Is Food Poisoning a Serious Health Challenge?

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After a very hectic week at work, I decided to treat myself to a special homecooked vegetable soup and spaghetti, I had not eaten all day so I went to the market from work and dashed into the kitchen immediately I got back home, in less than one hour my plate of vegetable soup and spaghetti was ready for me to devour.
I freshened up, had a Nigerian movie play on the television and I gladly devoured my delicious meal, after eating I decided to lie down on the couch for a few minutes. Thirty minutes after eating, I began to feel extremely uncomfortable, I felt a strong urge to vomit and stool at the same time, my stomach was on fire and it was not funny at all.

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I was the only one at home and my friends didn't live close by, I managed to wear a top and I ran down the street to the nearest pharmacy. I was unable to control the vomit, I was vomiting and walking down at the same time, a young man saw me and ran to assist me to the drug store.
Immediately I got there, the woman gave me some tablets to stop the vomiting, first of all, then she administered other medications after confirming that I had food poisoning.

That night was extremely scary because I didn't have anyone around me and I was really bothered about anything going wrong. When she mentioned food poisoning, I was confused because the only thing I had eaten all day was the meal I prepared by myself, this made me begin to make research the possible causes of food poisoning and what could have triggered what happened to me that night.

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Food poisoning occurs as a result of consuming contaminated, toxic, or spoilt food, the research conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed that 48 million people in the United States have some sort of food poisoning every year and around 128,000 are usually hospitalized for that purpose. 1

Some of the symptoms of food poisoning are;

  • Vomiting, Nausea.
  • Abdominal pain and cramps.
  • Watery or bloody diarrhea.
  • Fever.

Associated symptoms of food poisoning could begin to show after some hours of food consumption and in some cases, it could begin to show probably after some days or weeks.

Possible reasons why I may have gotten a food poisoning attack.

  • Food contamination can happen in any stage of food production,
    it could be in the state of growing, harvesting, storing, transporting, or even preparation process.

  • When food is left exposed for a long time.

  • Preparing food with an infected hand.

  • When food is not properly heated.

Age also has a lot to do with the occurrence of having a food poisoning attack. In older adults, the immune system may not be as strong as it use to be when they were younger. Pregnant women who experience food poisoning attacks may have a more severe reaction.
Young children, their body has not fully developed and people who have chronic diseases also have a reduced functional immune system which may not be able to act as a strong defense. 2

Food poisoning can be caused by bacteria, viruses, and parasitic agents, some of those causative organisms are;

  • Campylobacter: This contamination is possible by animal feces having contact with meat, contaminated water, and unpasteurized milk also fall within this category.

  • Clostridium botulinum: This contamination is found in foods that have low acidity usually home-canned food or improperly canned commercial food, this also includes foods that are kept at a warm temperature for a very long time.

  • Salmonella: Usually acts on raw or contaminated meat, egg yolk, and even poultry milk.

  • Rotavirus:Found in ready to eat food items

  • Vibro vulnificus: This can be spread through contaminated seawater.

  • Escherichia coli: Usually spread by contaminated beef, unpasteurized milk, alfalfa sprouts, and contaminated water.

  • Staphylococcus aureus: Found in prepared salads, cream-filled pastries 2

Food poisoning can actually be avoided;

Raw food should be seperated from cooked food, this way cross-contamination would be avoided.

All cooking utensils should be kept clean always.

Ensure that food is prepared at an appropriate temperature.

Make sure that hands are properly washed while cooking.

Do not consume any food that you are not sure about it's safety, if you doubt the safety of any food, then discard it.

Chill storage slows down the growth of harmful bacteria. 3

Despite the fact that food poisoning can be can be treated easily, it also comes with possible cases of complication.Complication associated with food poisoning comes up when there is an hydration problem.
We already established the fact that, certain food poisoning could last for days or even weeks before they begin to display physical symptoms, in cases like this, there could be a serious case of complication. Here are some of the observed symptoms that signifies that food poisoning situation requires an urgent medical attnetion.

  • High fever.
  • Black stools that contains blood or pus.
  • Constant vomiting.
  • Diarrhea that lasts more than 3 days.
  • Absence of energy.
  • Severe abdominal pain.4

Food poisoning is usually treated with antibiotics depending on doctors orders.There are however certain lifestyle adjustments that would hasten recovery process.

Hold on with any food consumption for some hours.

Consumption of clear soda or some noncaffeinated sports drinks would help relax the body.

Blend in gradually into melas that are easy to consume.

Rest is extremely important at a point like this, so get as much as you can.5

For further studies.

https://www.healthline.com/health/food-poisoning#symptoms

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/food-poisoning/symptoms-causes/syc-20356230

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/154555#prevention

https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/food-poisoning/symptoms-causes

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/food-poisoning/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20356236

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Hi, I am Tobi a writer, speaker, relationship blogger, and lover of good music. I love making friends and learning from people. Want to hear me speak on relationships and general life issues, you can find my podcast channel Here and listen to any episode for free, do not forget to subscribe and share with friends. I sincerely appreciate every love I get from members of the community, do well to keep them coming.



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