Food Poisoning: Key Causes, Symptoms, Treatments, and Prevention

• Stomach cramps
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Loss of appetite
• Mild fever
• Weakness
• Nausea
• Headaches

Over and above this, there are some other symptoms that are more serious that you need to be careful about:

• If diarrhea lasts for three days or more
• If the fever temperature is more than 101.5°F
• If you are struggling with seeing or speaking
• If you are showing signs of severe dehydration. This would include symptoms like having a dry mouth, passing little to no urine, or having bloody urine

Generally, a doctor will be able to diagnose whether or not you have food poisoning based on your symptoms. If yours is a severe case, then blood tests, stool tests, and tests on food that you have eaten might be conducted to determine the cause of the infection. To determine whether or not you are dehydrated because of food poisoning, a urine test might also be conducted.

High-risk groups include

• The Elderly & Older Adults – Older people have a weaker immune system wherein their immune system may not respond quickly or effectively to infections.
• Pregnant Women – During pregnancy, changes occur in the metabolism and circulation. This sometimes tends to increase the risk of food poisoning. Sometimes the reaction to the infection may be more severe during pregnancy, and in rare cases, it could make the baby sick too.
• Infants and Young Children – The immune systems of young children aren’t fully developed, unlike adults, and thus they are at a much higher risk.
• People with Chronic Diseases – If someone is suffering from chronic conditions such as diabetes, liver disease, or AIDS, or receiving chemotherapy or radiation therapy for cancer, then that also reduces one’s immune response.

Some important steps to take to control nausea and vomiting:

• It is best to avoid solid foods until vomiting ends. You should eat light, bland foods, such as bananas, rice, or bread.
• You should sip liquids to avoid vomiting.
• It is not advisable to eat fried, greasy, spicy, or sweet foods.
• Do not take anti-nausea or anti-diarrhea medication without consulting your doctor, since these medicines have side effects and may make your diarrhea worse.

To prevent dehydration:

• Drink a lot of clear fluids.
• If vomiting and diarrhea last for more than 24 hours, drink an oral rehydration solution.

It is advisable to avoid solid foods and stay on a liquid diet till vomiting and diarrhea gets better. However, once you feel better, you can start having foods that are low in fat and bland. For example, you can consume foods like plain rice, banana, chicken broth, boiled vegetables, etc.

During food poisoning, you should avoid eating foods that are difficult to digest. For example:

• Dairy Products like Milk & Cheese
• Foods that are very fatty or even spicy and fried foods
• Foods that are very high in sugar

To Prevent Food Poisoning At Home:

• Make sure to wash your hands, utensils, and food surfaces well. Also, wash your hands with hot water and soap before and after handling or preparing food. You can also use hot, soapy water to wash utensils, cutting boards, and other surfaces that you use while cooking.
• It is advisable to separate raw foods from ready-to-eat foods. When you are shopping, cooking, or storing food, keeping raw meat, poultry, fish, and shellfish away from other foods can prevent cross-contamination.
• Make sure to cook foods to a safe temperature. It is possible to kill harmful organisms in most foods by cooking them to the right temperature. The best way to confirm if foods are cooked to the right temperature is to use a food thermometer.
• For perishable foods, you should refrigerate or freeze them as soon as possible – ideally within two hours of buying or making them.
• It is important to defrost food carefully. If you are using a microwave to defrost frozen food, make sure to cook it immediately.
• If you are unsure about whether or not the food has been prepared or stored safely, don’t take any chances and just throw it out. Sometimes, even when the food looks or smells fine, it might not be safe to eat.

Stomach Flu and Food Poisoning may not be the same thing, since it depends on the infectious, causative agent in the contaminated food. Stomach flu is a generic term that is used to describe an ailment that resolves itself within 24 hours and is most commonly caused by the adenovirus, Norwalk virus or rotavirus. Doctors and medical professionals generally equate stomach flu to viral gastroenteritis.

Features That Make FRH Different

• Time for appointments: Available 24/7, 365 days. Even on weekends and public holidays. Always just a call away.
• Time to reach you: We arrive the fastest, within 30* minutes of your call.
• Services Offered In: Entire Emirate of Dubai.
• Where Can We Visit You: Your Home, Hotel, or Office.

To make an appointment, all you need to do is Call on 0505050387 or 800DIALDOC.Or you can visit our website

Through our Doctor On Call Service, we ensure that

• Our medical services are supported by qualified and compassionate doctors throughout Dubai.
• We use, develop, and apply updated, new technology in ways that can benefit our patients and help us become pioneers.
• We attract the most professional, qualified medical healthcare staff.
• Our customers are highly satisfied with