Saturday, 31 December 2011

Food poisoning-an overview

What Food is food poisoning


Food poisoning results when you eat food contaminated with bacteria or other pathogens as parasites or viruses. Your symptoms may vary from upset stomach to diarrhea, fever, vomiting, abdominal cramps and dehydration. Most such infections go hands and unreported.


But the Center for disease control and prevention estimates that each year about 76 million people in the United States becomes ill from pathogens in food, and about 5 000 of them die.


Over caused 55% of cases of improper cooking and storing food, and 24% of poor hygiene, which do not wash your hands while preparing food. Only 3% of cases are from unsafe food sources. Keep hands clean while working with food is the single most important thing you can do to prevent food poisoning.


20 Organisms can cause food poisoning. When you eat food contaminated with the bacteria multiply in your stomach and intestines. Some bacteria produces a toxin when they multiply. As a result, cause nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and diarrhea. Vomiting and diarrhea are the body's way of eliminating the toxin, and most cases of food poisoning runs its course without medical assistance.


Not all invasive organisms cause vomiting as a symptom, but almost all of them causing diarrhea. Blood in your stool comes in many types of food poisoning and is considered to be serious. Abdominal cramps are also common, and sometimes you will have a fever. Don't forget to contact a doctor if fever or bloody stools.


Common sources of food poisoning


Campylobacter is the leading cause of bacterial food poisoning in the United States. It causes several million cases per year, which resulted in hundreds of deaths. Eat chicken or pulpy food that has been in contact with raw chicken usually causes campylobacter. Center for Disease Control estimates that up to 70-90% of chickens infected with campylobacter.


To prevent the disease, to cook chicken, with some Pink remains. Wash hands often when handling raw chicken. Use paper towels for drying hands. If you are using a sponge or dish-cloth to clean the counter, use a fresh after working with raw chicken. Wash your cutting board with a diluted bleach solution before using again. And all the utensils or dishes with contact with raw chicken needs to be washed and rinsed with SOAP and water before using again.


E. coli 0157: H7 infection causes an estimated 25 000 cases of food poisoning each year in the United States. Most of these results from undercooked, contaminated ground beef. Organism lives in the intestines healthy cows. Meat can become contaminated during slaughter when intestinal fecal matter is mixed with beef is ground into hamburger. Contaminated meat looks and smells normal, so it is not easy to detect them. Bacteria of cow mastitis and milking machines can also contaminate raw milk.


Cooking all ground beef to prevent this form of food poisoning, until no Pink shows. Ensure that all meat sauces is clear, not pink or red, and that the inside of the meat is hot. If you are served a pulpy hamburger at a restaurant, send it back. Consume only pasteurized milk products and drink only water treated with chlorine or other disinfectants.


Botulism is caused by clostridium botulinum, the spore-forming bacteria. This form of food poisoning is very rare, but can be life-threatening. This can be caused by eating improperly processed, low-acidic foods such as green beans, mushrooms, spinach, olives, meat or fish. Incorrect home canning industry practices are often for botulism cases. Incorrect commercial products can also cause this serious disorder.


Canned foods that are soft, degraded, fermenting or not smell right to avoid botulism, not even taste. It is not worth a life-threatening illness. When in doubt, throw out.


Infant botulism is more common during the spring and summer, and is rare in winter. Infants younger than one year is the greatest risk. Symptoms are muscle weakness, a weak cry, difficulty feeding, constipation, head lag, increased heart rate and a reduction in the gag reflex. A baby with botulism is described as a "floppy baby", because the child will have weak muscles, particularly in the arms, legs and neck.


Infant botulism has been associated with eating honey. Center for Disease Control suggests that honey should not be given to infants younger than six months, and honey Industry Council extends border as security for a year. Honey is not an important food for infants, and should never be given to them.


Summary of food poisoning


Most symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and diarrhoea due to infection and are not real cases of food poisoning. An accurate diagnosis can be difficult because the pathogenic organisms are found in different types of food and have different incubation periods. In addition, eat a topic and get sick immediately afterwards not typical rate for food poisoning. Most people are not aware that food eaten several days earlier, can cause food poisoning. Always be sure to consult a doctor after experiencing severe gastrointestinal symptoms.


The information in this article were assembled on safety information on http://wellness.ucdavis.edu site and on the national digestive diseases information clearinghouse on http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/bacteria/index.htmsite

Saturday, 24 December 2011

Food poisoning-how to avoid it, how to treat it

America's food supply is the safest in the world, responsible for food poisoning around 76 million illnesses in the United States each year. It is estimated that 60% or more of raw poultry sold today probably has germs. Someone eats food contaminated by certain bacteria, parasites or viruses get food poisoning. Certain factors such as age and physical condition can make some people more susceptible to food poisoning than others. Children, pregnant women, elderly and people with compromised immune systems are most at risk.


