- Salmonellosis and anisakiasis are the two most common food poisonings.

Russian salad is one of the typical summer dishes. / Pexels

What can we do to avoid poisoning in summer? Tips and recommendations

Summer is par excellence, the season in which poisonings roam freely. These are due, as a general rule, to the ingestion of microorganisms or their toxins in food. That they proliferate freely is no coincidence: with warm temperatures, food deteriorates more quickly and is less well preserved.

Among the most frequent poisoning infections is salmonellosis, caused by a bacterium that has a certain predilection (although it is not the only food that can contain it) for eggs, and another would be anisakiasis, which not only produces infection but also a high rate of allergic reactions, fundamentally associated with the consumption of raw fish, or hepatitis A.

Being the ingestion of food the main origin of these poisonings, what should we take into account when handling them? Dr. Diego Sánchez Muñoz, a specialist in the digestive system and founder of the IDI-Digestive Institute, does not give some of the keys that we must take into account when selecting, cooking, and preserving what we eat.

“It is a priority to make a good selection of food, avoiding those that we do not know their origin or their previous handling. One of the most effective methods that eliminate the vast majority of the causative germs is cooking at a high temperature or freezing, that is, thermal extremes kill and prevent the reproduction of these germs, so we should avoid raw foods that do not have been previously treated. When we are going to eat fruit or vegetables, it is important to rinse beforehand with enough water, since this washes away most of the microorganisms. Conservation in the refrigerator and, if we are not going to consume it soon, in the freezer is also a priority," he advises.

For the specialist, one of the most common mistakes we make when handling food at home is poor storage: “We tend to leave cooked food at room temperature because we will eat it again soon. This is a source of infection, more so in summer, since the heat favors the development of these germs”.

Another common mistake occurs when mixing raw foods with other cooked ones, thinking that cooking prevents any contamination. Quite an imprudence since cooked food can be reinfected. In addition, the specialist warns that “it is very important that kitchen surfaces and utensils (knives, boards...) are clean; and it is preferable to use kitchen paper instead of rags or cloths, which are an important source of transmission of germs”.

Danger: we eat away from home

However, the greatest danger is not inside the house but outside. With the arrival of good weather, we go out more, we go on vacation and it is common to eat in restaurants, beach bars, terraces, and the like. "Unfortunately we cannot control what happens inside a hotel establishment, although, without a doubt, we can trust in the vast majority of cases that food hygiene standards are followed," says the doctor, who adds that, despite, there are times when this is not the case, and favorable conditions are given for the development of pathogenic germs in these foods.

“There really is no food to strictly avoid, although it is highly recommended to ensure that the storage and conservation conditions are adequate. For example, the existence of food in refrigerated display cases is data that suggests that these foods are well treated”, he comments.

The specialist recommends extreme caution with products made with eggs, such as mayonnaise or omelets, although the regulations mean that fresh eggs are not used for these foods, but rather treated products. Caution should also be taken with raw or undercooked fish (for example, anchovies in vinegar or sushi), as they can transmit anisakids if they have not previously been treated at high temperatures or below freezing for the appropriate time.

What if we end up suffering from food poisoning? The doctor explains that the most frequent symptoms are usually diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and sometimes fever. Some have more typical symptoms such as hepatitis A, which usually causes jaundice (yellowish tint of the skin and mucous membranes). In all cases, the most important thing is to ensure adequate hydration, since the loss of liquids and salts is important.

“Sometimes intravenous hydration with fluids is even necessary and, sometimes, depending on the producing microorganism, antibiotic treatment is necessary, although this must be evaluated by a doctor beforehand. You have to be alert in addition to the time of evolution since symptomatology that lasts beyond 24-48 hours can indicate certain importance and must be evaluated”, he adds.