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Written By: Editorial Team | Published : July 8, 2014 6:12 PM IST
Thirty-five people were taken ill and admitted to various hospitals after eating at a marriage feast in Tripura Sunday night, an official said Monday. The condition of five people is critical and they have been shifted to the government-run Tripura Medical College here. 'A total of 35 people, including women, fell ill after eating dinner at a marriage ceremony in Madhupur village of western Tripura. They were admitted to various government hospitals. Condition of five people is serious,' a health department spokesperson said. According to doctors, the people fell ill because of food poisoning. Officials have collected a sample of the food served at the marriage ceremony for testing. (Read: Food Poisoning: All you need to know (Video))
What is food poisoning?
Food poisoning is a condition caused by ingesting food contaminated by bacteria. These bacteria produce toxins which are very harmful for the human body. Although we have an inbuilt system within our stomach to inhibit the growth of these bacteria, in some cases we end up ingesting such large quantities of the bacterium that it causes illness. Generally caused by bacteria such as Salmonella, E. coli, Campylobacter or Clostridium perfringes, food poisoning is usually caused by eating food that is prepared under unsanitary conditions.
Symptoms:
The symptoms of food poisoning usually manifest instantaneously or even upto 48 hours later. The most common symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, malaise (general feeling of illness), headache and body ache.
Treatment:
The treatment options available in such a condition is usually very simple. Your doctor will prescribe medicines that will control your vomiting or diarrhea, fever, combined with a round of antibiotics. In case you don't feel better even after taking the medicine, you will be asked to get a few blood tests done like a CBC, and to give a stool sample. The CBC will help identify if there is still an infection in the body and the stool sample will help identify exactly which organism has caused the food poisoning.
A common precaution your doctor will take, is to prescribe rehydrating agents, and advice you to drink a lot of water. This not only helps rehydrate your body but will also help flush out the toxins faster. Oral rehydration Therapy or ORS is an essential part of treating food poisoning. This is because when a person suffers from diarrhea and/or vomiting, he/she loses not only water but a number of essential salts and minerals from the body. This rapid loss of nutrients could send the body into shock causing a shut down in the main functions of the body.
There are a number of commercial Oral rehydrating agents available in the market. All you need to do is add it to a litre of boiled water and keep sipping the solution throughout the day. Another natural option is to have nimbu pani with salt and sugar or coconut water. Both these substitutes are cheap yet effective methods of rehydration. Read more about Food poisoning causes, prevention and treatment
With inputs from IANS
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