Prevention of acute intestinal infections (AII). Prevention of intestinal infections: will special nutrition help against infection

What is dangerous intestinal infection

Acute intestinal infections (abbreviated as OKI, OGEC) include a large group of infectious diseases that can be contracted through contact with bacteria, viruses and protozoa. The most common acute intestinal infections include bacterial dysentery, salmonellosis, yersiniosis, staphylococcal and rotavirus infections.

As a rule, an intestinal infection is transmitted from the patient and the carrier. A person may not even be aware of its existence and that the infection has already occurred, since he does not have symptoms of poisoning and intestinal disorders. Despite the fact that the clinic (symptoms) is absent, persons in contact with him can also become infected (rotavirus infection is transmitted in this way).

The mechanism of infection is simple: the carrier person does not even try to treat the disease, for example, viral hepatitis A or infectious dysbacteriosis. Meanwhile, the virus multiplies in the gastrointestinal tract, and the bacteria are eliminated from the body during a bowel movement. From there, they can penetrate food, drinking water, and household items. A healthy person comes into contact with all dangerous sources and becomes infected. At the same time, the symptoms characteristic of food poisoning may not appear immediately.

As epidemiology shows, much less often the disease can be transmitted from large and small cattle (pigs, sheep, cows, goats), poultry and rodents.

Potential sources of danger are:

dairy products, especially those bought on the market;
meat products: minced meat, sausages, sausage;
eggs and their derivatives (desserts in the form of souffles and creams);
unwashed vegetables, fruits and berries.

Symptoms of an intestinal infection

Prevention of acute intestinal infections implies not only precautionary measures, but also familiarization with the symptoms of the disease, so that, if necessary, treatment can be started on time (a kind of reminder).

So, the etiology of the disease is as follows. When infected with a viral infection, food poisoning develops quickly. At the same time, a person suffers from severe nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain is either aching or sharp, and diarrhea may soon begin. Due to the rapid loss of fluid and lack of nutrients, a person feels weakness, lethargy, apathy, and there is no appetite. In critical cases, there may be fainting, severe chills and fever (a sharp increase in body temperature).

The etiology of the disease depends on the specific viral infection (causative agent), the rate of reproduction of pathogens in the body and the individual characteristics of the body (how long it can resist infection).

Treatment is aimed at eliminating the infection (its symptoms are fever, headache, weakness) and restoring the functions of the gastrointestinal tract (if the infection provoked destructive changes in the gastric or intestinal mucosa).

The clinical picture depends on the type of pathogen, the number of pathogenic agents that have entered, and the state of the human immune system. In severe cases, dehydration develops (dry skin and mucous membranes and thirst).

How not to get infected

Measures to prevent intestinal infections include:

Compliance with the rules of personal hygiene. In order not to endanger yourself and loved ones, be sure to wash your hands before eating, after visiting the bathroom, after contact with pets, after working with the soil.
Wash all food thoroughly before preparing food. This is especially true for meat and eggs. Before you start cooking meat, you need to carefully examine it for helminth larvae, otherwise you will also need treatment for worms. In this case, the activities and treatment will take several months. Before eating eggs, the shell should be thoroughly washed in soapy water. But here there is one nuance. If you just bought eggs, but you are not going to cook them, but want to put them in the refrigerator, do not wash them. When treated with a soap solution, the protective layer on the shell is washed off and the egg becomes more vulnerable to infection. So it is better to wash the eggs just before eating.
Vegetables and fruits bought at the market should not just be washed before use, but poured over with boiling water. Heat treatment will also help prevent the epidemiological process. In this case, the activities are simple: all vegetables and fruits are best consumed boiled or baked. The same goes for the consumption of meat products. Not all bacteria are destroyed at an average temperature. So you need to bake meat, especially pork, at a temperature of at least 200˚ C.
Pay special attention to cleaning kitchen utensils. Store knives used to cut meat separately from other kitchen utensils. The same goes for cutting boards. Ideally, the kitchen should have several boards - for cutting raw meat and other products. The same goes for knives. Measures for cleaning kitchen utensils should be carried out immediately after cooking. Be sure to wash the cutting board in running water with detergent, then pour boiling water over it. The same is true with knives.
Store different foods separately. Preferably on different shelves of the refrigerator. Raw meat should never be left open. Firstly, its smell will permeate the rest of the products. Secondly, the pathogens contained in it can migrate to other products.

