Food poisoning illnesses are already pesky enough in the cold weather, but what happens when the bacteria that causes these illnesses are exposed to warmer temperatures? Well, since bacteria tends to thrive in a warmer, more humid environment, food poisoning illnesses tend to become more common during the summer time. This also means that it is important for consumers to clean and store their products properly in order to prevent both bacterial contamination and the spread of these harmful pathogens. Rules such as always washing hands, or rinsing off fruits and vegetables before consumption, become that much more vital to a person’s safety and health in the summer.
Although true commitment to there remedial actions is vital, it is also important to realize that some cases of food poisoning illness are simply unavoidable is the summer heat. Even if one follows all the health rules, sometimes that slippery bacteria still manages to make it into the food consumers eat. Leafy greens, earthy-grown vegetables, hard to clean fruits, and tenacious pathogens like Cyclospora and Hepatitis A, can and do “fall through the cracks” at times. Usually this is ok, and here is no need to panic, as most cases of foodborne illnesses aren’t life-threatening.
But even so, it is still important to be able to identify the different symptoms and signs so that if one does become ill, they can contact their health provider before things get serious.
Some symptoms, according to NDTV, include nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps, fever, fatigue, dehydration, dizziness and fainting, muscle aches, and headaches. These are the obvious symptoms of a traditional case of food poisoning, and can range from mild to severe. Less obvious signs of food poisoning are neurological distress, sudden onset of numbness, difficulty breathing, muscle paralysis, or vision problems, etc. These can be brought on by ingesting ciguatoxin in fish, or Clostridium botulinum, the cause of botulism, in spoiled food. In some cases, neck pain or shoulder pin, along with a fever, can indicate encephalitis or meningitis, caused by Listeria bacteria. In other cases, gas, bloating, and on-again, off-again diarrhea, lasting for a month or more, can be caused by the ingestion of a parasite like Cyclospora.
All of these sources of food poisoning are painful and uncomfortable, but sometime (although it is rare) they can be life-threatening. Those who are young children, older than sixty, pregnant, or immunocompromised are especially at risk. According to one national food poisoning lawyer, “the irony is that the food poisoning that causes the least ‘obvious’ side effects is often the most dangerous. Listeria and botulism for example, cause more deaths and yet people often do not know they have acquired food poisoning.”
What is Food Poisoning?
Food poisoning is essentially an infection that is caused by consuming contaminated food. It can stem from bacteria, parasites, fungi, viruses, or even “toxic substances found in the food”, says NDTV. Some of the most “well known” causes of foodborne illnesses, and subsequent outbreaks, are E.coli, Salmonella, and Listeria. These are, really, household names and often get reported in the news cycle. And although a majority of bacterial food poisoning outbreaks stem from the aforementioned bacteria, that doesn’t mean there aren’t other causes – or that other causes aren’t even more prevalent. But in fact, the MAJORITY of food poisoning in the U.S. is not bacterial at all. Norovirus is a viral form of food poisoning that causes the majority of gastrointestinal distress in the U.S. every year. Millions of people develop noroviral illness each year after touching a contaminated surface, eating food contaminated by the virus (often from the person’s own hands), and become ill for 24 to 72 hours. It is often called the “24 hour” or “48” hour stomach flu for that reason.
Norovirus is so common that most physicians will diagnose a person with “viral gastroenteritis” if they present with traditional food-poisonings symptoms and tell the person to return only if the symptoms do not abate in a couple of days. “If the symptoms persist past a few days,” says Tony Coveny, “then a person is likely suffering bacterial gastroenteritis, and a stool culture should be performed.”
Another question, when should a person go to the doctor?
As most foodborne illnesses resolve themselves on their own, it usually isn’t necessary to go to the doctor for treatment. That said, there are a few signs that tell a person a trip to the ER may be worth their time. Some, according to the CDC, are bloody diarrhea, diarrhea that lasts for more than three days, high fever (temperature over 102 F), vomiting to the point where the person is unable to keep liquids down, and signs of dehydration (feel dizzy when standing up, dry throat and mouth, not urinating often enough). Also included are neurological signs, pain in the shoulders or neck, numbness or paralysis.
Rule of thumb? If you feel in distress, a trip to a medical professional, and seeking a stool culture while there, is never a bad idea – especially if you have good medical insurance.
