Pilgrims face the risk of food poisoning as a result of high temperatures that affect the foods served in restaurants or cooked in the residence, and the pilgrim’s preoccupation with the rituals of Hajj, which may forget to pay attention to the cleanliness and validity of the foods he eats.
The Saudi Ministry of Health says that many pilgrims are susceptible to food poisoning, especially salmonella bacteria.
As this results in acute inflammation of the intestines and colon, and its symptoms include:
Abdominal pain.
a headache.
high temperature;
Diarrhea.
vomiting.
The Saudi Ministry of Health says that food poisoning can be transmitted by:
Do not wash vegetables before eating them.
Not washing hands before preparing food or before eating.
Meat is not cooked properly.
Drink unpasteurized milk.
Eating some foods raw, such as eggs, or some foods that contain raw eggs, such as mayonnaise, when kept at an inappropriate temperature.
Eating shawarma prepared in an unhealthy way, which has been proven to be a cause of many injuries.
Ways to prevent food poisoning during Hajj
Wash hands thoroughly before and after preparing food.
Wash fruits and vegetables well before eating them.
Avoid storing cooked food in buses and on the go for long periods of time;
This is one of the main factors causing food poisoning during Hajj.
Cooked food should be eaten immediately, and stored in the refrigerator after cooling if necessary.
Use clean water and preferably bottled mineral water for drinking and cooking.
If you are not sure of the cleanliness of the water, it must be boiled before use.
Do not drink water from unclean water taps and ice cubes.
Make sure to drink pasteurized milk and yogurt and choose automatic bottled juices.
Ensure the expiration date of the cans and that their contents do not leak to the outside.
Keeping perishable foods (such as dairy products, tuna) before and after opening them in the refrigerator.
Be sure to buy automatically packaged foods, and not eat uncovered foods or foods that have been prepared for a long time.
Make sure food is thoroughly cooked to kill germs.
Avoid buying food from street vendors.
It is preferable to eat fruits with thick peels, such as bananas and oranges, to ensure that they are clean and not contaminated.
Use clean bowls and plates, preferably paper plates and cups.
Remember that changing the color, taste or smell of food is a sign of food spoilage and poisoning.
Remember that storing cooked food for more than two hours at room temperature or on buses leads to the growth of germs, and thus food poisoning.
salmonella
Salmonella is a Gram-negative Bacillus 0.7–1.5 µm in diameter and 2–5 µm in length. It is a facultative anaerobe, i.e. able to generate energy in the presence of “aerobic” oxygen when it is available;
Or in the absence of oxygen "aerobic".
Salmonella is one of the 4 main causes of diarrheal diseases globally, and its presence in food or water is a major reason for preventing food from being handled or withdrawn from the market (food if it contains salmonella is considered unfit for human consumption).
Salmonella is found in both warm-blooded and cold-blooded animals.
These organisms are mostly found on raw eggshells, in fowl or poultry, and in red meat.
People often become infected when they eat contaminated foods of animal origin, such as meat or eggs.
Humans can also become infected by eating salmonella found in animal droppings that contaminate food or water and possibly by direct contact with infected animals through their raising, slaughtering, cleaning or handling.
Human infection can often be acquired directly from the feces of reptiles, poultry and ducks.
It can also be obtained from livestock, dogs, cats and birds.
Salmonella is transmitted orally (ingestion of food or drink, contaminated fingers) and is mostly carried in the intestines or gallbladders of many animals, and is excreted continuously or intermittently in the faeces.
It can be transmitted from birds through contamination of the yolk membrane, milk, and egg yolk.
Salmonella can cause:
Acute enteritis or food infection (Gastroenteritis or food infection).
Septicemia or severe sepsis.
Enteric fever.
Typhoid fever.
Paratyphoid fever.
Salmonella and eggs
For its part, the German Federal Center for Nutrition says that salmonella bacteria usually reach humans by eating contaminated foods, noting that salmonella is transmitted in particular through eggs that have not been exposed to sufficient heat, and foods containing raw eggs, such as mayonnaise. For example, it carries a risk of infection with salmonella bacteria.
Salmonella bacteria are often found in raw meat and meat products that have not been heated enough or have never been exposed to heat, and seafood and fish also contain this bacteria.
mouth and stool
In addition, salmonella infection may be transmitted from one person to another through the mouth and feces;
For example, it can be transmitted through the handle of the toilet door when the infected person grabs it after leaving the toilet without washing his hands, then the healthy person grabs it without knowing that it is contaminated and then eats his food, and the bacteria are transmitted to his digestive system.
The summer season is a season for salmonella infection because high temperatures contribute significantly to the proliferation of salmonella bacteria.
Since foods are not subjected to sufficient refrigeration during this season;
Salmonella bacteria can grow inside them to the point where large amounts of pathogens can quickly get into food.
Categories more susceptible to salmonella
When eating foods contaminated with salmonella bacteria, the possibility of poisoning at this time depends on the amount of pathogens present in the food, as well as on the preparedness of each person for infection.
Children, the elderly, pregnant women, and people with weak immune systems or chronic diseases are the most at risk of infection with this bacteria, even if the causes of infection within foods are reduced.
The infection with salmonella bacteria in these people usually takes a severe pathological course.
Symptoms of salmonella
Symptoms of salmonella poisoning usually appear about 12 to 48 hours after eating contaminated food, with bouts of diarrhea, abdominal cramps, or a high temperature, and sometimes in the form of a headache.
In rare cases, the causes of infection can spread to another organ, leading to complications such as inflammation of the heart valves or meningitis.
Therefore, anyone who suspects that he has salmonella poisoning should consult a doctor immediately.
Salmonella prevention
Washing hands is the best way to prevent salmonella infection, after using the toilet and after touching things that are likely to be contaminated with bacteria, such as diapers, for example. Hands should also be washed before preparing foods and before eating and after touching all raw animal products.
In addition, poultry, eggs or any other foods that can transmit salmonella bacteria must be heated well during preparation, and this means that the heat reaches the foods from the inside to at least 70 degrees Celsius.
Intestinal infections increase during Hajj season
For her part, pharmacist Amal Abu Al-Jadayel says, in an article on the Saudi Ministry of Health website, that "the incidence of gastroenteritis increases during the Hajj season, due to the occasion of many circumstances for this, due to crowding and the difficulty of preserving and disposing of food, which increases the opportunity for the spread of germs, viruses and bacteria, and produces From that, food poisoning incidents resulting from food spoilage, which causes disease symptoms that vary in severity from one person to another depending on the type of food poisoning and whether it is bacterial, chemical or other.”
The pharmacist Amal said, "One of the most prominent symptoms associated with these common colds is diarrhea, and the pilgrim may notice the start of abdominal pain and a rise in temperature associated with diarrhea, and these symptoms unfortunately lead to dehydration, especially with the continued loss of fluids with diarrhea that affects the health and safety of the pilgrim." ".
She added, "At this stage, it is preferable to drink a lot of fluids, be careful to eat boiled potatoes and yoghurt, and avoid foods containing fat, and in the event the condition deteriorates and more severe symptoms of poisoning appear, such as vomiting, headache, severe sweating with double vision and sometimes paralysis of the nervous system. More than one symptom may appear on the injured, in this case the injured must be transferred to the hospital to see a doctor before the condition worsens.