The holiday season is here, and it comes with plenty of traveling with friends and family. However, visiting so many places can expose you to new foods and sometimes germs. When your stomach doesn’t feel right, it’s not always clear what type of illness you might be suffering from. Symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting can be the result of a host of diseases ranging from stomach infection to food poisoning.
Stomach infection is mainly caused by coming in contact with contaminated food or object or water. You can reduce the cause of stomach infection by maintaining good hand hygiene. Washing your hand with water alone will not help you much, and that’s why it is advisable to wash your hand with Dettol Handwash to eliminate germs.
Stomach infection is not a severe condition, and you will recover soon. However, you should know when to seek medical care, if things get serious. Here is why and when you should seek professional medical care.
Symptoms of Stomach Infection
The symptoms of stomach infection vary from person to person and on type of bacteria, which causes the illness. In some cases, you might not see the symptoms for up to 4 days, even after getting infected. Symptoms are as following:
- Vomiting and Nausea
- Abdominal pain or cramping
- Diarrhea
- Loss of Appetite
- Bloody stools
- Fever or Chills
When to Seek Medical Care
- Symptoms last more than two days
- You vomit black or dark red material
- You are unable to keep fluids down
- Running a temperature of 101˚F (38.33˚C) or higher
- You see blood or mucus in your stool
- You have localized or persistent abdominal pains
If symptoms last for more than two days, and you feel any of the things mentioned above, you should immediately seek medical attention.
How to Prevent Stomach Infection
Since stomach or gastrointestinal infection is contracted by contaminated hands, food, drinks, and person-to-person contact – it is essential to prevent these risk factors.
Here’s how to prevent stomach infection:
Good Hand Hygiene
One of the best ways to avoid stomach infection is by maintaining good hand hygiene. Stomach infection-causing germs and bacteria can be found in many places that come in contact with people. From smartphone screens to doorknobs and toilets, viruses and bacteria can lurk anywhere. The most critical thing to do is combat these germs is by regularly washing hands, especially before eating.
Using Dettol hand wash is recommended by Many healthcare professionals around the globe as they prefer its usage. However, it is not possible to wash hands every time, that’s why you can carry Dettol Hand Sanitizer in your pocket that will kill germs and help you maintain hand hygiene.
Follow these hand hygiene tips include:
- Washing hands before and after touching pets or picking their waste
- Washing hands before and after using the bathroom
- Children should avoid putting contaminated objects in their mouth
- If washing hands is not feasible, using a hand sanitizer is recommended
-
Food for Stomach Infection
Stomach infections can be kept at bay by ensuring the cleanliness of water and food. Washing hands is also vital before cooking, making hand hygiene one of the essential prevention ways. Furthermore, undercooked meats are a harbor for stomach infection as it causes diarrhea, so make sure to avoid them altogether. Having a safe source of water is critical; however, if it is not available, make sure to boil water before drinking. Sanitation is another crucial part of preventing stomach infection.
Eat the following food for stomach infection:
- Cooking meat thoroughly
- Avoid eating raw meat
- Washing all fruits and vegetables before eating
- Keeping uncooked meats away from other foods
- Avoiding unpasteurized dairy foods
- Use a separate cutting board for raw meat
- Avoiding undercooked egg products
Conclusion
Stomach infection might cause uneasiness, but you don’t need to worry as it is not a life-threatening disease. If you eat the right food for stomach infection, ensure cleanliness and maintain proper hand hygiene with Dettol Handwash, you can reduce the effect of a stomach infection.
