by Dr Deborah Lee, Dr Fox Online Pharmacy
https://pixabay.com/photos/stomach-pain-man-jeans-sweater-2821941/
We know only too well the misery of having a stomach bug. Gastroenteritis is a common problem, especially in the summer months.
In fact, attacks of gastroenteritis fell by an astonishing 52% in the first 6 months of the covid pandemic, according to the RCGP. The success was attributed to the nation’s commitment to better, frequent hand washing and personal hygiene measures.
What can we do this year, to try and maintain this improvement, and keep us all healthy and happy?
Keep washing your hands
Regular hand washing reduces attacks of gastroenteritis by around 30% It also reduces children needing time away from school by 29%-57%.
Hands become contaminated with bacteria and viruses after using the toilet. One gram of poo contains a trillion organisms, although these are invisible to the naked eye. Raw meat, for example, can be contaminated with animal poo.
Remember to wash your hands after going to the toilet, after changing a nappy, before and after cooking, before meals, and after touching a pet. By regularly washing your hands, you will be helping reduce the need for antibiotics, which is important in our fight against antibiotic resistance.
Remember how to wash your hands properly
We became experts at handwashing in the pandemic! Always use soap and warm water. Lather the soap all over our hands including the backs of the hands and the finger webs. Do this for 20 seconds, then rinse your hands under running water – which is just enough time to sing ‘Happy Birthday to you’ through once at normal speed. Dry your hands using an air drier, or preferably, paper towels, and throw them in the bin.
Always use soap
Antibacterial soap is not needed. In fact, all soaps are antibacterial and antiviral. This is because each bacterium and virus particle is encapsulated in a special coat, made up of fat and protein. Soap molecules attach to the fatty coating and pull it apart, destroying the organism. But it does take 20 seconds for this to happen.
Soap is better than hand gel
You might not know that alcohol-based hand sanitisers are ineffective against norovirus, which is the commonest cause of sickness and diarrhoea in the summer months. Indeed, there are some reports of an increase in norovirus infections abroad, possibly due to the use of hand sanitisers. This summer, always choose soap instead of hand gel, whenever possible.
Wash your sheets
Incredibly, 30% of Brits shockingly only wash their sheets once a year! Not washing your sheets can cause ‘sick bed syndrome’ – a name for all the infections you can acquire from sleeping in dirty bed linen. A warm bed containing house dust mites, dead skin and other body debris, and faecal contamination, is a potent environment for bacteria and viruses to grow and reproduce.
The Sleep Foundation advises changing your sheets once a week, or more often if pets sleep on your bed. If you suffer from asthma or allergies you should wash your sheets every 3-4 days.
Clean the toilets
Toilets should be cleaned at least once a week, but if you have pets or small children, they should be cleaned once a day. Your bathroom sinks should be disinfected once a day. Ideally, change your bath towels every other day, because faecal matter grows on them, especially if they take a long time to fully dry. E.coli has been isolated at a distance of 6-feet from the toilet seat, so you also need to wash the bathroom floor.
Prepare food safely
It’s all too easy for food to become contaminated with bacteria and viruses. Take great care in the kitchen.
- There is no benefit from using gloves for food preparation, in fact, it can increase the risk of infection.
- Regularly clean your kitchen work surfaces using a disinfectant.
- Always wash fruit and vegetables before use.
- Meat should be stored on a designated shelf at the bottom of the fridge.
- Make sure the fridge temperature is 5C or below.
- Ensure you use a separate chopping board for meat, fruit and vegetables.
- Wash your hands after handling raw meat before you touch anything else.
- Avoid eating undercooked foods, such as raw or lightly cooked eggs or shellfish.
- Make sure you only drink pasteurized milk and eat pasteurised milk products.
- Regularly, get rid of your old washing up sponge/cloth and use a new one.
- Don’t risk eating any food that is past its ‘use-by’ date
Follow strict hygiene rules for a barbecue or picnic
Barbecues and picnics in the summer are well known to be high risk for causing gastroenteritis, notably due to E.coli and campylobacter, which can be present in inadequately cooked meat. Once you’ve touched raw meat, bacteria can transfer to the barbecue tongs, and contaminate anything they come into contact with. Everything needs to be properly clean before you start. Keep meat away from fresh foods and regularly wash your hands while cooking and preparing food. One good option is to partly cook the meat in the oven and finish it off on the barbecue, so you can be sure it has been cooked in the middle. Food must be piping hot. Never leave any food, including cold foods, outside in the hot sun for too long. Ensure hot food and cold food are served on separate serving dishes. Never reheat barbecue food.
High-risk groups should avoid certain foods
The following foods increase the risk of bacterial and viral gastroenteritis, and should be avoided by those with a weakened immune system, and pregnant women –
- Sushi and raw seafood
- Soft cheeses and blue cheeses
- Raw or partly cooked eggs (found in mayonnaise, and desserts such as tiramisu, cheesecake, chocolate mousse, and ice cream).
- Pate and processed meats from the deli counter
- Unpasteurised juices or cider
- Water from outdoor streams and wells
Final thoughts
Don’t let gastroenteritis spoil your summer this year. Follow the above steps to keep you and your family stomach-bug free!
For more information
NHS – 10 ways to prevent food poisoning
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