For the most in good condition are usually food poisoning not long lasting, or life-threatening. Less healthy individuals, however, it may become a serious health risk, accounting for around 5 000 deaths each year.


The good news is that you can prevent most cases of food poisoning in the home by simple preventive steps simultaneously buys have management and prepare food.


What causes food poisoning? Food poisoning is caused most commonly by bacteria, parasites or viruses that may be present in the foods you have eaten. You may have heard the names of many of these organisms. They include Escherichia coli (e. coli), Campylobacter jejuni, Clostridium botulinum, Shigella, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, threadworms, and hepatitis a virus, just to name a few. They can be in different foods including red meat, poultry, milk and other dairy products, eggs, unpasteurized vegetable juices and ciders, spices, chocolate, seafood and even water.


These organisms can be on your food when it is purchased or get in food, including cooked food, if the food comes into contact with raw meat juice at dirty utensils, cutting boards or surfaces that are used to prepare contaminated food. That's why it is important not only to carefully prepare your food, but to wash your hands, utensils and surfaces before and after you deal with raw foods.


What are the symptoms? Symptoms vary depending on the type and quantity of contaminants have consumed. Some people can become ill after capturing only a small amount of harmful bacteria, while others may be symptoms after eating large quantities. The most common symptoms of food poisoning are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain (cramps), fever, headache and fatigue. Symptoms can develop as soon as 30 minutes after eating tainted food, but more generally do not develop in several days or weeks. Symptoms of any virus or parasitic infestation food poisoning will not appear in several weeks, while some toxins in fish may take just a few minutes to cause symptoms.


If you have botulism, you will probably not have fever and symptoms may include blurred vision, fatigue, dry mouth and throat.


How food poisoning is diagnosed Food poisoning is suspected, often when more people become ill after eating the same meal. To diagnose the cause of the disease, need your doctor to know the symptoms and it was eaten right before the disease occurred. The doctor may need samples of foodstuffs, bowel movements or vomiting. These samples can be tested in a laboratory to determine whether the food was contaminated and identify the organism that causes the disease.


How it is processed? If symptoms are severe, the victim is a doctor, or get emergency treatment. Treatment depends on the severity and cause of food poisoning. Generally, mild cases of food poisoning physician recommends you rest, drink fluids to prevent dehydration and vomiting or diarrhoea and to follow a special diet. It usually only takes about 1-5 days to recover from food poisoning.


If you have botulism, will your doctor may prescribe a year. Other types of food poisoning has no antidote. Antibiotics are usually not helpful in the treatment of food poisoning. Medicine to stop the vomiting and stomach cramps can be given.


Prevention is the best way to prevent most cases of food poisoning can be prevented food poisoning. Below is a list of some simple Do s and Don ts that can help you avoid food-borne diseases in the home.


Wash your hands, utensils, cutting boards and surfaces of different foods


frefrigerate or freeze perishables supply (refrigerator temperature should be 40 ° f and the freezer 0 ° F)


thoroughly cooking food. Cook beef, lamb and pork to an internal temperature of 160 ° f. whole poultry and thigh to 180 ° f. poultry breasts to 170 ° F, ground chicken or Turkey 165 ° F


hrefrigerate leftover food as soon as possible. leftovers from shouldn't've t left longer than 2 hours unrefrigerated.


While food shopping, you should select the frozen foods and perishables such as meat, poultry and fish last before checkout


Use soft cutting boards hard maple or plastic that are free from cracks and crevices


store raw meat in leak-proof containers or at the bottom of hrefrigerator to prevent juices from dripping onto other foods


Don t Allow uncooked meat, meat sauces, or unwashed fruits and vegetables that come in contact with cooked foods or washed


Don t buy frozen seafood if packets are open, torn or crushed on the edges


Don t buy food in cans as rain forest or dented cans or in which is cracked


Don t ever buy outdated food. Check the use by or sell by date


Don t buy unpasteurized milk or milk products


do not buy hrefrigerated or frozen products that are not displayed at an appropriate temperature


Do not let small children get food removed judgment


More information on the matter important health can be obtained from the following sources: Gateway to food safety Information http://www.foodsafety.gov u.s. Government food and Drug Administration Center for food safety and applied Nutrition http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/wh-food.html food safety and Inspection Service United States Department of Agriculture http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OA/pubs/consumerpubs.htm


Support as an educational service of Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. This information is not intended to be used as medical advice. You should discuss this information with your doctor.

