Technician Mr Tan Whee Boon made headlines last month when all his limbs had to be removed after he contracted gangrene from the medical complications. He had been hospitalised after consuming raw fish.
Less than a month later, gardener Mr Chew went through the same symptoms and had to undergo amputations for his left hand and legs. However, he had not consumed raw fish, but merely had a packet of rice.
Alarming as it sounds, and tempting as it seems to put the blame on unscrupulous food handlers serving up unfresh food, we are all carriers of GBS, the bacteria that had caused the poisoning. Quoting the Ministry of Health, “GBS is a common bacterium that colonises the human gut and urinary tract. While GBS does not usually cause disease in healthy individuals, it may occasionally cause infections of the bloodstream, skin and soft tissue, joints, lungs and brain. The risk factors for GBS infection include underlying chronic or co-morbid conditions.”
Additionally, GBS or any sort of bacterium are not the direct cause of gangrene or warrants the need for amputation. Rather, complications of an infection causes the toxins to initiate a full-body inflammatory response, a situation known as Septic shock. This problem often occurs in the elderly or people with a weakened immune system due to age or chronic diseases. During septic shock, blood clots form, blocking oxygen and nutrients from reaching the vital organs. When the organs start failing, this could lead to a vast drop in blood pressure resulting in death. The blood clots can also cause gangrene, or tissue death, in the limbs, fingers and toes.
It is therefore not at all practical to swear off raw fish or get paranoid about eating out. To prevent infections and food poisoning, good hygiene is always a must.
Wash your hands before and after handling food.
Maintain cleanliness of your kitchen area and utensils
Use separate chop boards for raw and ready-to-eat foods
Do not wash raw chicken. Raw chicken contains Campylobacter, a common cause of food poisoning that is potentially fatal. Splashing water from washing chicken can spread the bacteria. This is because water droplets travel more than 50cm in every direction
Cook food thoroughly. Leave preparation of rare and medium-rare foods in the hands of the experts.
Do not consume food past their expiry date.
Handling leftovers: Cool leftovers within 90 minutes, cover and refrigerate. Leftovers should be reheated till steaming hot for consumption within the next two days. Leftovers should not be reheated more than once.
Do not leave cooked food or raw meat outside for more than two hours. In light of our hot weather, food turns bad very easily.
Above all, take care of your health, and always seek medical treatment when you're unwell, and make sure your doctor is thorough with his diagnosis. Mr Matthew Ames, who lost all his limbs when he was diagnosed with Strep A resulting in toxic shock syndrome, felt that the tragedy would have been prevented if his five doctors had not misdiagnosed him with the flu. Indeed, the initial symptoms for flu and infection are rather similar for viral and bacterial infections often have similar symptoms. Vomiting, diarrhea, rash and swelling and weakness of limbs are also possible follow-up symptoms as demonstrated in the cases of Mr Ames, Mr Tan and Mr Chew.
Misdiagnoses sometimes happens due to lack of awareness, especially in the case of rare medical conditions. In the case of Mr Tan and Mr Chew, many Singaporeans were in disbelief or misunderstood the cause of the problem simply due to lack of awareness. Share your knowledge, and don't be afraid to press your doctor, for doctors are not necessarily all-knowing.
Sources:
http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/homehygiene/Pages/Washing-chicken-can-cause-campylobacter-food-poisoning.aspx
http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/homehygiene/Pages/Foodhygiene.aspx
http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/homehygiene/Pages/food-leftovers-safety.aspx
Less than a month later, gardener Mr Chew went through the same symptoms and had to undergo amputations for his left hand and legs. However, he had not consumed raw fish, but merely had a packet of rice.
Alarming as it sounds, and tempting as it seems to put the blame on unscrupulous food handlers serving up unfresh food, we are all carriers of GBS, the bacteria that had caused the poisoning. Quoting the Ministry of Health, “GBS is a common bacterium that colonises the human gut and urinary tract. While GBS does not usually cause disease in healthy individuals, it may occasionally cause infections of the bloodstream, skin and soft tissue, joints, lungs and brain. The risk factors for GBS infection include underlying chronic or co-morbid conditions.”
Additionally, GBS or any sort of bacterium are not the direct cause of gangrene or warrants the need for amputation. Rather, complications of an infection causes the toxins to initiate a full-body inflammatory response, a situation known as Septic shock. This problem often occurs in the elderly or people with a weakened immune system due to age or chronic diseases. During septic shock, blood clots form, blocking oxygen and nutrients from reaching the vital organs. When the organs start failing, this could lead to a vast drop in blood pressure resulting in death. The blood clots can also cause gangrene, or tissue death, in the limbs, fingers and toes.
It is therefore not at all practical to swear off raw fish or get paranoid about eating out. To prevent infections and food poisoning, good hygiene is always a must.
Wash your hands before and after handling food.
Maintain cleanliness of your kitchen area and utensils
Use separate chop boards for raw and ready-to-eat foods
Do not wash raw chicken. Raw chicken contains Campylobacter, a common cause of food poisoning that is potentially fatal. Splashing water from washing chicken can spread the bacteria. This is because water droplets travel more than 50cm in every direction
Do not consume food past their expiry date.
Handling leftovers: Cool leftovers within 90 minutes, cover and refrigerate. Leftovers should be reheated till steaming hot for consumption within the next two days. Leftovers should not be reheated more than once.
Do not leave cooked food or raw meat outside for more than two hours. In light of our hot weather, food turns bad very easily.
Above all, take care of your health, and always seek medical treatment when you're unwell, and make sure your doctor is thorough with his diagnosis. Mr Matthew Ames, who lost all his limbs when he was diagnosed with Strep A resulting in toxic shock syndrome, felt that the tragedy would have been prevented if his five doctors had not misdiagnosed him with the flu. Indeed, the initial symptoms for flu and infection are rather similar for viral and bacterial infections often have similar symptoms. Vomiting, diarrhea, rash and swelling and weakness of limbs are also possible follow-up symptoms as demonstrated in the cases of Mr Ames, Mr Tan and Mr Chew.
Misdiagnoses sometimes happens due to lack of awareness, especially in the case of rare medical conditions. In the case of Mr Tan and Mr Chew, many Singaporeans were in disbelief or misunderstood the cause of the problem simply due to lack of awareness. Share your knowledge, and don't be afraid to press your doctor, for doctors are not necessarily all-knowing.
Sources:
http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/homehygiene/Pages/Washing-chicken-can-cause-campylobacter-food-poisoning.aspx
http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/homehygiene/Pages/Foodhygiene.aspx
http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/homehygiene/Pages/food-leftovers-safety.aspx
turned gangrenous due to medical complications.
0 comments: