Food Poisoning – Causes and Treatment
December 11, 2009
Intake of contaminated food can lead to food poisoning which is a gastrointestinal disease. Food poisoning can be caused owing to harmful virus or bacteria present in the food or due to the presence of chemical or toxic substances present in the food. Improper storage or handling of food, improper preparation of food, contamination resulting from improper harvesting, shipping or processing etc can also lead to food contamination.
Food contamination can be minimized by following good hygienic practices. For instance you can wash your hands frequently during preparation of food which will reduce the chances of contamination. Food borne illnesses can spread through micro-organisms which may develop by keeping the food at room temperature for a longer time.
Chemicals present in the food such as pesticides and insecticides, drugs etc and some type of poisons inherent in food stuffs such as mushrooms and fish varieties can also lead to food poisoning. Food poisoning can be caused by organisms such as Campylobacter jejuni, E.Coli, Salmonella, Clostridium perfringens and Rotavirus etc.
Food poisoning is more commonly seen among pregnant women, babies, aged people, young children, sick people and those suffering from a weak immune system. You can see symptoms of food poisoning only a few days after the consumption of the contaminated food. The most commonly seen symptoms of food poisoning are watery diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, fatigue and pain in the abdomen.
The disease generally gets cured on its won and no long term treatment is required. You can consume a lot of fluids such as water or fruit juices so that you can be free of dehydration which can result from loss of fluids as a result of vomiting. Electrolyte imbalance can be cured by taking electrolyte solution. You must also refrain from the consumption of dairy products and solid food until you are cured of diarrhea.
Fluids can also be given intravenously in persons in whom oral administration is not possible. Some patients have to be hospitalized if they are very weak. If the symptoms happen to be severe, antibiotics may be prescribed especially in cases of severe bacterial food poisoning.
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