Saturday, 17 December 2011

Food poisoning-how to recognize symptoms and avoiding food poisoning

If you have ever had food poisoning chances of are you felt sick to your stomach. How do you know that you had you ate and drank something poisonous you versus a bug flu


Food poisoning affects are usually a group of people. If you have eaten the same food with a group of people and now you are all from the same gastronomic distress that you may suffer from food or liquid poisoning.


Signs of food poisoning can vary from mild to life threatening. Vomiting, fever, diarrhea, nausea, cramps are all signs of poisoning. Remember how many suffer from only a few of the symptoms or any symptoms. Generally, symptoms out within 48 hours after eating or drinking the contaminated foods or beverages.


Poisoning can occur in several ways according WebMD and there are over 250 different diseases that can cause food poisoning. Bacteria in the water, poisons in food, food that is not cooked sufficiently high temperatures, lack of hygiene of foodstuffs publishers, lack of cleanliness where food is prepared, the contamination of other animals such as rats or mice, lacking refrigeration and cross-contamination of raw foods with cooked foods.


What should you do if you think you have been poisoned with food?


If you experience mild diarrhea or vomiting and then you can probably consider himself at home. On the other hand, if you are suffering from food poisoning and already have compromised heath, if you are pregnant, dried, or if you do not seem to get better after a day or so ago to seek medical care.

Saturday, 10 December 2011

Food poisoning-its incidence, symptoms and prevention


Food poisoning might have been a joke in your college days when using it as a cover-up for a really bad hangover, but the reality is rather sober. According to the US Centers for Disease Control have 76 million Americans food poisoning each year. Of these, more than 300,000 requires hospitalization and 5,000 die actually. There are so many dead from food poisoning from asthma or alcohol poisoning.

Scariest poem is that while we might like to think it is a second-rate restaurants that make us sick, most cases of food poisoning in the home. The condition is a fair weather friend, too: most cases occurring during the summer, when warmer temperatures make it easier for bacteria to grow on foods.

Food poisoning symptoms

These typically include vomiting, diarrhea and stomach cramps. These usually start 4-36 hours after eating the foodstuffs concerned and has been reported to show as early as 30 minutes to as late as 30 days after eating.

Different types of food poisoning will provide different kinds of symptoms. If your vision is affected, you probably have received botulism (who is one of the nastiest conditions around, by the way), especially if you have difficulties to speak, trouble breathing, and paralysis that starts at the top of your body and moves down. Salmonella poisoning will supply bloody diarrhea along with fever and chills. If you see an awful lot of blood in your diarrhoea, you have the infamous e. coli. If you have any of these symptoms, you get yourself into an emergency room immediately.

How to prevent food poisoning

The first step is to understand that the bacteria that causes food poisoning needs warmth. So to keep your foodstuffs at appropriate temperatures helps a lot. This means that when you buy a food, and the home, save it, cooking it and eat it.

1) even if not all food poisoning comes from meat and dairy products, these types of foods more likely to grow bad bugs that makes us sick. For cooling food just after you purchased it, and on the way home, bring a cooler and some frozen cold packs. At least that meat and dairy products in the dark, cold, cooler cuts risk too much.

2) another thing to know when you buy food is the due date. Just because something is on the mat shop shelves doesn't mean it is before the due date. Many items are only on their due date. Be your MOM and digging far back items to obtain food expiration dates farthest out.

3) Laga your food at the temperatures that are recommended, and within two days of buying it. Eat it immediately, or save it in a safe manner. If you have even a whisp of a doubt whether a food is okay to eat, throw it. This is especially important if you are feeding the young children or elderly, because these two groups are particularly vulnerable to food poisoning.

4) Wash your hands. Again, just like your mother. Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds under running water. Keep the hand towels clean.

5) Wash all vegetables and fruits. Draw cards vegetables in a bath of two tablespoons vinegar to the water, dirt, pesticides, bacteria and all the waxy residue a pint. You won't get sick and vegetables will taste much better.

6) Place your kitchen sponge in the microwave at least every other day. This mushroom is the dirtiest in your kitchen. It is disgusting, but your toilet seat may actually be cleaner. And anti-microbial soaps are good, but not enough. Only 30 seconds in the microwave will kill all the bacteria on the sponge.







Saturday, 3 December 2011

Food poisoning-what is it and how you can avoid it

Food poisoning is not a joke. When you've had it, will you do what is necessary to avoid getting it again. So what exactly is food poisoning Simply put, is food poisoning a food borne illness from eating food contaminated with toxins or bad bacteria. Sometimes foods are going to see some fun or smells a little funny. but you know, is often not the food you eat is contaminated with bad bacteria that may be harmful to your health.


