Istanbul Gelisim University - Beware of food poisoning, it can result in death

Beware of food poisoning, it can result in death

Stating that especially babies, children, pregnant women, the elderly and individuals with weakened immune systems are more susceptible to food-borne diseases, Public Health expert Dr. Nurten Elkin said, “Although food poisoning is mostly a mild and short-term illness, it can cause severe and even death due to factors related to the individual.”

"Food poisoning is an important public health problem that increases especially in summer," said Public Health Expert Dr. Nurten Elkin and made statements on the subject.

ATTENTION TO THE CONTAINERS WHERE FOOD IS STORED

Giving information about the factors that lead to food poisoning, Dr. Nurten Elkin said, “Chemicals, pesticides, detergents, plastics, parasites and microorganisms (bacteria, mold, yeast) can be counted among these factors. It is important in containers where foods will be stored, and storage in copper and lead containers may especially cause heavy metal poisoning. Therefore, foods should not be kept in tin-free copper, aluminum and painted plastic containers.”

“SYMPTOMS MAY OCCUR WITHIN 30 MINUTES AND 72 HOURS”

Pointing out that food poisoning usually starts all of a sudden, Public Health Specialist from Istanbul Gelisim University, Asst. Prof. Nurten Elkin said, “Symptoms of the disease can occur within 30 minutes and 72 hours after consuming contaminated food. Diarrhea, abdominal pain, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting and sometimes fever may occur. While some individuals have no symptoms after consuming the same contaminated food, some individuals may experience severe symptoms. What determines this situation is how much the food is contaminated, the amount consumed and the sensitivity of the individual.”

Emphasizing that vomiting and diarrhea are the body's reaction to toxins and therefore anti-nausea and anti-diarrheal drugs should not be taken especially in the first 24 hours. Nurten Elkin said, “Bed rest and plenty of fluids are very important during this period. Consumption of foods such as yogurt, rice porridge, boiled potatoes may be effective in reducing diarrhea, besides, it would be appropriate not to consume fruits such as raw vegetables, apricots, plums, figs, watermelons, grapes as they will increase intestinal motility. If there is bloody diarrhea, severe headache with diarrhea, neck pain or fever and if the symptoms of poisoning continue for more than two days, a doctor should be visited immediately.”

MEASURES TO BE TAKEN AGAINST FOOD POISONING

In oder to prevent food poisoning, Dr. Elkin gave the following receipt:

“Personal hygiene should be ensured, hands should be washed frequently and properly, nails should be short and clean. If food preparation is required in cases such as wounds and cuts on the hands, these lesions should be covered with a waterproof bandage. The food that will be cooked and consumed later should not be left to cool at room temperature on the counter and stove for more than two hours, cooked food should not be kept at room temperature for more than one hour in summer, frozen foods should never be kept in the heater, stove etc. It should be known that the most suitable thawing methods of these foods are to thaw them at refrigerator temperature, in their packaged form, under running water or in a microwave oven, before buying these foods, paying attention to buy the ones whose cold chains aren’t broken, not using unpasteurized milk and dairy products, washing the purchased vegetables and fruits thoroughly under plenty of running water, making sure that the food made from minced meat is cooked thoroughly, obtaining drinking water from reliable sources, boiling if not sure of its reliability, or using chlorine tablets from pharmacies, if possible, in accordance with the instructions for use, when buying canned food, not to buy those whose boxes are damaged, never to store dry foods such as grains and legumes in a humid and hot environment, to read the label information when purchasing all kinds of foodstuff, to pay attention to the production and expiry date and storage conditions, to avoid the consumption of foods that are sold outside and outside, especially in summer, and to disinfect the cloths after each use, considering that the cloths, handles and sponges used in the kitchen can be effective in the transfer of microbes from one place to another. These are the measures one can take to prevent food poisoning.”