ISTANBUL (IGFA) – Flu and influenza, which are common in hospitals during the winter season, are replaced by; In the summer months, people suffer from food poisoning caused by bacteria such as Staphylococcus, Salmonella, E. Coli and viruses such as Rotavirus and Norovirus. Internal medicine specialist Dr. Murat Karakoç, Noting that according to estimates made by the World Health Organization and other health authorities, approximately 600 million people around the world suffer from food poisoning every year, he said: “About 420 thousand people die annually due to food poisoning; “Many of them are children, the elderly and patients who use drugs that weaken the immune system, such as chemotherapy or immunotherapy,” he says. According to data from the Ministry of Health; in our country, from 2015 to 2020, 1,018 people were hospitalized due to foodborne illnesses, of which between 314 and 239, 1,714 people lost their lives.
GERMS SPREAD RAPIDLY IN WARM CLIMATES
Dr Murat Karakoç, a specialist in internal medicine, pointed out that air temperature has a major impact on why food poisoning is more common in the summer months, saying: “Due to the increased air temperatures in the summer, microbes such as bacteria, viruses and parasites multiply faster and infect food more easily. “In addition, increased outdoor activities such as picnics, barbecues and beach trips in the summer months, failure to follow hygiene conditions, especially in tourist and crowded areas, and consumption of raw and undercooked foods also increase the frequency of food poisoning.”
NEVER WASTE YOUR TIME WITH THESE SYMPTOMS!
Food poisoning symptoms appear within a few hours or days of consuming spoiled food. Internal medicine specialist Dr. Murat Karakoç notes that symptoms can be mild or severe and continues his words as follows: “Mild symptoms include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea that occur less than 5 times a day, abdominal pain and cramps, mild fever, headache, weakness, fatigue, and loss of appetite.” In severe cases, symptoms such as vomiting, severe abdominal pain and cramps, high fever above 38°C, bloody diarrhea, decreased urination due to severe dehydration, dry mouth, dizziness, fainting, shortness of breath, and chest pain can be seen.
DON’T CAUSE PERMANENT HEALTH PROBLEMS!
Internist Murat Karakoç warns that if severe symptoms are observed, one should immediately go to the nearest health facility and says: “Food poisoning is a major problem. In severe cases, it can lead to death, especially in children, the elderly and people with weak immune systems. Some pathogens can cause serious and permanent health problems. For example, after food poisoning caused by the O157 strain of the E. Coli bacteria, permanent kidney failure can develop and the patient may need to receive lifelong dialysis treatment. “Various joint rheumatisms such as reactive arthritis can develop after infections caused by some pathogens such as the bacteria Yersina enterocolitica, Shigella and Salmonella,” he says.
10 EFFECTIVE PRECAUTIONS AGAINST FOOD POISONING!
Internal medicine specialist Dr. Murat Karakoç, Explain the precautions we should take in the event of food poisoning as follows:
Be careful when buying food!
It is very important that you pay attention to some rules when shopping. Internal medicine specialist Dr. Murat Karakoç sums up the precautions you should take when shopping as follows: “Do not buy food that has expired. Make sure that the packaging of packaged products is intact and undamaged. Do not use swollen or damaged canned products. Buy meat and meat products from safe places. Avoid broken, cracked or fecal-contaminated eggs. It is especially important to protect the cold chain by keeping products that cause food poisoning, such as meat, meat products and chicken, below -18°C during transport from the place of production to warehouses and sales outlets. “Make sure that the cold chain of frozen foods is not broken.”
ALWAYS AFTER TOUCHING RAW MEAT AND EGGS…
Before preparing food, make sure to wash your hands with hot water and soap for at least 20 seconds. Get into the habit of keeping your nails short and clean. After contact with raw or undercooked red meat, white meat and fish, parasites and bacteria are transmitted, especially through the cracks in the hands, and can cause various infections such as hydatid cyst, toxoplasma, brucella, tuberculosis, camylobacter and salmonella. Therefore, never forget to wash your hands with hot water and soap after touching raw meat and fish.
WASH COOKING UTENSILS WITH HOT WATER
It is very important to systematically clean countertops, cutting boards and other kitchen utensils with hot water and soap. After each use, especially after having been in contact with raw meat, eggs and fish, all tools and utensils and countertop surfaces should be thoroughly washed with hot water and detergent.
DO NOT WASH RAW MEAT BEFORE COOKING IT
Do not wash red meat, fish or chicken before cooking. Chicken meat, in particular, contains a large number of microorganisms. These microorganisms, which contaminate the sink, counter surface, faucet and our hands while washing, can lead to infections. Internal medicine specialist Dr. Murat Karakoç pointed out that it is not correct to wash fish before cooking, saying, “Because washing fish will spread infections such as Salmonella and E. Coli, as well as causing the loss of beneficial fatty acids and enzymes such as Omega-3, which are important for our health and abundant in fish. “It also causes the loss of natural fluids found in fish that increase flavor during cooking,” he says.
NEVER LET THESE FOODS COME IN CONTACT!
The transmission of various microorganisms and harmful elements through contact between different foods is called cross-contamination. To avoid cross-contamination, it is necessary to keep raw and cooked foods separate. The doctor specializing in internal medicine also warns that raw red meat, chicken, eggs, fish and seafood should never be put in contact with vegetables. Murat Karakoç says: “This way, harmful microorganisms present in meat are prevented from passing onto vegetables.”
DO NOT CUT MEAT AND VEGETABLES INTO THIN PIECES WITH A KNIFE
Another precaution you should take against food poisoning is to cut meat, meat products and vegetables on different surfaces and with different knives. You should also wash knives, work surfaces and kitchen utensils that come into contact with meat with hot water and soap.
COOK FOOD AT THE RIGHT TEMPERATURE
It is also very important to properly cook foods such as meat, chicken, fish and eggs to prevent food poisoning. Dr. Murat Karakoç says that it is necessary to monitor the internal temperature of these foods with a thermometer. “For example, the internal temperature of food should be at least 74°C for chicken and at least 63°C for red meat. Food should be made sure to be thoroughly cooked on all sides and dishes cooked in large pots should be stirred frequently to ensure that the heat is spread throughout,” he says.
KEEP AT ROOM TEMPERATURE FOR A MAXIMUM OF 2 HOURS
After cooking, keep them at room temperature for a maximum of two hours and pay particular attention to keeping meat products in the refrigerator at a temperature below 4 °C. In addition, it is also very important to keep cooked foods separate from raw foods in the refrigerator.
DO NOT LEAVE AT ROOM TEMPERATURE
The internal medicine specialist warns against leaving frozen food, especially meat products, to defrost at room temperature. Murat Karakoç says: “In such cases, various bacteria such as Salmonella, E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus easily reproduce on the dissolved surface parts and become contaminated with food, causing food poisoning.” In addition, trying to defrost frozen food under hot water is also dangerous. After removing such products from the freezer, they should be left to defrost on the lower shelves of the refrigerator or use microwave ovens.
STORE DRY FOODS IN THE DARK
Legumes and dried foods such as bulgur, wheat, rice, chickpeas and beans should not be stored in hot, humid environments. They are best stored in a dark place, away from sunlight and at a temperature below 20°C, in airtight, sealed glass containers. Dr Murat Karakoç recommends preparing dishes containing rice in quantities that can be consumed in one day. “If the rice dish is to be consumed, it can be eaten by heating it up at most once more,” he says. “This way, we are protected from food poisoning caused by bacteria such as Bacillus cereus,” he says.
