FOOD POISONING OR POISONED FOOD.

It was 4pm , Annabell's stomach hurt as she laid down on the cool hospital bed waiting for the doctor who had attended to her to return ,she had diarrhoea since morning and she just started vomiting, her head ached ,she was dizzy and she felt severe pain in her abdomen.What could be the problem? this had never happened to her before.The doctor returned and told her she had food poisoning, she immediately thought back to yesterday when she went to a colleagues place, she had had just wine which was the last thing she had, before she got this symptoms. Could she have poisoned the wine? though ,they had their squabbles at other times ,but it was highly unlikely that she had poisoned her, so she asked the doctor "what kind of poison was it?",he simply laughed and told her it wasn't a person who poisoned her,but that she ate contaminated food or drink.

So many people experience this symptoms from time to time but they do not know what it's called, so I decided to do a post on it,health is wealth after all, so stay healthy.

WHAT IS FOOD POISONING ?

Food poisoning is an illness caused by food contaminated with microorganisms ,like bacteria,viruses, parasites or toxins .

When food is contaminated by microorganisms, the result can be a number of dangerous, and uncomfortable symptoms, that can range in severity from minor to extreme.
While most people blame their food poisoning experience on the last item they ate, the truth is that you may become sick from something you consumed several days .

The following are just a few of the most common microorganisms known to cause food poisoning;

•Salmonella
•E.coli
•Listeria
•Campylobacter
•Norovirus

This one is really cute.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF FOOD POISONING ?

Pain - abdomen, rectum
Chills,dehydration, dizziness, fatigue, fever, light-headedness,loss of appetite or sweating
Gastrointestinal -bloating, nausea, vomiting, gagging, flatulence or stomach cramps. Headaches are also common.

TREATMENT OF FOOD POISONING

Ensuring adequate hydration is the most important aspect of treatment,
Avoid solid foods until vomiting ends,eat light, bland foods, such as saltine crackers, bananas, rice, or bread.Sipping liquids may help avoid vomiting.Don’t eat fried, greasy, spicy, or sweet foods.Don’t take anti-nausea or anti-diarrhea medication without asking your doctor. They have side effects and may make some kinds of diarrhea worse. Your doctor may give you anti-nausea medication if you are at risk of being dehydrated.
To Control Nausea and Vomiting,Drink clear fluids, starting with small sips and gradually drinking more.If vomiting and diarrhea last more than 24 hours, drink an oral rehydration solution.

Go immediately to the hospital if symptoms last more than 3 days or you have:
Severe belly pain
Fever
Bloody diarrhea or dark stools
Vomiting that is prolonged or bloody
Signs of dehydration, such as dry mouth, decreased urination, dizziness, fatigue, or increased heart rate or breathing rate

PREVENTION

1.Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water (warm or cold) and dry them before handling food, after handling raw food – including meat, fish, eggs and vegetables – and after touching the bin, going to the toilet, blowing your nose or touching animals (including pets).

1. Respect 'use-by' dates-Don't eat food that's past its use-by date, even if it looks and smells okay. Use-by dates are based on scientific tests that show how quickly harmful bugs can develop in the packaged food.
   

3.Cook food thoroughly-Make sure poultry, pork, burgers, sausages and kebabs are cooked until steaming hot, with no pink meat inside. Don't wash raw meat (including chicken and turkey) before cooking, as this can spread bacteria around your kitchen. interestingly even I didn't know about this till I did this research.i always washed my meat and chicken.

4.Store raw meat on the bottom shelf-Always cover raw meat and store it on the bottom shelf of the fridge, where it can't touch or drip onto other foods.

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Thanks for reading.