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Dozens of people were admitted to hospital in India over the weekend after suspected food poisoning at a wedding function on May 17.
The exact numbers remain uncertain, but as many as 135 guests have been hospitalized, the Hindu reported, adding that many of them are children.
The wedding took place in Kalady, in the Malappuram district in Kerala. The following day, many of the guests began experiencing symptoms of diarrhea, vomiting and fever and many were admitted to hospital on May 19, health officials said. No one is said to be in a critical condition.
The symptoms of food poisoning can start within hours of swallowing contaminated food, according to the CDC. However, this will depend on the germs ingested. For example, symptoms of Vibrio ingestion—which include watery diarrhea, vomiting and fever—usually begin within 24 hours of eating infected food (usually raw or undercooked shellfish), whereas Listeria poisoning can take up to two weeks to manifest.
Food poisoning is often associated with raw meat, dairy products and shellfish, but fruits, vegetables and even water may also become contaminated. Health officials examined the premises where the recent incident took place and found that the food poisoning had likely been caused by a contaminated water source.
District Medical Officer Dr R. Renuka urged people to remain cautious when using well water, tap water and ice in the region. "If we don't take extra care, diseases like Hepatitis-B, typhoid, and cholera can easily spread," she said in a statement. "Drinking clean water is the best way to ward off diarrhea and related diseases."
According to local reports, last Wednesday's wedding wasn't the only mass food poisoning incident last week. Roughly 60 guests at a wedding in a neighboring district, including a pregnant woman, were hospitalized on Sunday afternoon due to food poisoning, which the guests claim was caused by a fish curry.
According to the CDC, there are four key steps to avoiding food poisoning:
- Clean: wash your hands, surfaces and fresh fruits and vegetables.
- Separate: keep raw animal products away from other foods in the refrigerator and use a separate cutting board for raw meats.
- Cook: food must be cooked to a high enough temperature to kill any germs on the inside that could make you sick. The best way to do this is to use a food thermometer or to microwave your food until it is piping hot, following recommendations according to the package instructions.
- Chill: bacteria can multiple rapidly at room temperature, so it is important to store food in the refrigerator immediately to slow their growth.
About the writer
Pandora Dewan is a Senior Science Reporter at Newsweek based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on science, health ... Read more