Disease prevention measures also include regular cleaning of premises. Especially if there are animals in the house. Wet cleaning should be done at least twice a week. And it is good if the family has its own attending physician, who will be able to recognize the signs of infection of one of the family members in time and conduct a preventive examination.

Intestinal infections worry almost all people from time to time. Children first encounter such pathologies in the first 5 years, and then problems periodically arise throughout their lives.

This is due to the fact that the danger of infection lies in wait for people all the time: when communicating with carriers, eating raw or under-processed foods, eating in public places. Often these diseases are characterized by very unpleasant symptoms and entail serious consequences for health. For this reason, it is important to know how to protect yourself and loved ones from intestinal infections.

Prevention of intestinal infections: basic measures

Today, these infections are much less common than several centuries ago, and the reason for this positive trend is due to proper preventive measures. Despite the fact that mankind has been familiar with various types of such ailments for a long time, to this day there are no vaccines for them.

For this reason, more routine measures are taken to avoid infection. Prevention of acute intestinal infections is the very case when cleanliness is indeed a guarantee of health, a way to prevent the spread of pathogenic microorganisms. Acute intestinal infections are diseases that are caused by viruses, bacteria and other harmful microorganisms. This group of pathologies is quite common, and children, the elderly and those who, for one reason or another, have reduced immunity suffer the most.

Doctors distinguish several types of intestinal infections that lead to disruption of the gastrointestinal tract, intoxication of the body, weakness and fever. They carry the greatest danger for young children, so they should be especially protected from acute intestinal infections.

However, it will also be useful for adults to learn how prevention is carried out:

Infection usually occurs through poorly cooked vegetables and fruits, foods that have not been cooked for enough time. Therefore, it is recommended to minimize the risk of infection by subjecting all products to prolonged heat treatment. In addition, pre-freezing will help reduce the risk of infection.

Animal products carry the risk of salmonellosis. This is a disease of a bacteriological nature, which develops due to the ingestion of live Salmonella. They can enter the intestines through the consumption of meat, milk, chicken or duck eggs.

To avoid such troubles, all these products must be subjected to proper heat treatment. Meat should be boiled or fried until fully cooked, unpasteurized milk should be boiled, and eggs should be washed thoroughly with water before cooking. Duck eggs should not be consumed raw or even soft-boiled. They must be cooked for at least 15 minutes;

The main preventive measure is comprehensive hygiene, which includes a number of factors. First of all, you need to remember to clean your hands. They need to be washed thoroughly with soap every time after using the toilet, after returning from the street or from public places, since infection often occurs from person to person. It is desirable to form such a habit not only in yourself, but in children. The sooner it is fixed in the mind, the stronger it will settle in it.

Good service in the prevention of acute intestinal infections is played by antibacterial agents: soap and compact sanitizers. The latter are useful for catering enthusiasts, since they cannot always wash their hands properly in public places;

In addition, fruits and vegetables should be washed before consumption. Ideally, special organic detergents are used for this, which are easily washed off with water, therefore they are safe for washing products. They are hypoallergenic, so they are even suitable for cleaning products intended for children.

Those who are afraid to use household chemicals can treat fresh vegetables and fruits with hot water. This will help to destroy pathogenic and conditionally pathogenic microorganisms on vegetables and fruits, since many of them die already at a temperature of 60-80 degrees;

You also need to be careful about the expiration dates of the products. You need to pay attention to them both in the store before buying, and at home before cooking or eating. Dairy, sour-milk products, meat and fish are especially dangerous in this sense.

After opening the package, many products can be stored for no more than 1-2 days. It is also necessary to pay attention to the statistics and opinions of the surrounding people, since unscrupulous sellers who sin by sticking labels with expiration dates quickly find themselves and are notorious among buyers;

Housewives should get separate cutting boards for meat, fish and other products. All these boards should be stored away from each other and treated with antimicrobial agents and boiling water each time after use. In the refrigerator, raw meat and fish should also be stored separately from the rest of the food, especially those that are already ready to eat.

Improper storage and preparation of meat and fish products increases the risk of salmonellosis. In case of infection, a person remains its carrier even after the symptoms are eliminated;

In order not to get infected, you can not eat from the same dishes with the sick person, all his cups and plates should be treated with boiling water. Alternatively, wash in the dishwasher using high temperatures.

