Food poisoning | Causes, Symptoms and Treatments |

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Food poisoning
Food poisoning is an illness caused by eating contaminated food. It's not usually serious and most people get better within a few days without treatment.
Infectious organisms — including bacteria, viruses and parasites — or their toxins are the most common causes of food poisoning.
Symptoms
Food poisoning symptoms vary with the source of contamination.
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Watery or bloody diarrhea
• Abdominal pain and cramps
• Fever
Signs and symptoms may start within hours after eating the contaminated food, or they may begin days or even weeks later. Sickness caused by food poisoning generally lasts from a few hours to several days.
Causes
Contamination of food can happen at any point of production: growing, harvesting, processing, storing, shipping or preparing. Cross-contamination — the transfer of harmful organisms from one surface to another — is often the cause. This is especially troublesome for raw, ready-to-eat foods, such as salads or other produce. Because these foods aren't cooked, harmful organisms aren't destroyed before eating and can cause food poisoning.

Complications
The most common serious complication of food poisoning is dehydration — a severe loss of water and essential salts and minerals. If you're a healthy adult and drink enough to replace fluids you lose from vomiting and diarrhea, dehydration shouldn't be a problem.
Oral rehydration solutions (ORS), which are available from pharmacies, are recommended for more vulnerable people, such as the elderly and those with another health condition.
Prevention
• Wash your hands, utensils and food surfaces often.
• Keep raw foods separate from ready-to-eat foods.
• Cook foods to a safe temperature.
• Refrigerate or freeze perishable foods promptly
• Defrost food safely.
• Throw it out when in doubt.

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