Food poisoning treatment and prevention

FOOD POISONING TREATMENT AND PREVENTION

                 (Food-borne Illnesses) 

Eating food that is tainted with germs such 

as bacteria, viruses, or other organisms can

cause foodborne illness. This is also known 

as “food poisoning.”The harm ful foods may 

not taste or smell any different than healthy foods.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

 

Many people think they have the“stomach 

flu” when it may really be food-borne illness. 

Usual symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting,

nausea,fever, and cramps.These symptoms 

usually come on suddenly. The child may 

also have a bad headache. 

TREATMENT 

Milder cases may go away on their

own without any medicine. Do not 

use over-the-counter anti-diarrhea 

medicine for your child unless your 

doctor or nurse tells you to. If used, 

be sure to follow their directions

exactly.

Continue to give your child small 

frequent amounts of liquids: 

 

− For infants: Give Pedialyte, 

breast milk or infant formula.

− For infants over 6 months, 

toddlers, and children: 

Give flavored drinks, diluted 3-to-1 

with water, Popsicles or Pedialyte 

Popsicles,or water. 

Add solid foods such as crackers, 

dry cereal and low fat, low-spice foods

a little at a time until your child can 

eat his regular foods. 

WHEN TO CALL THE DOCTOR

Call your doctor or nurse if any of the

following occurs: 

- If your child suddenly develops a

high fever over 101°F axillary (under

the arm) 

- If the stomach pain becomes severe

(worse than a few cramps) 

- If the diarrhea gets worse or becomes

bloody (more than a streak of blood) 

- If you notice any signs of 

dehydration: dry mouth; decreased 

urine output; mouth is dry or sticky;

child is listless (no energy); eyes are

sunken; infant’s “soft spot” on top

of the head “pulls in.” 

- Child does not improve in 24 hours.

PREVENTION 

Preventing illness starts when 

you buy food at the grocery 

store. Besides good hand 

washing, be sure to follow these

three main rules: 

1- Keep food clean. 

2- Cook food completely. 

3- Keep hot foods hot and cold foods

 cold.

 

OTHER FOOD HANDLING TIPS

Eggs - Cook eggs until yolks and whites 

are firm. Avoid recipes that contain raw 

eggs, and don’t sampling cookie dough 

containing raw eggs. 

Fruits and vegetables - Scrub all fruits and

vegetables well that are to be eaten 

uncooked. 

Meats - Cook meat thoroughly. Do not 

partly grill or cook meat to use later. If you

must cook ahead, chill food quickly in the 

refrigerator for later reheating. Then reheat 

pre-cooked meats until steaming hot. 

Marinateraw meat, fish, or poultry in the 

refrigerator- not on the counter. Don’t reuse

marinade from raw meat unless you boil it 

for several minutes to destroy bacteria. 

When grilling out, cut into the meat, poultry, 

or fish to make sure it is done. Never put 

cooked meat back on the same plate that 

held the raw meat. Use a meat thermometer

when cooking inside and out to check the

inner temperature of the food.
 

Coolers -If you use a cooler for foods 

when you’re away from home in 

warm weather, put the cooler inside 

an air-conditioned car - not in the 

trunk. Replace ice if it melts. Keep 

drinks in their own cooler, away from 

other foods that may carry bacteria. 

When preparing foods, wash surfaces

and utensils with soap and hot water 

between uses. 

- Keep paper towels and disposable 

Towelettes for washing hands before

and after handling food and after 

using the bathroom. 

- If you use dishcloths or towels in 

the kitchen, launder them often with 

bleach and detergent. “Sour-smelling” 

sponges should be thrown away. 

TYPES OF FOOD-BORNE 

ILLNESS 

Salmonella .Salmonella and

Campylobacter are bacteria found 

in raw meat, poultry, eggs, or 

unpasteurized dairy products. The 

bacteria Clostridium perfringens may 

be present in these same foods as 

well as raw vegetables or herbs. 

“Staph” illness. Staphylococcus aureus

are bacteria that normally live on the 

skin and the mucous membranes of 

the nose and throat. During food

handling these germs may be passed 

to food. Foods that are not stored at 

proper temperatures may cause the 

bacteria to grow and cause food

poisoning. 

Hepatitis A is caused by a virus and 

may be passed through foods. 

Hepatitis A can lead to liver damage. 

The virus may be spread by contact 

with fecal matter (bowel movements) 

as a result of poor handwashing after 

using the bathroom. Because the 

virus may live in sewage, uncooked

shellfish and other raw seafood may 

transmit Hepatitis A. 

E coli .Escherichia coli 0157 is a 

bacterial infection. It leads to bloody 

diarrhea and sometimes to kidney 

failure. Most E. coli 0157 infections 

have been linked to eating 

undercooked, tainted ground beef. 

Person-to-person contact in families 

and childcare centers is one way the 

illness is spread. A person can also 

become infected after drinking raw 

milk, or by swimming in or drinking 

water polluted by sewage. 

Botulism .is rare, but it is the most 

serious form of food poisoning. It is 

caused by Clostridium botulinum

bacteria often found in soil and water. 

In low-acid foods such as meat, fish, 

poultry or vegetables (especially in 

improperly canned foods), the 

bacteria can multiply rapidly. Baked

potatoes and pot pies left at room 

temperature for too long may also 

allow the bacteria to multiply and 

produce the toxins (poisons) that 

cause botulism.