Plumbing must be treated daily with aseptic detergents. In addition, all family members should especially wash their hands with antibacterial soap.

Prevention of acute intestinal infections is very important, because it reduces the risk of getting serious and unpleasant diseases. Even if they pass quite quickly, they leave behind long-term unpleasant phenomena.

They are dangerous not only in themselves, but also carry a number of complications, including pneumonia, allergic reactions, and a violation of the intestinal microflora.

Intestinal infections (EI) are among the most common infections on Earth. This large group of pathologies, numbering more than 30 species, annually affects more than 1 billion people worldwide, manifesting itself as dehydration, fever, symptoms of intoxication of the body, and therefore, threatening not only health, but also human life. In our country, there are up to 500 cases of intestinal infections per one hundred thousand people, and statistics put these diseases in 3rd place among all infectious diseases.

In this article, we will study the reasons why infections develop in the intestines, consider their symptoms, treatment and prevention.

Why do intestinal infections occur?

The fact that intestinal infections are widespread seems quite obvious, because in order to enter the human body, pathogenic microbes need only be in food, water, or on unwashed human hands. But not everything is so clear. The first barrier to microbes trying to enter the human intestine is the oral cavity. Saliva contains a special substance - lysozyme, which perfectly destroys microbes that enter the mouth. And even if the infectious agent passes this redoubt, it enters the stomach, the glands of which produce gastric juice, which is the second barrier to pathogenic microbes.

But that's not all. The intestinal mucosa contains special immune cells that detect pathogenic microflora and react to it by turning on the body's immune defenses. In this case, the obligate intestinal flora enters the fight - the very useful microflora consisting of lacto- and bifidobacteria.

But if the protective functions of the body are weakened due to a long-term illness or seasonal beriberi, pathogenic agents are not destroyed by the body's defenses and begin to multiply actively, causing the development of acute intestinal infections. The infections under consideration are most susceptible to the elderly, people with gastrointestinal diseases, as well as individuals suffering from alcoholism. These categories of people are more likely than others to become infected, and besides, their diseases are much more severe.

Children are of particular concern in terms of intestinal infections. First of all, this applies to premature babies, infants who are artificially fed, children with immunodeficiency, as well as to newborns who are introduced complementary foods without prior heat treatment.

We also add that the infection of AEI occurs through the alimentary route, that is, through the mouth. Transmission factors are food, household items, as well as swimming in open water.

Types of intestinal infections

As noted above, there are more than 30 intestinal infections, which are divided into:

1. Bacterial
These are the most common infectious diseases, such as dysentery and salmonellosis, escherichiosis and campylobacteriosis, cholera and botulism. This should also include diseases caused by Clostridium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella.

2. Viral
First of all, these include rotaviruses, which cause rotavirus infection, also called "intestinal flu". In addition to rotaviruses, this group includes adenoviruses, coronaviruses, and other disease-causing agents.

3. Fungal
This group of diseases includes intestinal infections caused by a fungus of the genus Candida.

General symptoms of AII

Infectious diseases develop rapidly, and therefore from the moment of infection until the onset of painful symptoms, usually no more than 6-24 hours pass. The infections in question manifest themselves as the following syndromes:

1. Toxic syndrome

With it, the patient develops subfebrile temperature (up to 37.5 ° C). True, in the case of cholera, the temperature may not be at all, and when infected with staphylococci, it can be short-term and rise no higher than 38 ° C.

Typically, high fever is accompanied by symptoms such as pale skin and dizziness, weakness and body aches, nausea and vomiting.

2. Intestinal syndrome

Depending on the microbe that caused the infection, the symptoms of the disease also differ. To figure out which microbes hit the body, consider some of the most characteristic syndromes:

