Food Poisoning

Food poisoning is a sickness that you get after eating food that is contaminated by a virus, bacteria, or chemicals.

Symptoms:

• Usually you have nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
• Abdominal cramps, diarrhea, and vomiting that start 1 to 4 days after eating bad food and lasts 4 days, is usually caused by a bacteria.
• Vomiting, diarrhea, cramps, headache, fever and chills that start 12 to 48 hours after eating bad food, especially seafood, is usually caused by a virus.
• Vomiting, diarrhea, sweating, dizziness, watery eyes, excess saliva (spit), confusion and stomach pain that starts 30 min after eating is usually caused by chemicals.
• Botulism is very rare, but if you do have it, it may cause speech problems, trouble seeing, paralysis from your head down through your body, and vomiting.

Causes:

Several bacteria can cause food poisoning. It can get in the food several different ways such as:

• People who are sick can pass the bacteria into the food they are getting ready.
• Bacteria may be in water that you drink, especially when you travel to foreign countries.
• Bacteria may get in eggs and meat causing salmonella.
• If you leave cooked or raw meat and fish, dairy products or prepared foods at room temperature too long, bacteria may grow that can make you sick (salmonella)
• Canned food can have harmful bacteria grow if the can is dented or really old (botulism)
• Babies under 1 year should not eat honey because there is bacteria in it naturally that a baby cannot digest easily.
• Raw seafood, especially shellfish, can cause a viral food poisoning.
• Some berries, mushrooms, potato sprouts and other plants are naturally poisonous for people.
• Molds that can make you sick can grow on fruit vegetables, grains and nuts that are not stored right.
• Pesticides and containers that are not cleaned properly can cause chemical food poisoning.

How can I tell that it is food poisoning?

• Your stool (poop), blood and stuff that you have vomited can be tested to see what is causing your sickness.
• Botulism can be diagnosed by testing for bacteria in your blood, stool, and the food that you ate.
• Chemical food poisoning can be tested for in the food.

Treatment:

• Vomiting and diarrhea is your body's way of getting rid of the germs or chemicals, so you should not take any medication to stop the vomiting or diarrhea for the first 24 hours.
• When you stop vomiting and can keep something down, you should drink clear liquids (drinks you can see through) for 12 hours. Then you can eat foods like rice, cooked cereal and clear soup for 24 hours.
• To prevent you from getting too dehydrated, you need to drink fluids, but if you cannot keep fluids down (see sheet on vomiting and diarrhea), you may need to get fluids through an IV (a needle in your arm that goes into a vein) Young children and older adults can get dehydrated faster than others can.

Prevention:

• Wash your hands before and after getting food ready.
• Wash the knives, forks, and spoons, that you use when getting meat, chicken or fish ready, in hot soapy water
• Thaw meat in the fridge or thaw it in the microwave and cook right away
• Avoid eating raw meat, fish or eggs
• Do not eat any food that smells bad has been stored in a cracked jar or can that is bulging.
• Set your fridge at 3C (37F)
• Do not eat cooked meat or dairy products that have been out of the fridge for more than 2 hours.

Return to the Emergency Department right away IF:

• You have symptoms of botulism. It is a life-threatening sickness.
• You have symptoms of chemical food poisoning.
• Vomiting or diarrhea is severe and lasts more than 2 days.