What to Do When Food Poisoning Strikes

Food poisoning rehydration and home first aid kit

Food poisoning is an unpleasant illness that can develop suddenly with a range of symptoms.

A person with food poisoning is likely to be vulnerable and unable to do much for themselves.

So we’ve written this article to explain how to treat food poisoning, recognise its symptoms and know when to seek medical help. Read on to find out more.

What is food poisoning?

Food poisoning is the term used to describe an illness triggered by eating food contaminated by bacteria, viruses or even parasites. The toxins of these organisms may also cause food poisoning.

Food may become contaminated at any point in the production or cooking processes. This can happen whether you’re eating out, cooking at home or on holiday.

What are the symptoms?

Food poisoning symptoms typically start within a few hours of eating contaminated food, although they can start later. They include:

Nausea
Vomiting
Diarrhoea, which may be bloody or watery
Abdominal cramps or pain
Fatigue

If you’re wondering how long does food poisoning last, an episode may persist from a few hours to several days.

What can I do to help someone with food poisoning?

Most cases of food poisoning can be treated at home. Here’s what you can do to help your affected loved one.

Because vomiting and diarrhoea can cause dehydration, help the patient to replenish their fluid levels. Encourage them to sip on water, squash or juice. You can also offer them special hydration drinks, which replace both lost fluid and electrolytes (salts and minerals that help keep you hydrated).

Many home first aid kits are supplied with hydration sachets, so you may already have these to hand.

Once the patient feels well enough, they can try eating some bland, non-fatty food such as rice, toast or crackers.

Keep an eye on their temperature, using a reliable thermometer. A normal temperature is around 37 °C. So, if the patient’s temperature reaches 38 °C or higher, treat them for fever.

You can do this by:

Ensuring they keep hydrated
Giving them an ice pack to keep cool
Dressing them in lightweight clothing
Keeping their room at a cool temperature

It’s also important to let the patient rest as much as possible. Helping to maintain a quiet and calm environment is essential to their swift recovery.

When to seek medical attention

In some cases, you should seek medical attention. This could be if:

The patient is in a high-risk group. These groups include babies and children, pregnant women, people with long-term health conditions or weakened immune system and adults over the age of 60.
Their fever doesn’t go away or exceeds 38 °C.
The vomiting does not allow the patient to keep fluids down, or the diarrhoea lasts more than three days.
They have blood in their vomit or stools.
The patient appears to be severely dehydrated. Symptoms of extreme dehydration include reduced urination or dark-coloured urine, inability to sweat, headache and dizziness.
They are showing neurological symptoms such as tingling arms, blurry vision or muscle weakness.

What can I do to avoid food poisoning?

If you’ve ever had food poisoning or cared for someone with the condition, you will be keen to avoid it in the future. Here’s what you can do to steer clear of this debilitating illness:

Always wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before and after preparing food.
Keep your kitchen and utensils clean, wiping down surfaces frequently.
Store raw foods away from ready-to-eat foods to avoid cross-contamination. For example, keep raw meat on the bottom shelf of your fridge so that its juices don’t drip onto other foods.
Cook foods to a safe temperature. You can use a food thermometer to help you. Different foods will have varying safe temperatures, so refer to information available online or in your food thermometer instructions.
Defrost food in your fridge, not at room temperature.
If you’re unsure about the freshness of food stored at home, throw it away.

To avoid getting sick when you’re travelling, follow these tips:

Only consume bottled drinks with the seal intact and do not accept ice in drinks.
Eat only freshly cooked food that’s piping hot.
Avoid uncooked food unless it’s something that you can peel or shell.
Avoid food prepared by street vendors.
Always wash your hands thoroughly before and after eating.

Be prepared for food poisoning

No one wants to experience food poisoning. But now that you’ve read this article, if it does strike, you will know what to do to help the patient.

Make sure your first aid kit and supplies are fully stocked up so that you can reach for items like ice packs or rehydration sachets easily when you need them.

Take a look at the MediBC range of first aid products. They’re designed to help you with all kinds of medical or first aid situations and give you the peace of mind that comes with being prepared.