In the hot summer, be careful! The "number one killer" of foodborne diseases may be around you!

This is the 3866th article of Da Yi Xiao Hu

On June 22, at the Jidebao Vanke Golden Joy City Kindergarten in Xi'an, Shaanxi, many parents said that more than 100 children in the kindergarten had varying degrees of physical discomfort. The symptoms were basically high fever, nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea, etc. Some parents said that their children had a high fever of 39.8℃, and some even as high as 41℃.

If our body sends us these signals, such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and fever, we must be vigilant!

So what information do these signals convey?

You guessed it right, food poisoning! Salmonella is the most common pathogen that causes food poisoning! It ranks first among bacterial food poisoning in countries around the world and is also one of the four major causes of diarrheal diseases worldwide.

I know you will ask, what is Salmonella and why is it so powerful?

Come and take a look, this is what it looks like!

What is Salmonella? What are its ways of causing illness?

Today’s popular science is full of useful information, so you must be patient and read it to the end!

Salmonella is a common foodborne pathogen, a non-spore, non-capsule Gram-negative bacillus, and the most complex genus of Enterobacteriaceae. It generally lives in humans and animals, and in addition to contaminating animal foods and their products such as meat, eggs, and milk, it also likes to contaminate common foods such as fruits, vegetables, peanut butter, oats, and snacks.

This "little guy" does not break down protein during metabolism, and there is no change in sensory properties after contaminating food. Therefore, the contaminated food cannot be seen with the naked eye, making it difficult to guard against.

What are the symptoms after infection?

Salmonellosis is characterized by acute onset of fever, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, which may be bloody, as reported in most cases to date. Symptoms usually appear 6-72 hours after ingestion of food or water contaminated with Salmonella and last 2-7 days. Symptoms of salmonellosis are generally relatively mild, and in most cases patients recover without specific treatment. However, in some cases, particularly in children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems, dehydration can occur, which can be life-threatening.

What causes Salmonella contamination?

01. The food ingredients themselves are not cleaned thoroughly, or are not properly placed after cleaning;

02. Cross contamination, such as knives, cutting boards, semi-finished product containers or the hands of chefs being contaminated with Salmonella and then contaminating other foods;

03. The processing and storage equipment is not cleaned and disinfected properly, such as mixers, ovens, disinfection cabinets, refrigerators, etc.;

04. Failure to cook thoroughly, especially when cooking large pieces of meat or reheating food stored in the refrigerator, the center temperature of the food does not reach above 70 degrees.

05. Failure to store food properly. Food that can be stored at low temperatures is not stored in the refrigerator in time, or is stored in the refrigerator but not properly packaged. For example, newly bought eggs are placed in the refrigerator without being properly packaged, and are not isolated from other foods in the refrigerator, resulting in the surface carrying bacteria that contaminate other foods in the refrigerator.

An anti-bacteria tip to avoid "diseases from the mouth"

To prevent the occurrence of foodborne diseases, we should follow the "Five Keys to Food Safety" recommended by WHO:

1. Keep clean;

Wash your hands before and after meals to prevent infection from carriers or repeated infection yourself. Washing hands is also an important step in removing microorganisms.

2. Separate raw and cooked food;

Pay attention to kitchen hygiene, use and store raw and cooked cutting boards and knives separately to avoid cross contamination.

3. Cook thoroughly;

Food should be cooked thoroughly (especially poultry, meat and eggs).

4. Keep food at a safe temperature;

Store food correctly. Cooked food should not be kept at room temperature for more than 2 hours, especially in hot and humid weather. It is recommended to refrigerate leftovers (2℃~5℃) and eat them as soon as possible to prevent the growth of Salmonella.

5. Use safe water and food ingredients;

Purchase poultry, livestock and eggs that have passed quarantine, and use safe drinking water and food ingredients to reduce the possibility of Salmonella in food.

If we do the above points well, Salmonella will stay away from us!

Author: Department of Clinical Nutrition, Tongji Hospital, Shanghai

Gao Yun and Wu Ping