[Click! Health] Summer, When Bacteria Thrive: How to Prevent Food Poisoning?

Summer, when the weather becomes hot and humid, requires special attention to food hygiene. Due to the weather, food spoils easily and bacteria multiply rapidly. Additionally, during the rainy season, the amount of ultraviolet rays from sunlight, which have a sterilizing effect, decreases, allowing bacteria to be more active. In areas affected by floods caused by the rainy season, the suspension of tap water supply can also lead to poor sanitary conditions.

Food poisoning is a disease in which the digestive system becomes infected through the consumption of contaminated food, causing symptoms such as stomach upset and diarrhea, which can appear acutely or chronically. Symptoms include fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and rash. Depending on the cause, food poisoning can be classified into bacterial food poisoning caused by bacteria, poisoning caused by toxins produced by microorganisms in food, natural toxin food poisoning caused by animal or plant toxins, and chemical food poisoning caused by chemical substances.

The bacteria that cause bacterial food poisoning include Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella, Shigella, and Vibrio parahaemolyticus. The risk of bacterial food poisoning is high during the hot summer and rainy season.

The symptoms appear fastest in food poisoning caused by Staphylococcus aureus. If you eat food contaminated with toxins from Staphylococcus aureus, vomiting and diarrhea occur within 1 to 6 hours. At this time, symptomatic treatment such as sufficient hydration is recommended rather than taking antibiotics or antidiarrheal drugs.

Typhoid fever caused by Salmonella has an incubation period of about 1 to 2 weeks, after which high fever around 40 degrees Celsius, headache, and diarrhea appear. Symptoms similar to a cold, such as shivering and aching joints in the head and limbs, appear first. In severe cases, complications such as intestinal bleeding and meningitis may occur. In Korea, 70-80% of cases are transmitted through contaminated water. If the disease worsens, after 2 to 3 weeks, high fever fluctuating around 40 degrees Celsius and exhaustion occur. Skin rashes appear, and stools mixed with blood are observed. Not all typhoid fever patients experience diarrhea; some may have constipation symptoms.

To prevent typhoid fever, develop habits of boiling water and cooking food thoroughly. It is also good to get vaccinated in advance. People who have had typhoid fever in the past should especially wash their hands thoroughly and frequently disinfect kitchen cloths and cutting boards. Salmonella is most commonly transmitted by poultry such as chickens and ducks, and eggs can also be a source of infection. Salmonella is vulnerable to heat and is killed by heating at 62-65 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes. Cooking eggs thoroughly can prevent infection, but care must be taken to avoid secondary contamination of other foods during the cooking process.

Shigellosis is transmitted through contaminated water or spoiled food, such as from feces, and is highly contagious. Shigella bacteria can survive 2 to 6 weeks in water and several months in soil. They are resistant to stomach acid and can cause shigellosis with only a small amount on the hands or about 200 bacteria. After initial symptoms such as nausea and vomiting, multiple episodes of diarrhea occur within 3 to 6 weeks. Children and the elderly may experience dehydration and risk falling into a coma. Therefore, if diarrhea persists or dehydration symptoms appear, prompt hospital visits are necessary.

Vibrio sepsis is a frightening infectious disease with a mortality rate of over half even with treatment. Vibrio bacteria, which inhabit seawater, multiply rapidly in summer when seawater temperature rises. Infection occurs when about 100,000 bacteria invade. In Korea, where hepatitis is prevalent, it mainly occurs in chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis patients who consume raw seafood such as sashimi or raw oysters. Over 90% of patients are men in their 40s and 50s, and people with such underlying diseases must eat cooked seafood.

Cholera is a representative infectious disease to be cautious of at the end of the rainy season. Cholera is transmitted through feces, vomit, contaminated water, or food. Infection can occur when preparing food or eating with contaminated hands. After an incubation period of usually 2 to 4 days, severe diarrhea and dehydration symptoms causing thirst appear. Over time, blood pressure drops, skin turns bluish, and mental status becomes unstable. Following the four major hygiene rules?thorough hand hygiene, boiling food before eating, disinfecting cooking utensils cleanly, and not storing food for long?can prevent a significant number of cholera cases.

Professor Jeong Ji-won of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Seoul Asan Medical Center emphasized, "The shortcut to preventing food poisoning is to properly manage the selection, cooking, and storage of food." Since bacteria mainly multiply between 0 and 60 degrees Celsius, storage should be below 4 degrees Celsius and heating above 60 degrees Celsius. Exceptionally, toxins from Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus, and Clostridium bacteria are heat-resistant and can survive heating, so it is best to eat cooked food as soon as possible.

He also advised that thorough personal hygiene is important. Washing hands is essential after going out, touching dirty things, or using the restroom. Also, people with hand wounds should not prepare food as they may be contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus. During summer, when food poisoning incidents are frequent, it is also important not to drink groundwater, spring water, or well water. Unlike tap water, these are not chlorinated and may be contaminated with various food poisoning bacteria.