Prevent digestive diseases and food poisoning in hot weather

Emergency care after eating pho and sausages on the roadside

According to information from Phu Tho General Hospital, the unit recently admitted patient NTK, (17 years old, in Phu Tho) in a state of fatigue, continuous diarrhea, and high fever. The above symptoms appeared 6 hours after the young man returned from eating pho outside.

Doctors diagnosed the patient with a gastrointestinal infection. After 3 days of treatment with intravenous fluids, antibiotics, secretion reduction, and protection of the digestive mucosa, patient K. was stable and discharged from the hospital.

Similarly, this hospital also recently admitted patient NHT, 29 years old, with abdominal pain and frequent loose stools after about 6 hours of eating roadside sausages. Test results showed that the patient had an abnormally high white blood cell count of 11.32G/L, Mono 1.51G/L, Mono 13.4%, and red blood cell diameter dispersion of 16.4%. After 3 days of treatment, the patient was stable and discharged from the hospital.

Doctors at Phu Tho General Hospital check the health of a patient with a gastrointestinal infection.

Resident physician Tran Van Son, Department of Respiratory and Digestive Medicine, Phu Tho Provincial General Hospital said that in the summer, the hospital often receives cases of digestive diseases such as diarrhea, digestive disorders, food poisoning, etc.

According to statistics at the Department of Internal Medicine, Respiratory and Digestive Medicine, Phu Tho General Hospital, the number of people coming for examination and treatment for digestive diseases has increased significantly since the beginning of summer.

Previously, the Department of Internal Medicine, Respiratory and Gastroenterology only admitted 3-5 patients per day due to digestive diseases such as abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. But up to now, this number has increased 2-3 times, ranging from 10-15 patients of different ages.

The number of people suffering from digestive diseases is increasing, mainly due to hot weather and poor food preservation in hot weather, which makes food easily spoiled...

“Due to hot and humid weather and poor preservation, food can easily spoil. When patients eat these foods, bacteria will attack the digestive system, causing digestive disorders, intestinal infections, and worse, food poisoning,” Dr. Son explained.

At the 108 Military Central Hospital, patient LV (56 years old, residing in Hai Duong) was also admitted in a state of mild difficulty breathing, rapid pulse, low blood pressure, dependent on vasopressors, frequent loose stools, abdominal cramps around the navel...

The patient was diagnosed with food poisoning, shock complications (also known as septic shock at the entrance to the digestive tract), and acute kidney injury.

Previously, the patient ate rice rolls, after eating suddenly had symptoms of vomiting, abdominal cramps, continuous abdominal pain, frequent loose stools, yellow stools, no foam, mild fever, and chills all over the body.

Prevent food poisoning

In Hanoi, during the “Month of Action for Food Safety”, the city also recorded 4 patients related to food safety incidents. Of these, 2 patients were diagnosed with methanol poisoning, 2 patients with gastrointestinal infections.

Head of the Hanoi Food Safety and Hygiene Department Dang Thanh Phong said that hot weather is an ideal condition for bacteria to grow in nutritious foods.

Interdisciplinary inspection team No. 1 of Hanoi City inspects frozen food at a supermarket in Hanoi.

To prevent food poisoning in collective kitchens, people and establishments need to strictly comply with food safety regulations in food service businesses such as raw material sources, processing facilities, and food preservation. Food processors must ensure hygiene during the process of processing and preserving safe food.

Consumers should choose to buy and use food from establishments that have been granted food safety certificates, and be cautious with food sold on the roadside or at street vendors, especially pre-processed foods.

Regarding this issue, according to Dr. Nguyen Van Tien - National Institute of Nutrition, not only street food is not guaranteed to cause poisoning, but also when preparing food at home, housewives need to pay attention to hygiene. To have safe food, it is best to prepare a sufficient amount of food and eat immediately after preparation. If not used, it is necessary to preserve it carefully (use PE film, plastic box, table cage, refrigerator...).

Authorities check food safety at street food shops in Chuong My district, Hanoi.

Food left out for more than 2 hours must be reheated before consumption. Food should not be left out overnight and reheated repeatedly. Food should only be stored in the refrigerator for a certain period of time.

In addition, people need to classify food before putting it in the refrigerator. Separate cooked food and raw food, all food stored in the refrigerator must be wrapped tightly or placed in trays or boxes with tight lids.

Medical experts also say that hot weather makes food susceptible to spoilage, spoilage, and bacterial contamination if not properly preserved. When patients consume these foods, bacteria will attack the digestive system, causing digestive diseases, commonly digestive disorders, intestinal infections, and more seriously, poisoning.

Therefore, health experts recommend that to prevent digestive diseases, people need to choose food carefully, limit the use of carbonated water, reduce cold food intake, and develop a reasonable diet and lifestyle during the hot season such as drinking enough water and increasing green vegetables.

People need to comply with eating cooked food, drinking boiled water, washing food before eating; and cleaning the refrigerator. Food stored in the refrigerator for a long time can still spoil and cause poisoning, so do not use leftover food after 4-5 days of storage in the refrigerator. When people see signs of abdominal pain, fever, vomiting, diarrhea, etc., they need to go to a medical facility for timely examination and treatment.

Source: https://kinhtedothi.vn/phong-ngua-benh-tieu-hoa-ngo-doc-thuc-pham-mua-nang-nong.html