ILOILO – In conjunction with the celebration of World Food Safety Day today, the Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO) issued safety tips to avoid contracting illnesses from improperly prepared food.
Dr. Maria Socorro Colmenares-Quiñon, head of the IPHO, said among the diseases caused by improper food handling are food poisoning, cholera, acute gastroenteritis, hepatitis A, and amoebiasis, among others.
First and foremost, Quiñon said, wash your hands with clean water and soap.
The hands that prepare the food must be clean so they do not transmit germs or bacteria, especially if they came from the comfort room.
“Antes mag-prepare sang aton mga pagkaon kinahanglan manghugas sang kamot,” Quiñon said in an interview with Panay News on Monday, June 5.
If sick, refrain from handling food to avoid transmission.
Cooking equipment like pots, knives, chopping disks, and ingredients such as vegetables, pork, and beef, among others, must be washed thoroughly.
Cook food well, especially pork or beef. Also, consume first the easily spoiled food, such as those with sauces.
Make sure, too, that the food is covered so that flies cannot contaminate it.
“May instances kita in the past nga may food poisoning sa fiesta because indi maayo ang pagpreparar sang food. Ang sauce sang spaghetti indi na manami but ginaserbe pa gihapon. Dira gid usually ang aton food poisoning kay dasig sia mapan-os,” explained Quiñon.
She said the public must take precautions since there are many fiestas, graduations, birthdays, and other parties these months.
If possible, when storing food in the refrigerator, vegetables and pork products should be separated.
The IPHO head also encouraged the sanitation inspector/s of local government units (LGUs) to regularly check food establishments for compliance with sanitary requirements.
“Ang tanan nga mga sanitidad dapat nga mag-inspect sang aton establishments kon bala naga-comply sa sanitary permit,” added Quiñon.
As for the street vendors, Quiñon said they should make sure that the food are covered to avoid being contaminated by dust and germs.
Quiñon believed that if the public followed these basic food safety tips, they would be able to avoid getting sick.
If neglected or not treated and managed early, a person could die from food poisoning, the IPHO head said.
“Damo cases in the previous nga nagkalamatay because sang acute gastroenteritis and dehydration because grabe nga lupot kag nagasinuka, tapos wala pa naton nadala sa center or hospital. That is why it led to dehydration and eventually renal failure and death,” said Quiñon.
She also said the human body needs fluids, especially the kidneys.
Thus, she advised that if a person experiences the symptoms of food poisoning, such as watery, loose bowel movements and vomiting twice to three times a day, drink an oral rehydration solution available at drug stores or that could be made at home by mixing water, sugar and salt.
If the loose bowel and vomiting persist, take the patient to the rural health unit or nearest health facility to be treated and be given dextrose if the patient is dehydrated.
So far this year, Quiñon said the IPHO has not recorded any food poisoning incident./PN
