Preventing and managing food poisoning

After eating or drinking an infected food, the patient suddenly has symptoms: nausea and vomiting immediately, sometimes vomiting blood, abdominal pain, diarrhea many times (watery stool, blood mixed) , there may be no fever or fever above 38oC.

The cause of food poisoning

Taking care of patients with food poisoning at the Anti-Poisoning Department - Bach Mai Hospital There are 3 main causes of poisoning, which is due to food preservation chemicals (pesticides, anti-worm chemicals . ), due to chemicals used in food processing (eg color products in cakes, sticky rice, wine .) and by microorganisms.

In emergency resuscitation departments, cases of poisoning taken into emergencies may also be caused by contaminated food and water such as metals (arsenic, zinc, lead .), organic substances. , insecticides and pests (vegetables with insecticides, preservatives and anti-rot preservatives).

Besides there are also viruses, their toxins secreted, poisonous mushrooms in food, toxins naturally found in vegetables, fruits, meat such as poisonous mushrooms, finger leaves, poisonous fish, poisonous eggs medicine, toad liver, toad eggs, cassava peel, carp fish bile, snake venom, bee venom .

How to identify a person with food poisoning

After eating or drinking a contaminated food (after a few minutes, a few hours, maybe even after a day), the patient suddenly has symptoms: nausea and vomiting immediately, sometimes vomiting blood, abdominal pain, frequent diarrhea (water stools, blood mixed), fever or fever above 38oC.

In the elderly and children under 5 years of age, these symptoms are often severe. If vomiting occurs many times and goes out many times, the patient will be easily dehydrated and lose electrolytes leading to cardiovascular collapse and shock. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to the signs of dehydration, especially for those who vomit more than 5 times and go over 5 times more than loose stools, high fever, dry mouth, dry lips, sunken eyes, thirst (need to save Note: the elderly or heavy people do not call for thirst because of their high age and lose their thirsty feeling), fast pulse, deep breathing, exhaustion, convulsions, low and dark urine.

How to handle?

Before a person manifests poisoning, if you are awake, make the toxins and food waste go out as quickly as possible, by using two fingers to pick up the throat or use a small spoon or toothpick pon to put in Tongue root (be careful to avoid close mouth) to induce vomiting. When the patient vomits, let the head bend lower than the chest, avoiding choking into the lungs.

In case if the poison is known as kerosene, gasoline, pesticides, rat medicine . should not induce vomiting as vomiting can cause patients to inhale toxins into the lungs or convulsions while vomiting but quickly give victims 20-30g of activated charcoal if adults, 5-10g for children.

Activated carbon works to keep toxins from permeating into the blood. Then give magnesium sulfate, sorbitol to remove toxins and activated carbon through the feces. Must give the patient plenty of water to make the charcoal easy to go out. At this time, the patient is severely dehydrated, so need to rehydrate and electrolyte patients by giving oresol solution or porridge, orange juice, coconut water, especially after each vomiting or going out.

Continue to feed patients with soft, easily digested foods, and if they are young, still breastfeed their babies as usual. If you find that the patient has severe dehydration, laxative, high fever, or bloody stools, he / she must be taken to the hospital for timely transmission and treatment.

Food poisoning room

Food used to make food must be carefully chosen, fresh, not crushed (Photo: nld) To prevent poisoning, people need to be aware of hygiene in eating, in processing and business. food. Do the following 8 well:

- Should carefully study the vegetables, fungi, fish to distinguish the non-toxic and toxic types. Absolutely not eat strange foods.

- Food used to make food must be carefully selected, must be fresh and not crushed. Do not eat fish, do not pick mushrooms in the road or in the forest to eat.

- Prepare food thoroughly: cooked, boiled, remove the parts suspected to be poisonous (remove the cassava peel and soak the water before boiling; remove the skin, head, intestine, fish bile before cooking .).

- Keep food bowls, plates and pots clean. Cooked food should be eaten immediately. Food that is not eaten should be boiled again and then stored in the refrigerator. When eating again, it must be boiled and then eaten.

- Kill flies, cockroaches, mice . Absolutely not let them come into contact with food.

- Fresh fruits and vegetables must be washed, soaked and peeled before eating.

- Do not drink molasses, drifting, copying with the purpose of healing. Absolutely not eat puffer fish. Do not drink smuggled alcohol.

- Wash your hands with soap before eating or when preparing food preparation.