Salmonellosis: What It Is And How To Prevent It
People can get salmonellosis when they consume food contaminated with animal feces. This disease is related to salmonella, a bacterium that lodges in the intestinal passages of animals and humans.
Salmonellosis can be contracted through very common foods that we consume in our daily lives such as meat, chicken, milk and cheese. It is possible to eliminate this bacteria by cooking food well.
Salmonellosis Symptoms
The symptoms of this disease begin to appear between 12 and 72 hours after the contraction of the bacteria and usually disappear between 4 and 7 days, without any type of treatment. However, sometimes the disease can get complicated.
Salmonellosis can pass from the intestines into the bloodstream, thus reaching other areas of the body. When this happens, antibiotics are needed to be able to cure. The person may have the following symptoms:
- Fever
- Abdominal pain
- Diarrhea
- Headache
- Chills
- Nausea
- vomiting
- loss of appetite
- Dehydration
How to prevent salmonellosis
To prevent salmonellosis, it is important to cook meat and eggs thoroughly before eating. In addition, you also need to avoid eating raw foods or drinking unpasteurized milk. Other points to remember are:
- Always wash your hands with soap. Wash cutlery and kitchen surface after handling raw meat.
- Pay more attention to feeding children, the elderly or people with more sensitive immune systems.
- Always wash your hands after touching a reptile or bird, even if they look healthy. Reptile feces can also contain salmonella.
- Children and people with low immune systems should not have direct contact with reptiles.
- Do not feed or change the baby without washing your hands well, especially if you have contact with raw red meat or chicken.
- Keep food well refrigerated.
- Wash hands after touching pets.
- Do not consume ice unless made with drinking water.
Salmonellosis treatment
As mentioned above, this disease usually cures itself between 4 and 7 days after contracting the infection. During this period it is very important to drink a large amount of fluids.
If after this time you continue to have symptoms, it is important to see your doctor who will prescribe an antibiotic. Never take medication on your own. Some of these bacteria are resistant to antibiotics.
Long-term complications
Although most people generally recover from diarrhea without any problems, it can take months for the bowel to return to normal.
In some specific cases, the person may experience joint pain, eye irritation and pain when urinating. These symptoms can last for years.
Children and the elderly need special attention
Children and the elderly are more likely to contract this type of illness. Because they don’t have such a resistant immune system, it’s easier to get any disease. In addition, you need to be aware that dehydration caused by diarrhea can be life-threatening.
If your child has possible symptoms of salmonellosis that do not go away within two days, consult your pediatrician.
If this disease gets into the bloodstream, it can infect the child’s body tissues. This has other, more serious consequences. This is the case for diseases such as meningitis, endocarditis and osteomyelitis.
There are many diseases that we often don’t know about and that can be contracted through food or contact with animals. Therefore, hygiene is very important when handling food and after coming into contact with animals.