gastritis syndrome. When it appears pain in the epigastrium, constantly tormented by nausea and vomiting. Vomiting is usually repeated, not bringing relief. Sometimes a gag reflex appears after a normal sip of water. Of the additional symptoms, one can distinguish liquefaction of the stool, often a single one.
Syndrome of gastroenteritis. Its first sign is aching pain, localized in the center of the abdomen. The chair in this case becomes mushy, and a little later - watery. Different microbes also affect the color of the stool (with echirichiosis, it is yellowish, and with salmonellosis, with a green tint). In addition, the feces become slimy and fragments of undigested food may appear in it.
enteritis syndrome. In this case, there is no pain in the abdomen, and the infection manifests itself as diarrhea with watery stools.
Syndrome of gastroenterocolitis. The pain does not leave a person for a minute, he is tormented by diarrhea with loose stools, and after the act of defecation, the long-awaited relief does not come. And in the feces of the patient, mucus and blood streaks appear. All this is aggravated by frequent and profuse vomiting.
enterocolitis syndrome. It is distinguished by severe pain throughout the abdomen. This condition is complemented by frequent, painful defecation with liquid feces interspersed with mucus.
colitis syndrome. The feeling of aching pain is localized in the lower abdomen (usually on the left). The patient suffers from painful diarrhoea, often with mucus and streaks of blood. This syndrome is distinguished by the presence of false urge to defecate without relief after going to the toilet.

Speaking of diseases, let's say that:

if you are characterized by syndromes of gastroenterocolitis or enterocolitis, salmonellosis is likely to occur;
if you have manifestations of colitis and enterocolitis, it is possible that dysentery or escherichiosis is raging in the body;
if all symptoms point to enteritis syndrome, there is a high probability that you were struck by cholera;
if the excruciating symptoms resemble gastroenteritis syndrome, do not hesitate, a rotavirus infection has settled in your intestines.

Intestinal infections in children

Children are much more difficult to tolerate these diseases, and the most dangerous symptom in young patients is rapidly developing dehydration. For this reason, young patients often face the threat of death from infectious diseases. It should be noted that, unlike adults, which are characterized by the bacterial nature of infection, the children's body is more often affected by viruses. Moreover, an infection in a child's body with its imperfect immune system can be provoked even by opportunistic microbes.

Complications of OKI

The condition under consideration, without timely and adequate assistance, threatens a person with serious complications, such as:

1. Dehydration - loss of fluid and salt by the body as a result of profuse vomiting and diarrhea (doctors divide dehydration into 4 stages). In addition to fluid loss by the body, the patient in this condition suffers from intense thirst and dry skin, decreased pressure and rapid pulse.

2. Dehydration shock. In fact, this is dehydration, only developing at a rapid pace and threatening death. As a rule, the loss of water is accompanied by a critical decrease in blood pressure.

3. Toxic shock. This condition is characterized by a rapid increase in toxins in the human body and an equally rapid drop in pressure.

4. Acute renal failure.

5. Inflammation of the lungs (pneumonia).

First aid for intestinal infections

In the case of the development of an infectious process in the intestines, first aid should be provided as soon as possible, preferably in the first minutes after the onset of unpleasant symptoms.

In this regard, you should immediately call an ambulance for the following symptoms:

frequent loose stools;
rapidly rising temperature;
profuse vomiting;
pain in the abdomen;
pronounced thirst;
pale skin and profuse sweating;
the appearance of blood in the stool.

What not to do with an intestinal infection

With cramping pain in the abdomen, high fever and loose stools:

painkillers should not be taken. If the patient has diseases such as cholecystitis or appendicitis, painkillers will only complicate the detection of the disease;
it is forbidden to take Immodium, as well as Loperamide and other fastening drugs. Taking such medications results in an increase in the amount of toxins in the patient's intestines, thereby aggravating his condition;
it is forbidden to warm the painful stomach (put a warm heating pad on it);
can not be treated with folk and homeopathic remedies. The consequences of such attempts are usually dire.

How can you help the patient before the arrival of doctors?

1. Gastric lavage
To remove toxins from the intestines that poison the body and make you feel better, drink 2-3 glasses of water in one gulp, and after a minute, induce vomiting by pressing on the root of the tongue. But doctors do not welcome the use of potassium permanganate solution. According to experts, the effect of such a remedy does not exceed ordinary water, and in case of an incorrect dosage, a burn of the mucous membrane can be provoked.

2. Reception of sorbents
Before the arrival of doctors, the patient can take any sorbents - Smektu, Sorbeks, Activated carbon and others. These medicines will help remove toxins and make you feel better.

3. Plentiful drink
To counter dehydration, it is important to drink plenty of water. Moreover, it can be not only pure water, but also “mineral water”, black or green tea. In this case, you should drink little by little, but often (half a glass every 10 minutes).

