Summer is ripe time for food poisoning

Doctors have warned against the dangers of food poisoning during the hot and humid days of summer. They say children are more vulnerable as they raid the fridge and snack more often than during school days.

"The regular opening and closing of the fridge door could spoil some food. The other danger is due to defrosting and freezing food again."

Dr Mohammed Nayyar, paediatrician at Zulekha Hospital, advises parents to give fresh food to their children and to avoid freezing the food again to eat later. "You should remember the average outside temperature is above 40 degrees."

He said home-cooked food is best at this time. "It's better to cut down on eating out in summer." He also said one should not eat spicy food.

Children stay indoors most of the time during summer and drink much less water. "This could cause dehydration to some extent. Then if a child has food poisoning, the dehydration will be severe."

He said children should be given fresh fruit juices and other liquids during summer.

Other doctors said some restaurants may not be very hygienic and could sell shawarmas using a day-old mayonnaise. "You cannot be sure if the food is cooked properly."

The type of foods that can be contaminated by bacteria easily are meat, poultry products and fish. Cooked food can be contaminated if not properly stored.

The main symptoms of food poisoning are acute stomach pain and continuous vomiting and diarrhoea. This is not an infectious disease. You cannot pass on food poisoning to others. It is important to replace the loss of fluids due to vomiting and loose motion.

Dr Nayyar said food poisoning is not an emergency situation. "Let the child vomit the contaminated food. Let him drink water with a little salt or electrolyte solution." He said fever will begin soon, but "If breathing is all right then there is no problem."

On what is to be done if there is no doctor available, he said: "Nowadays everybody keeps suppositories at home for children to stop diarrhoea."

What the doctor will do is collect the vomit and stool for analysis. A blood test is done for infections. He will give a drip and take care of the stomach pain with medicine.

Sharjah Municipality has intensified inspections to check contaminated foodstuff. Mohammed Omar Al Bannai, head of the Public Health section of the municipality, said: "Inspectors will regularly visit restaurants and other food outlets during summer."

He said food poisoning cases increase during summer and most cases are due to bad hygienic conditions at some food outlets.

He said offenders will be fined after one warning. The inspectors check cooling systems of the freezers. Some outlets cut off power for some time to save money. Other food outlets cut off power supply from freezers at night. The frozen food melts and gets contaminated by bacteria.