Summer is the time for holidays, when everyone wants to go to nature or to the sea. Many vegetables and fruits at reasonable prices appear in shops and stalls. All this not only attracts, but also contains danger. Heat is an excellent environment for the reproduction and preservation of pathogenic bacteria and microbes. Dirty hands of sellers, as well as food contacting them, unwashed or poorly washed vegetables and fruits contain millions of pathogenic bacteria that can cause:
• intestinal infections, of which there are a lot of varieties
• enterobiasis, or simply helminthic invasion
• botulism, the causative agent of which can be contained in any canned food
• salmonellosis, which is transmitted through raw eggs
• poisoning of varying severity
What to do and how to behave in the summer?
By following just a few rules, you can protect yourself from health troubles.
Wash your hands – after any exit to the street and, even more so, a trip in public transport
Try not to snack on food from the stalls on the go. This is especially true for meat dishes – sanitary and hygienic standards in tents are often not observed, which leads to the transmission of infections with dirty hands of sellers and with poorly processed meat
Avoid eating cakes and pastries with cream during the hot period – if stored improperly, they can lead to very serious poisoning
Don’t Eat Raw Eggs, Even Freshly Laid
Do not swim in places where there are prohibition signs – because of dirty water, this can be dangerous not only for health, but also for life
Wash vegetables and fruits thoroughly and, of course, do not eat them unwashed.
Buy meat and other perishable foods only in stores with refrigerators
After eating food of dubious quality, drink 6-10 tablets of “activated charcoal” – this will reduce the risk of poisoning
Try not to eat canned food, or cook it
If, nevertheless, problems with the intestines could not be avoided,
it is necessary to consult a doctor as soon as possible – don’t wait for it to go away on its own. At home, you will not be able to determine if you have poisoning or an intestinal infection. Here are a few rules that you can use before the doctor arrives:
Try to drink plenty of fluids if you are vomiting and/or having diarrhea. (it is better to drink “regidron”, which is sold in any pharmacy and, when going on vacation, it is advisable to have it in your medicine cabinet) – your body spends a lot of water, which can lead to dehydration and aggravation of your condition. Water also flushes your stomach and intestines, removing toxic substances.
Take “activated charcoal” at the rate of 1 tablet per 10 kg of weight or “polyphepan”
If you feel sick, but there is no vomiting, then it is better to induce vomiting by drinking a weak solution of potassium permanganate (the water should be slightly pinkish) – it is possible that some of the pathogenic products have not yet been absorbed and are in the stomach
Do not take fixatives for diarrhea (except in emergency cases) – do not interfere with the self-cleansing of the body
For pain in the abdomen, take antispasmodics – “duspatalin”, “no-shpa”
All of the above applies to poisoning and intestinal infections that have a vivid clinical picture. Especially in case of poisoning, the following symptoms are alarming: profuse diarrhea or indomitable vomiting, convulsions, fever above 39.0 degrees, fainting, dry mucous membranes – these conditions require immediate hospitalization.
With helminthic invasions, there will be no bright and acute clinical picture. What symptoms will help you identify this disease in yourself?
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Anal itching, especially at night
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Weight loss for no apparent reason
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Allergic manifestations or an increase in eosinophils in the blood
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Cough may follow
Again, you can be examined and treated only under the supervision of a doctor. Do not take antihelminthic drugs for prevention – these are toxic substances and they are used only as directed by a doctor.
Going on vacation, do not forget that if hygiene rules are not followed, food in questionable places can spoil your pastime. And sometimes even lead to severe health problems requiring emergency hospitalization and long-term inpatient treatment. Love yourself and carefully treat your health, and your vacation will pass in one breath.
Alla GRIGORYEVA,
general practitioner