Diagnosis of the disease

To confirm the development of an acute intestinal infection, the doctor first interviews the patient, being interested in what he ate in the last day. To confirm the alleged diagnosis and identify the pathogen, the patient is prescribed the following procedures:

a detailed blood test that allows you to identify the nature of the infection (bacterial, viral, etc.);
biochemical blood test (detecting electrolyte failure in the body);
bacteriological examination of feces (helps to determine the type of intestinal infection);
general urinalysis (helps to assess the condition of the kidneys, which are extremely sensitive to infections and intoxications);
electrocardiogram (reveals cardiac arrhythmias that occur against the background of a violation of water and electrolyte balance);
Ultrasound of the internal organs (helps to identify disorders in the liver, kidneys, bladder and pancreas).

Treatment of acute intestinal infection

In the case of the diagnosis of this condition, children are hospitalized regardless of age, and adults - in the presence of moderate and severe intestinal infections. A patient is also placed in a hospital if it is impossible to isolate him from the household at home.

Throughout the treatment, the patient is shown bed rest (and after the cessation of diarrhea - semi-bed rest). The patient is prescribed a special diet (table No. 4). With it, in the acute period of the disease, you can use weak meat broths and slimy soups, grated low-fat fish and meat, crackers and dried white bread, peeled apples and lean cookies.

From the diet should be excluded: milk, smoked meats and canned food, spices and seasonings, green onions, garlic, radishes and alcohol. Returning to your usual diet should be done carefully, gradually introducing regularly consumed foods into the diet over 2-3 weeks. Milk should be introduced last, as well as refractory fats, which will be poorly absorbed for another 2-3 months.

Medical treatment

To make up for the loss of fluid in a patient, he needs rehydration therapy. In the presence of vomiting, specialists inject the patient with special solutions intravenously, and as soon as the vomiting goes away, the fluids can be taken through the mouth. On average, the patient should drink liquids of 30 g / kg of body weight during the day, taking the prescribed remedy every 10-15 minutes, several sips.

In addition, the patient is prescribed:

enterosorbents (Laktofiltrum, Enterosgel, White coal, Baktisubtil, Smecta and others);
intestinal antiseptics (Intestopan, Intetrix, Enterofuril);
probiotics (Linex, Bifiform, Acipol and others);
enzymes (Mezim, Pancreatin and others).
Antibacterial drugs for this disease can only be prescribed by a doctor.

As a rule, timely treatment started quickly leads to the disappearance of unpleasant symptoms and the normalization of the patient's condition. True, in rare cases, the outcome of such an ailment can be a violation of the function of the pancreas, the development of dyspepsia or a disorder of the biliary tract.

Disease prevention

In order not to encounter AII, it is important to observe the following precautions:

drink exclusively bottled or boiled water;
subject to thorough heat treatment of food products;
wash vegetables and fruits before use with water (and for children with boiled water);
do not store perishable products for a long time;
observe the rules of personal hygiene;
maintain cleanliness in the living room (paying special attention to the toilet and bathroom).
Health to you!

While swimming, we willy-nilly (and small children even on purpose) swallow water along with living organisms. In the overwhelming majority of cases, such an invasion goes unnoticed, since our body has several degrees of protection, more powerful than that of a bank note. But sometimes the defense system fails, which provokes an acute intestinal infection.

Mentioning the dangers lurking in the reservoirs, one cannot avoid the topic of the inhabitants of these reservoirs. We will talk about the most dangerous creatures inhabiting our rivers - piranhas. And, no, a joke - piranhas a little south.

In fact, my story, of course, is about bacteria, about the prevention and treatment of intestinal infections. Sometimes you are surprised when we, so big and strong, who have inhabited all corners of the planet and even a piece of space, die from microscopic creatures. I remember the movie "War of the Worlds" by Wells, where even the most healthy aliens gave in to microbes.

However, I can’t vouch for aliens, but people have something to oppose to harmful microorganisms. In our saliva there is a substance (lysozyme) that complicates the life of bacteria already when it enters the mouth. The lymphatic ring in the oral cavity, being a peripheral organ of the immune system, also reliably protects against the penetration of aggressive creatures. And gastric juice is aggressive to almost any flora. But under certain conditions (immaturity of the immune system in babies, immunodeficiency, the elderly, alcoholics), bacteria take over, causing acute intestinal infections.

