"Food Poisoning Awareness"

Myself @aspiya From #Bangladesh

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Greetings Splendid Individuals

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It gives me great pleasure to participate in a great contest named "Food Poisoning Awareness" arranged by @afzalqamar. Food poisoning is a very common but serious health issue which can affect anybody, anywhere. I want to reiterate some knowledge, personal thoughts, and awareness about food safety, its causes, symptoms and how we can prevent it through this contest.

What do you know about food poisoning?

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Food poisoning is a generic description for any illness or disease caused by what we consume. The most common reason for it is eating food contaminated with harmful microbes. Food sickness is sort of like a little hooligan gremlin that crawls into your gut and makes eating a real rollercoaster ride. Food poisoning can happen from eating foods that contain bacteria or toxins.

Common causes, symptoms, and complications?

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Causes

As far as I know, food poisoning occurs mostly when you eat food that is either spoiled or tainted in some way. Here are some of the top causes:

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✅ Consuming undercooked or raw meat, poultry or seafood

✅ Drinking raw milk or dairy products

✅ Consuming food left out of the fridge too long

✅ Unsanitary conditions in the preparation of food

✅ Drinking contaminated water

✅ Eating from street vendors or unhygienic places

✅ Cross-contamination of raw and cooked foods.

Symptoms

Food poisoning symptoms can appear within hours of eating contaminated food. They can range from mild to severe, but the most common are:

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✅ Cramps in your stomach or abdominal pain

✅ Diarrhea (watery or bloody in some cases)

✅ Nausea and vomiting

✅ Fever and chills

✅ Headache

✅ Weakness or fatigue

✅ Loss of appetite

Complications

Food poisoning typically resolves on its own within a couple of days, but in some cases can cause serious complications, particularly in young children, pregnant women, older adults and people with weak immune systems. Potential complications include:

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✅ Severe dehydration

✅ Electrolyte imbalance

✅ Kidney failure

✅ Long-term digestive issues

✅ What's more, there are also neurological problems or even death in rare cases

How can food poisoning be prevented and treated?

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We may avoid food poisoning with proper hygiene and high quality, from whatever we eat, according to my daily life summary. Some of the easiest ways to avoid it are:

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✅ Washing hands before cooking or eating at all times

✅ Ensuring that meat, poultry and seafood are well-cooked

✅ Staying away from raw or unpasteurized milk and juices

✅ The importance of separating raw and cooked foods to prevent cross-contamination

✅ Refrigerating food that won’t be consumed immediately

✅ Make sure you have the expiry dates checked of the packed food before use.

✅ Drinking clean and safe water

Most cases of food poisoning can be treated at home, comfortably. Getting care from a doctor or hospital is not needed in most cases. Food poisoning symptoms usually disappear on their own within about a week in most cases. Diarrhea usually resolves by or at least improves after three days. Consult the doctors if it lasts more than 3 days. Antibiotics are often required to chase away the bacteria.

When it comes to food sickness, the first thing to remember is to avoid dehydration. You must drink lots of water and liquid foods, for example sherbet and fruit juice, during this period because a huge amount of water in the body is lost as whenever you vomit or defecate. Salt water should be used for the food, if it is necessary.