poisoned food, the immune system releases fever-producing substances to keep the body hot as a defensive way to fight the infection and invade the bacteria.
6-Weakness and Fatigue
Weakness and fatigue are common side effects of food poisoning due to the small proteins, known as cytokines, released from the immune cells to fight the infection.
7-Nausea
Nausea and food poisoning are connected to each other with an upset stomach and the sensation of unease and discomfort, sometimes perceived as an urge to vomit.
Who Is at High Risk for Food Poisoning?
- People who are immunocompromised
Immunocompromisation is a term used to describe a weak immune system. When the immune system is weakened, the body cannot fight off viruses, bacteria, or fungi very well. This can lead to serious infections and can pose a major health risk. That is why immunocompromised people are most vulnerable to food poisoning.
- Adults over 65
- Children younger than 5
- Pregnant women
How long does the infection last?
It depends on the type of organism that causes the food poisoning. Generally, symptoms from food poisoning can last from one day to about one week.
When should someone go to the doctor if they think they have a foodborne illness?
Some experts believe that several foodborne illnesses can be treated at home and will resolve on their own.
Conditions Require Seeking Medical Assistance
- The inability to keep up fluid intake due to vomiting
- Severe diarrhea
- Signs of becoming too dehydrated such as feeling dizzy when standing
- Decreased urination
- High fever
- Persistent diarrhea lasting more than three days
- Bloody diarrhea
- Severe abdominal pain
- Blood when vomiting
Treatment of Food Poisoning
For most adults, the illness will handle itself. The most recommended treatment is to hydrate and get some rest with drinking fluids like water or sports drinks with electrolytes. Vomiting and having diarrhea are good signs that the body is throwing away the harmful organisms. Experts advise the patients to eat gradually, starting with foods that are so gentle on the gastrointestinal tract, like toast, rice, or bananas. They should avoid any fatty, fried, sugary, salty, or spicy foods.
Prevention of Food Poisoning
Safe food handling practices are the most significant ways to prevent foodborne illness.
- It is very crucial to wash hands, utensils, and surfaces while preparing food.
- To prevent foodborne illness, it is highly significant to separate raw meats and eggs from fresh fruits and vegetables. Meat products may carry germs that will be destroyed when cooked at proper temperatures. If those germs transfer to other products that won’t be cooked, they may survive and contaminate that food.
- Make sure of refrigerating or freezing prepared foods within two hours of cooking to keep bacteria away from breeding and check your refrigerated foods for microbe growth such as mold.
- Pay attention to public health announcements around recalled food.
Saudi Arabia is one of the advanced countries which are fully aware of the importance of preventing any food poisoning cases to ensure the health and welfare of Saudi communities.
Therefore, the Kingdom has embarked on spreading awareness campaigns to protect its people from falling prey to such infections.
Furthermore, the Kingdom has recently taken decisive preventive measures against restaurants that do not commit to the highest healthy standards of Saudi Arabia.
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