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Summer heat and the sun’s rays have a beneficial effect not only on people, but also on many microorganisms, especially pathogens that can negatively affect the human condition. For example, they can multiply in food, after which an intestinal infection (poisoning) develops. Let’s figure out how to recognize them and what can be done to avoid these poisonings.
Food and other causes of poisoning in the summer
If in the cold season people can eat anything (within reason) without fear that something might go wrong, then in summer the whole picture changes dramatically. After all, a freshly plucked fruit from a plant becomes the subject of an accumulation of pathogenic organisms, and the sun only “turns on the heat”, accelerating their reproduction process. Therefore, all fresh fruits and vegetables should be eaten as soon as possible, placed in the cold or processed, preventing microorganisms from doing their “dirty business” in the human gastrointestinal tract.
In addition, you need to carefully follow hygiene, namely, thoroughly wash all products before use, because the extra touch of strangers before the fetus gets into the food does not exactly reduce the risk of catching poisoning.
The same applies to hand hygiene, because, in addition, in the warm season, sweating becomes more intense, which is very attractive and becomes a favorable environment for pathogenic bacteria. Accordingly, when they enter the body, the result is obvious.
However, this is not the whole list of potentially dangerous places of accumulation of bacteria that are unsafe for health. Oddly enough, the water in reservoirs, whether it be a lake, river or sea, also heats up and becomes a favorable environment for the microbiological world. Therefore, jumping, splashing or swimming calmly in the water, keep your mouth shut in the truest sense of the word.
And finally, the cherry on the cake: among the potential causative agents of poisoning are ice cream and sweet water. In fact, the culprit of the disease is sugar, which is part of these and many other products. In turn, its excessive amount contributes to the development of Candida fungi in the human gastrointestinal tract (gastrointestinal tract), thereby inhibiting the healthy microflora, which serves as protection against bacteria and toxins. The trouble is that the consumption of sugar-containing products among people in the summer increases several times. And this leads to a higher level of poisoning, and as a result, occupancy in infectious diseases hospitals.
Evidence
So, it’s time to find out what poisoning actually looks like, because by correctly identifying it, you can return to duty much faster and reduce the risk of an extraordinary trip to the hospital.
In fact, any ailment should alert. But there are a number of signs that definitely indicate poisoning:
- nausea;
- vomiting;
- diarrhea;
- abdominal pain;
- lack of appetite;
- weakness;
- elevated temperature;
- chills;
- dizziness.
This does not mean that all of these symptoms must appear at the same time, one of the above is enough. Moreover, you should not wait and endure for several days, but you need to seek medical help so that the usual “indigestion” does not lead to irreversible consequences.
By the way, poisoning is not common, it is always caused by something, be it toxins or bacteria. Here are a few common pathogens, and the treatment for each is different:
- salmonellosis (caused by Salmonella spp.) is mainly present in chicken eggs, meat, dairy products and prepared products thereof;
- escherichiosis (caused by Escherichia coli E. coli) in the meat of infected livestock and poultry;
- dysentery (caused by a bacterium of the genus Shigella) may be in water, food;
- helminthiasis (parasitic worms in the intestines);
- rotavirus infection, transmitted not only through the mouth, but also through the respiratory tract;
- staphylococcus, whose favorite product is cream on cakes and pastries, etc.
What to do at the first symptoms of poisoning
At the very first symptom of poisoning, you need to follow a few rules that will help improve your overall well-being:
- do not eat for several hours; then, if you wish, you can eat a little rice porridge cooked in water or tea with crackers;
- drink plenty of water to remove toxins and replenish lost fluids, and especially with frequent stools and vomiting;
- drink an absorbent (enterosgel, smectite, activated charcoal);
- with spastic pain in the abdomen, you can drink an antispasmodic (no-shpa).
Next, you need to monitor the general condition. Most often, poisoning caused by toxins disappears within 1 day.
If at least one symptom of poisoning continues to bother you for more than one day, you need to see a doctor.
preventive measures
All unpleasant moments of poisoning can be avoided. To do this, you just need to follow some hygiene rules and the following recommendations:
- you need to wash your hands as often as possible, especially before eating and after going to the toilet;
- avoid eating on the street, on the go, or buying ready-made food in dubious establishments, and it is best to cook your own food at home;
- it is better to cool cooked food with water and place it in the refrigerator as soon as possible;
- you need to wash all vegetables and fruits well before cooking or eating them;
- it is better to buy all perishable products, including meat, at retail outlets with refrigeration equipment, and upon arrival home, put them in the cold faster;
- if possible, conduct heat treatment of all dishes before eating;
- keep food out of the reach of insects;
- when buying packaged foods (especially dairy products), choose the freshest ones that do not expire in a day.
Unfortunately, summer poisonings are not uncommon and they cause a lot of troubles that we would like not to have at all. To do this, you only need a little: monitor your hygiene and take a responsible approach to the issue of food, because it has a great potential for the reproduction and accumulation of pathogenic bacteria.