OWERRI , NIGERIA
FOOD POISONING
Food poisoning is a very common illness. For most people it is usually mild, but food poisoning can be severe and even deadly for some individuals.
Most cases of food poisoning occur when people eat food or drink water containing bacteria, bacterial toxins (substances produced by bacteria), parasites, or viruses. Food poisoning can also occur when non-infectious poisons (such as poisonous mushrooms) or heavy metals (such as lead or mercury) find their way into people's stomachs.
People at greatest risk for food poisoning are seniors, pregnant women, young children and babies, and people with chronic medical conditions (e.g., diabetes, AIDS, liver disease).
CAUSES OF FOOD POISON
Food poisoning occurs when contaminated food or water is ingested. Contamination can occur anywhere along the process of obtaining and eating food;
- It can occur during growing, harvesting, processing, storing, or preparation stages.
- In most cases, bacteria, viruses, or parasites are transferred to food from other sources, making these organisms the most common causes of food poisoning.
However, in some less common types of food poisoning, the poison or toxin is naturally part of the food (e.g., poisonous mushrooms or fish). Other less common causes include shellfish and insecticides, Bacteria and bacterial toxins:
Many bacteria can cause food poisoning, either directly or by the toxins they produce. Some of the most common include Salmonella, E. coli, Shigella, Staphylococcus, and Clostridium perfringens. Many bacterial causes of food poisoning can be found in undercooked meats, poultry, eggs, dairy, processed meats, fish, custards, cream pies, and contaminated water.
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| ugba: African Delicacy |
The Story
Ugba (Oil
Bean Seed) is native to Eastern Nigeria, Ugba undergoes extensive fermentation
before it is considered edible. The delicacy
was purchased from the Owerri main market according to a reliable source.
Reports across the Eastern part of Nigeria has it that he joy of a family, residing in Graceland Housing Estate, Egbeada, Owerri,
almost turned sour as no fewer than 30 of their guests ended up in hospital
after eating a suspected contaminated Igbo delicacy, Ugba .
The said family invited their friends and relations to the Christening ceremony of
their child and they all retired to their Graceland Estate residence after
service.
Feelers started trickling in that some of their guests had ended up in
several hospitals, including the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri as a man,
whose wife consumed the delicacy and who preferred anonymity, said his wife
started stooling and vomiting later that evening and was rushed to the Federal
Medical Centre, Owerri.
Continuing,
the man said that he was shocked to find that another woman, who was equally a
guest at the child dedication ceremony, was already admitted in the hospital,
suffering from the same symptoms.
People just need to be careful while handling food, and beware of what you eat and where you eat.
More about Food poisoning; Symptoms and Complications of Food Poisoning
Almost all forms of food poisoning produce nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea.The bacterial causes of food poisoning tend to cause these symptoms as well as fever and headache. Symptoms can start within hours to days after eating the contaminated food and last from a day to a week.
Many non-infectious (not caused by bacteria and their toxins, viruses, etc) food poisoning affects the central nervous system and cause symptoms typical of nerve poisons.
Eating shellfish contaminated with saxitoxin, for example, will produce weakness or paralysis around the mouth in a few minutes, which slowly spreads to the rest of the body. Signs of ciguatera poisoning include face pain, headache, itching, and odd sensations of alternating hot and cold.
Scombroid (histamine) fish poisoning causes the symptoms of excess histamine.
Flushing, skin rash, and pain from over stimulation of affected organs, namely the stomach and intestines, appear within a few minutes.Mushroom poisoning also attacks the nervous system.
Shrunken eye pupils, tears, salivation or frothing at the mouth, sweating, vertigo, confusion, coma, and sometimes seizures appear within 2 hours of eating a poisonous mushroom. Insecticides based on organophosphates cause very similar symptoms.
They're likely to be milder, since it is extremely rare for really large doses of insecticide to be eaten accidentally.
The most common complication of food poisoning is dehydration, when your body loses too much water and electrolytes (e.g., sodium, potassium). Food poisoning caused by the bacteria Listeria can cause problems for unborn babies, and E. coli infection can cause problems with the kidneys.
Other complications can include arthritis and bleeding problems. Non-infectious food poisoning can occasionally lead to permanent nervous system problems and even death.
Thank you for your time reading this information.
