Introduction
Food
poisoning comes from eating foods that contain germs like bad
bacteria or toxins, which are poisonous substances.
You
might think the solution is to get rid of all the bacteria.
But it is not possible and you would not want to do it, even
if you could. Bacteria are all around us, including in food,
and sometimes they can be good for you.
Germs Causing Food Poisoning
The
most likely source is food from animals, like meat, poultry,
eggs, milk, and shellfish.
Some
of the most common bacteria are:
-
Campylobacter
-
E. Coli
-
Listeria
-
Salmonella
To
avoid food poisoning, people need to prepare, cook, and store
foods properly and in a cleanly manner.
Effects
If
a person has food poisoning, he or she might have:
-
an upset stomach
-
stomach cramps
-
diarrhea , which may contain blood
-
have a fever
Sometimes
feeling sick from food poisoning shows up within hours of eating
the bad food. At other times, someone may not feel sick until
several days later. With mild cases of food poisoning, you will
not feel sick for very long and will soon be feeling fine again.
Determination
If People Are Food Poisoned
Sometimes
it is hard to tell if you have food poisoning or something else.
Did they eat the same thing you did? If only people who ate
that food got sick, food poisoning could be the problem.
It
is one thing to get food poisoning from something in your refrigerator,
but imagine how many people could get sick if a restaurant served
food that had these bad germs in it.
Treatment
The
doctor will ask you questions about how you are feeling. The
doctor might also take a sample of your stool and urine to test
for possible germs that might have caused food poisoning.
The
type of treatment you will get for food poisoning will depend
on the specific germ that is making you sick. The doctor might
give you medicine, but most of the time people who have food
poisoning do not need to take medicine.
Most
of the times, only people who get really dehydrated have to
go to the hospital. To keep from getting dehydrated, try to
keep drinking fluids when you are sick.
How
to Fight the Germs
Many
things can be done to prevent food poisoning from happening.
One of the best ways, of course, is to wash your hands properly
to keep away from germs and as well as from food poisoning.
How
To Keep Your Food Safe
-
Wash fruits and vegetables well before eating them.
-
Only eat foods that are properly cooked.
-
Look at what you are eating and smell it.
-
If you are going to eat leftovers, make sure to heat it
up. By heating them, you can kill bacteria that grew while
it was in the refrigerator.
-
Check the date. Lots of packaged foods have expiration dates.
So consumed it before it expires.
-
Cover and refrigerate the food right away.
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