What does food poisoning to your body Well, it depends on the type of food poisoning you and if you have a compromised immune system depends on your age, or an underlying medical condition. There are more than one type of food poisoning. So let us look at some of the types and how you can influence.


Shigella: Shigella is a bad bacteria that causes serious diarrhoea. It is spread from person to person through fecal matter and poor hygiene. Symptoms of the disease are very similar to Salmonella in that it causes fever, cramps, nausea and diarrhea is usually bloody. A doctor can test the feces of the person suspected of having Shigella to know about this bacterial infection is in the patient.


It is easy to prevent Shigella if a practice consistent personal hygiene washing hands thoroughly and to keep the bathroom and kitchen surfaces are free from fecal matter. This can be done by to practice good housekeeping practices with common household disinfectant.


Botulism: there are three types of Botulism bacteria: wound botulism, infant, and food is paid. Wound botulism is caused by a rare bacterial toxin that infects a wound. Infant botulism is caused by bacteria that live inside the intestines of a Baby. A rarely can be raw honey. It is very important babies given never raw honey as it can have serious side effects. Improperly canned and processed food is the main cause of food borne botulism.


Botulism can cause dry mouth, muscle weakness, blurred vision, slurred speech and difficulty swallowing. It may also, in serious cases can cause paralysis and respiratory failure.


Way to eliminate many cases of Botulism are to continually educate food handlers, how to properly can cook and prepare food. It can be avoided in infants by simply not providing them with honey. Most food borne diseases and food poisoning cases can be avoided by a few simple precautions consistent and thorough hand washing procedures, sanitary practices for surfaces in the bathroom and kitchen environments, and takes time to ensure that the meat is fully cooked and raw materials from animals are handled in a sanitary manner.


Salmonellosis is an infection that can be sent to the human body from both wild and domestic animals through meat, eggs or milk produced from animals. You can get salmonella from eating undercooked meat, unpasteurized milk is from or raw or improperly cooked eggs. You can also get it from areas affected by any of those objects. Some people can be carriers of salmonella and not showing any symptoms, but it can be transferred to other people if there is food handlers.


How do you know if you have salmonella poisoning? Some of the symptoms of salmonella food poisoning are nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever and vomiting. Symptoms can last 5 to 7 days. Fortunately for most with Salmonella must only ensure that do not get dehydrated. The very young child, the elderly and people with a chronic illness could be more serious risk. In these situations, there are occasions when the doctors will prescribe antibiotics to combat bacterial infection.


To avoid getting Salmonella, one should not eat raw eggs, drink raw milk and always ensure that you eat meat cooked fully. You must also have all the surfaces in the kitchen and fridge clean and wiped down with disinfectant if they come into contact with uncooked meat, juices, eggs or dairy products.


E. coli is a bacterial infection that contaminate food, milk and even unhealthy swimming water. It causes the same type of problems they previously bacterial infections, but sometimes bloody diarrhoea are present and sometimes not. Stool samples supplied to doctors know if e. coli is responsible for causing disease in a patient complaining of these symptoms the bacteria.


In some patients, causing e. coli serious complications for their red blood cells that can lead to renal failure. Recommended if a person begins suddenly with bloody diarrhea, they should immediately seek medical help to determine which bacteria that cause. This is crucial to avoid further complications overall health and well-being of the infected person. This type of bacterial infection can be avoided by simply taking the precaution of cooking meat until there is no question it is done with the greatest care to wash their hands and surfaces carefully when you use a bathroom, changing diapers, performing personal care for the elderly, or after handling raw meat when preparing them for a meal.


Listeria is a little different than other bacteria because of the way it enters the food supply. It is spread mainly through soil and water. Soil or water can be contaminated by fertilizer used in the growing process. Foods contaminated with Listeria must be heated or pasteurized to kill bacteria. There are many cases each year by individuals who have been infected with Listeria by sandwich meat that were infected with the bacteria through the production process.


Listeria food poisoning is very serious and can lead to death. Symptoms may include diarrhoea, fever, nausea, and muscle pain. Other symptoms such as confusion, convulsions and a lack of balance can occur if bacteria travel to the nervous system


If a pregnant woman should be contaminated with Listeria may also cause her to early give his baby. It is very likely to also be infected child or Listeria can even cause a child to be stillborn. A diagnosis of Listeriosis by blood or spinal fluid testing and often treated with antibiotics.


Again, most food borne diseases and food poisoning cases can be avoided by a few simple precautions consistent and thorough hand washing procedures, sanitary practices for surfaces in the bathroom and kitchen environments, and takes time to ensure that the meat is fully cooked and raw materials from animals are handled in a sanitary manner. Food safety is really very simple. but are not followed, the results can be fatal.