Food poisoning (food poisoning)

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What is it about ?

Food poisoning (food poisoning) is a gastrointestinal infection caused by eating food or water contaminated with bacteria or viruses. Symptoms can also be caused by toxins secreted by bacteria.

Bacterial infections

In the majority of cases, it is a bacterium that is responsible for food poisoning. The preferred growth media for these bacteria are foods containing animal proteins (eggs, poultry, beef, pork, shellfish, milk, etc.) and dishes served cold (salads, mayonnaise).

All foods can contain bacteria, but bacteria need special conditions in order to multiply enough to make humans really sick.

Viral infections

Viruses are usually transferred to food by someone who is infected themselves. This is how large epidemics can develop.

Botulism

Botulism is a very rare, but very serious infection that is caused by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum. Home-made canned foods are possible sources of botulism.

Symptoms appear within 12 to 36 hours of ingesting the contaminated food. You feel a sudden fatigue, you are dizzy and you have the dry mouth. Later on, other symptoms can be added, including visual disturbances, from swallowing problems and, above all, a muscular weakness of very rapid evolution. Botulism is distinguished by the absence of diarrhea and stomach aches.

Prompt identification of the infection, referral to a specialist service and medical help are very important because prompt treatment can save the victim’s life.

What is its frequency?

The exact figures are not known, not least because cases of infected people who are mildly ill or without symptoms go unreported.

How to recognize it?

If you develop symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, or severe stomach pain after eating it is very likely that you will get food poisoning. Symptoms usually come on suddenly.

The interval between ingestion of contaminated food and the development of symptoms varies depending on the bacteria responsible. It can last from 3 hours to 3 days. In most cases, complaints start within 24 hours.

  • The diarrhea is almost always the main symptom of food poisoning. This is sometimes the only symptom.
  • Often (but not always) the diarrhea is associated with nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, headache and fever.
  • You may sometimes feel a general feeling of being unwell.
  • When you are infected with certain germs, you may notice the presence of blood or mucus in the stool.

Food poisoning can last from several hours to several days, depending on the source of the infection. In most cases, symptoms do not persist for more than 24 hours.

How is the diagnosis made?

Discussion and clinical examination

The doctor will ask you a few specific questions and examine you. Your answers and your condition are usually clear enough that the doctor can diagnose food poisoning without doing further technical examinations.

Stool analysis

In some cases, the doctor will ask you for a stool sample, which the laboratory can examine for the causative agent (pathogen).

What can you do ?

Prevention

The main measure is to prevent food poisoning. Bacteria proliferate under very specific conditions and use specific channels to spread.

You can take the following preventive measures:

  • Do not keep food hot for too long. Bacteria reproduce significantly faster at room temperature.
  • Do not allow more than 12 hours to elapse between preparing a meal and eating it, and store it in the refrigerator until then.
  • Set your refrigerator to a maximum temperature of 7 ° C, the ideal temperature being between 4 and 5 ° C.
  • Always check the expiration date of foods.
  • Avoid contact between raw foods, such as barbecued meat, and ready-to-eat foods.
  • Wash your hands regularly when cooking, especially if you are handling raw meat. Food poisoning is often caused by a well-cooked piece of meat that has been touched by contaminated hands.
  • Observe hygiene rules and clean dirty utensils thoroughly. Use different cutting boards and knives for raw meat and vegetables.
  • Make sure prepared meats, such as mince and burgers, are cooked through. Cooking pieces of meat, such as a beefsteak, on both sides is enough to kill bacteria.
  • Do not thaw your frozen meat on the radiator. Place it in the fridge the night before or thaw it in the microwave, then prepare it immediately.
  • Wash your hands with soap and water after each use of the toilet and always before preparing your meal. Dry your hands with disposable tissues.
  • Avoid cooking for others if you have diarrhea.
Processing

Food poisoning often resolves spontaneously. The main pillars of treatment are the rest and the rehydration.

Rehydration

The dehydration is the greatest risk in case of diarrhea.

  • Drink enough, regardless of the cause of the food poisoning.
  • Drink regularly, in small amounts. Most of what you drink is absorbed even if you have vomiting (violent).
  • The preferred drinks are water, tea and broth.

In fragile populations, such as seniors and children, or in the presence of signs of dehydration, it may be helpful to take oral rehydration solution (ORS). This is a sachet of saline solution, available from pharmacies, that you add to water. This solution promotes the absorption of liquids. It helps maintain the balance of salt and water in the body.

You can eat, but preferably reducing your portions. Even in case of diarrhea severe, the intestine is still able to absorb some of the calories.

Medications

There are many medicines for nausea and diarrhea. Most only work on symptoms and do not reduce the duration of the disease.

Some medicines available without a prescription, such as loperamide, should not be used in certain circumstances. For example, they cannot be used when the diarrhea is accompanied by phlegm or blood. The doctor will give you good advice on this matter.

What can your doctor do?

  • Doctor question and examine you carefully. Describing symptoms and assessing their severity are essential.
  • The doctor also checks your body’s hydration status. In severe cases, he may refer you to the hospital.
  • It is usually not very important for the doctor to know the causative agent of the infection.
    • On the other hand, its identification is essential in certain situations, such as an epidemic (several sick people at the same time) or when the doctor suspects a pathogen that he must obligatorily notify the authorities.
    • If so, these are often infections that you have contracted following a meal eaten in a restaurant, a meal taken out or taken in any other public place.
  • Sometimes, during severe bacterial food poisoning accompanied by diarrhea bloody and / or strong fever, that the doctor prescribes antibiotics.

If you want to report food poisoning, you can contact the local control unit of the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC). Each province has its own branch.

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