Preventing food poisoning in young children

Food poisoning occurs when you eat or drink food or water contaminated with harmful bacteria (germs), toxins or chemicals. When it comes to food poisoning, we often think of common gastro or intestinal inflammation: inflammatory bowel disease often causes diarrhea or vomiting. However, sometimes other symptoms or illnesses, such as nausea and abdominal cramps, can occur when you eat contaminated food.

What are the signs and symptoms of food poisoning in a child?

If ingested contaminated food, the baby may experience the following symptoms:

Stomach pain;

Feeling sick (nausea) or vomiting;

Diarrhea;

Fever and excessive sweating;

Bloody stools.

How to treat food poisoning in a child?

Your doctor will ask you what your baby ate recently when symptoms began to appear. The doctor will do tests and may take blood, feces, and urine samples and send them to the analysis room to look for pathogenic microorganisms.

Usually, the poisonous food is eliminated and the baby will feel better. Your doctor may prescribe antibiotics to treat severe types of bacterial food poisoning. Your baby may need to stay in the hospital for an infusion if the dehydration is severe.

What should you do when taking care of a child with food poisoning at home?

Food poisoning usually goes away on its own within a few days. To help your child feel better during treatment, make sure that:

Your baby gets plenty of rest;

Your baby should drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration. The method for giving the baby water to drink is also effective. You should avoid giving your baby milk or caffeinated beverages;

Give your baby a small sip to make it easier to drain;

Avoid giving your baby solid foods and dairy products until the diarrhea stops.

You should not arbitrarily give medication to treat diarrhea with your baby. Once the diarrhea and vomiting stop, you need to feed your baby small, light and low-fat meals for a few days to prevent stomach upset.

If symptoms become severe or you notice signs of dehydration, call your doctor right away.

How should you prevent food poisoning for your family?

The following tips will help reduce the risks associated with food poisoning:

Instruct family members to wash their hands well and often, especially after using the toilet, before eating, and after touching raw food. Wash your hands with soap and warm water for at least 15 seconds;

Wash all cooking utensils, cutting boards and surfaces that you use to prepare food with soapy water;

Don't drink milk or eat unpasteurized food;

Wash raw fruits and vegetables if they cannot be peeled when eaten;

Keep raw foods (especially meat, poultry and marine products) away from other foods until they are cooked;

Do not use expired food;

Cook all animal foods at safe temperatures. For ground beef and pork, the minimum temperature is 71 degrees Celsius. For cut meat, the safe cooking temperature is 63 degrees Celsius. it should be at least 74 degrees Celsius. Cook the eggs until the yolks are cooked. Fish are safe when they are cooked to at least 63 degrees Celsius;

Store leftovers in well-covered containers and refrigerate;

Reheat foods in the refrigerator or microwave, never thaw them at room temperature;

If the food tastes or smells strange, discard it immediately;

If you are pregnant, avoid raw or unprocessed meat or seafood, smoked seafood, raw eggs and products that may include soft cheeses, unpasteurized milk and juices, pâté, lettuce, undercooked meats and hot dogs;

Do not drink water from springs or unpasteurized sources.

If someone in your family has food poisoning, take the victim to a medical center immediately. Staff here can identify the cause of the illness and prevent potential outbreaks that could affect others.