Where does the infection come from

In the reservoirs, life is seething, invisible to our eyes, and this life will gladly take advantage of the bodies of careless bathers. Intestinal infection is the most common problem of the summer season. Strictly speaking, acute intestinal infection occurs not only from bathing. This is a problem of unwashed hands, vegetables, fruits, poorly processed food. The cause of intestinal infection is pathogenic bacteria (occasionally viruses and fungi).

By the way, in our digestive tract there are also beneficial bacteria (bifidobacteria, lactobacilli, etc.), in other words, obligate flora. They are involved in digestion, the production of enzymes, vitamins, compete with pathogenic flora by suppressing its development.

Conditionally pathogenic microorganisms (streptococci, proteus, E. coli, etc.) also live inside the body, and with a preserved immune status, they are harmless to us. But they can cause disease with a decrease in immunity.

But bacteria that enter from the outside are pathogenic flora. The diseases they cause are yersiniosis, salmonellosis, typhoid fever, cholera, etc. - can pose a serious threat to life.

How the disease manifests itself

At first, microbial invasion manifests itself ... but does not manifest itself in anything. The incubation period lasts about two days, the time that the victim has to solve the last cases, while harmful microbes multiply and accumulate poisons. Further intoxication, temperature, aching joints - a day incomprehensible condition that can be confused with the flu or something else.

This is followed by the flourishing of intestinal infection. These are, as a rule, spastic pains in different parts of the abdomen, repeated vomiting and, of course, repeated loose stools. Sometimes the liquid pours out as if from a pipe - as in cholera. Sometimes with an admixture of blood - as in dysentery. The degree of dehydration reaches extreme values, threatening the life of the patient.

Dehydration is especially severe in young children. Very often, these babies are brought to our department. The eyes are sunken, the cry is weak, the skin is dry as a shoe. There is no time for jokes, life hangs by a thread.

Factors that determine the severity of the condition:

type of bacteria(from staphylococcus only six times diarrhea, and from cholera vibrio it will flow like from a hose until complete dehydration);
number of bacteria that have entered the body (from a hundred or two there will be nothing, but a colony of several thousand individuals will certainly cause suffering);
health status before an infectious lesion (a healthy one runs to the toilet and will only become healthier, but the core will have a bad time).

You need to stop self-medicating and herbalism and consult a doctor immediately if: - The above symptoms are observed in preschool children, the elderly over 60 years of age and in people with chronic diseases of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. - Frequent, loose stools more than 5 times in adults. - In the stool, vomit - an admixture of blood. - High fever with diarrhea and vomiting. - Cramping pains in the abdomen of any localization, lasting more than an hour. - Vomiting after any meal and water. - Great weakness and thirst.

What to do at home?

First of all, you need to replenish dehydration. Drinking is what you need! If you cannot compensate for dehydration with this method (vomiting, vomiting occurs), call an ambulance. How much should you drink? Until the craving subsides. It's simple - drink as long as you want. The risk of overloading yourself with liquid is minimal. If you have a concomitant pathology of the kidneys, heart, call an ambulance! Drink clean, bottled water. Can be replenished with liquid rehydron- True, it is disgusting to the point of horror, but it is useful with microelements.
Enterosorbents. Activated charcoal, enterodesis and all sorts of similar tasteless, but useful and safe drugs.
If it is not feasible to call a doctor and vomiting worsens dehydration, find cerucal (metoclopromide).
will be needed if the disease does not recede, antibacterial drugs will be needed: the bacterium must be killed. The choice of drugs depends on the possible pathogen, the severity of the condition, the urgency of the situation, and the allergy in this patient. Therefore, "self-prescribing" drugs is not a good idea. But if you do not have the opportunity to see a doctor, in a difficult situation (hike, tour), the best thing is furazolidone. You can keep it in the first aid kit. Take 0.1-0.15 g after meals, 4 times a day for adults. For children - 10 mg / kg of body weight per day (the daily dose is divided into 3-4 doses). Take no more than 10 days.
About food. In the acute period, it is better not to eat, but to drink, drink, drink. When it becomes a little easier, then you can low-fat broths, crackers. And the acute period must be endured.
For pain in the abdomen, it is better not to take painkillers - do not erase the picture of the disease, suddenly appendicitis!
With diarrhea, you can not take astringents, such as imodium, loperamide - the body must get rid of toxins and bacteria.

