Bacterial gastroenteritis is an acute gastroenteritis that occurs in summer, due to improper preservation of food or poor cooking environment, if you eat these foods full of bacteria, it is easy to be attacked by gastroenteritis.
What is Gastroenteritis?
Gastroenteritis is an inflammation of the stomach, small intestine, or large intestine and is an infectious disease. There are two main types of gastroenteritis: viral gastroenteritis and bacterial gastroenteritis, which have different causative factors.
Rotavirus is the most common cause of diarrhea in infants and children under 5 years of age; adenovirus, salmonella virus, and astrovirus also occur in children under 5 years of age; and norovirus can infect people of any age.
Whether viral or bacterial, they can cause gastrointestinal illness, and gastroenteritis is easily spread and is most common in group settings such as schools, workplaces, and families.
Common symptoms of IBS
Although viral and bacterial gastroenteritis have different causative agents, the onset of symptoms is very similar. Symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, headache, and fever are very common.
You may be wondering how long these symptoms will last. The duration of the illness depends on the age of the patient, his or her resistance, the type of germs that infect him or her, and the amount of contaminated food that he or she has eaten, etc. Symptoms can last from 1 to 10 days.
Caution, gastroenteritis is contagious!
When caregivers come into contact with the stool and vomit of patients or infants, fecal-oral transmission can occur through eating and drinking if hands are not properly washed; droplet transmission can also occur when talking to patients and sharing food or utensils.
In addition, consumption of contaminated food or water and improperly stored ingredients are common sources of infection, such as improper cooking in centralized kitchens in schools and military camps, which can lead to cluster infections.
The five nutritional principles of gastroenteritis and how to replenish the diet?
Vomiting and diarrhea can cause loss of fluids and electrolytes. Dehydration or severe electrolyte imbalance can lead to muscle cramps or even death.
It is important to replenish fluids and electrolytes. In mild cases, plain water can be used as the main ingredient, supplemented by sports drinks; in severe cases, oral electrolyte solution can be purchased from a general pharmacy.
What can patients eat? During the treatment period, patients should eat a diet with less oil, less sugar and small amounts of food. However, if they only eat thin rice or white toast, it may cause nutritional imbalance, such as lean meat, vegetables and fruits are all good choices.
Although patients should follow a light diet in principle, they should still emphasize a balanced diet to regain their strength faster. The amount of food should be small and frequent so as not to increase the burden on the stomach and intestines.
Fried, spicy, dairy, high-sugar and high-fiber foods should be avoided during IBS to avoid irritating the stomach and worsening diarrhea.
What can I do to prevent gastroenteritis?
Reheating Ingredients
Raw and cooked foods should be handled in separate containers to avoid cross-contamination. It is also important to reheat and avoid raw foods, especially eggs, poultry, meat, raw seafood, and fish and shellfish. The center temperature of food should be above 70℃ to eliminate pathogens.
Proper food storage
Avoid prolonged storage at room temperature, keep it below 7℃ and observe the expiration date of the storage period to inhibit the growth of bacteria.
Eliminate infectious agents
Flies, cockroaches, rats, don’t underestimate the influence of these small animals! The viruses or bacteria on their bodies can contaminate food, and if they are unfortunately eaten by humans, there is a great possibility of contracting diseases.
Disinfect the environment thoroughly
In addition to keeping the environment clean, if you have gastroenteritis patients in your home or other group setting, you must disinfect the environment and surfaces that the patients may have touched with bleach.
How should I prepare or use disinfectant bleach?
First of all, waterproof gloves and masks must be worn when making or using it. For general environmental disinfection, 500 ppm chlorine bleach can be used and diluted as follows:
Take 100cc of commercial bleach at a concentration of 5-6%, then add 5 bottles of 2,000cc of tap water and mix evenly.
Is there a vaccine for gastroenteritis?
Currently, the only vaccine available to prevent gastroenteritis is the rotavirus vaccine, so if you have young children at home, you may want to consider paying for the vaccine. As for other viruses that can cause gastroenteritis, there is no vaccine to prevent them.
Norovirus, which you may have heard of, is also one of the most common causes of food poisoning. Due to the high genetic variability, the protective power generated after infection is limited, and it is not possible to prevent the recurrence of norovirus infection.
Therefore, in addition to the use of existing vaccines to prevent gastroenteritis, the most important thing is to maintain personal, environmental and food hygiene to effectively prevent infection.
Questions Your Doctor May Ask
When experiencing symptoms similar to gastroenteritis, the patient can record the following items to help the doctor make a diagnosis and clarify the illness
1.Frequency of vomiting
2.Frequency of urination
3.Whether people around you have symptoms of vomiting or diarrhea
4.Recent diet, such as drinking unpasteurized milk or eating food that has not been eaten for a long time.
5.Any contact with insects or reptiles
6.Recent travel history
7.Frequency and pattern of bowel movements
Does gastroenteritis get serious?
In general, doctors diagnose gastroenteritis based on symptoms, diet, exposure history, and physical changes. If the following conditions are present, it is considered a more serious type of gastroenteritis and laboratory tests such as blood tests and stool samples are required to confirm the diagnosis.
1.Fever over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) or lasting several days.
2.Diarrhea that lasts more than two weeks
3.Yellowish skin or eyes
4.Abnormal stool color or pus in the stool
5.Signs of dehydration, such as irritability, lethargy, severe dry mouth, significant weight loss, no tears when crying, no wet diaper for 8-12 hours, etc.