And in conclusion, let it be trite, I repeat: wash your hands before eating, wash vegetables and fruits, cook food from quality products. It's so simple, yet incredibly effective. Be healthy!!!

Vladimir Shpinev

Photo thinkstockphotos.com

Prevention of intestinal infections.

What are intestinal infections?

Acute intestinal infections (AII) are a large group of human infectious diseases caused by pathogenic and opportunistic bacteria, viruses and protozoa. The main intestinal infections include: dysentery, salmonellosis (read below), cholera, enterovirus and rotavirus infection, food poisoning caused by staphylococcus, etc. In terms of the frequency of distribution among all human diseases, they are second only to SARS. More than 60% of all cases of intestinal infections occur in childhood.

What are the causes of intestinal infections?

The source of the causative agent of acute intestinal infection can be a sick person or a bacteriocarrier, as well as animals, insects (flies). The causative agents of intestinal infections can be on dirty hands, unwashed vegetables and fruits, in unboiled water. Dairy products, boiled meat products, pâtés, etc. are favorable environments for the reproduction of microbes.

How does the disease manifest itself?

Intestinal pathogens cause:

1. Damage to the gastrointestinal tract (abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting).

2. Intoxication (fever, headache, weakness).

What are the main preventive measures?

1. Thoroughly wash vegetables and fruits eaten raw (preferably with a brush and soap, followed by rinsing with boiling water).

2. Wash your hands with soap before preparing food and after each break in the cooking process (and always after cutting raw fish, meat or poultry), as well as before eating, after walking, playing with animals.

3. Subject foods to heat treatment. Raw poultry, meat and milk are often contaminated with pathogens. During the cooking (frying) pathogens are destroyed. Note! Frozen meat, fish and poultry must be thoroughly thawed before cooking.

4. Avoid contact between raw and cooked foods (including not using the same cutting board and knife for cutting raw and cooked meat, fish and vegetables).

5. Store all perishable foods and prepared foods in the refrigerator - the cold slows down the reproduction of microbes that have got into the food.

6. Keep the kitchen clean.

7. Protect food from flies.

Following these simple tips

Helps prevent acute intestinal infections

and protect your health and the health of your loved ones!

Prevention of salmonellosis

Acute infectious disease salmonellosis is extremely diverse. Most of the time, it is violent. Approximately a day after microbes enter the body, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea appear. The temperature rises to 37.5-38 degrees, and sometimes up to 39-40 degrees. The infection causes severe intoxication. The cardiovascular system, liver and other organs are affected, convulsions appear, the heartbeat quickens, blood pressure drops.
Salmonellosis, especially at first, is sometimes similar to catarrh of the upper respiratory tract, sometimes there is only an increase in temperature and general lethargy.
In young children, this disease is so severe that sometimes the doctor is faced with the question of saving the child's life.

How can you protect yourself from salmonellosis? Salmonella get to a person in three ways: with food, with water, and also by contact with a sick person or animal.
Salmonella also gets into ready meals. This can happen if they are stored together with raw foods, or if the same kitchen utensils are used to process cooked and raw foods - cutting boards, knives.
It is necessary to make it a rule not to eat meat that has not passed veterinary control. Meat and poultry should be well boiled or fried. If the meat is cooked in a large piece, then it must be cooked for at least two hours. We recommend drinking unpasteurized milk only boiled. Duck eggs should not be eaten raw and should be cooked for at least 15 minutes. Fresh chicken eggs can also be eaten raw, but first they must be washed. Make sure that raw meat and poultry are not stored in the refrigerator in close proximity with ready meals.
You can also become infected with salmonellosis while swimming in a pond or lake, swallowing water contaminated with the secretions of sick birds and animals. But if it so happened that a child or one of the adult members of the family fell ill, do not try to make a diagnosis yourself, much less treat it - call a doctor immediately. Salmonellosis is far from a harmless disease, even in cases where it is mild. The fact is that salmonella can remain viable in the body of an undertreated patient for a long time. Reproducing in the gallbladder, they cause cholecystitis, cholangitis. In addition, salmonella live in the intestines for a long time, and the “keeper” of microbes easily becomes their carrier. That is why it is impossible to fight such an insidious disease as salmonellosis on our own.

If symptoms of an acute intestinal infection occur

you need to seek medical attention immediately!

BE HEALTHY!