Warnings from experts against food poisoning from street food: Food eaten two or three days ago can be poisonous

Servet and Çiğdem Böcek, who came to Istanbul from Germany for a vacation, and their children, 6-year-old Kadir and 3-year-old Masal, reportedly fell ill at their hotel in Fatih at night after consuming street food such as mussels in Beşiktaş and went to the hospital. In the incident where the mother and children lost their lives, the father's treatment continues in intensive care.

Experts warned against food poisoning to avoid similar incidents. Emergency Medicine Specialist Dr. Gültekin Akyol and Internal Medicine Specialist Dr. Zübeyde Yüce Alğan provided information on the symptoms of food poisoning and offered important recommendations.

"TOXINS CAN BE PRESENT IN STREET FOOD"

Emphasizing that the places where products are consumed must be reliable, Specialist Dr. Gültekin Akyol said, "First of all, let us offer our condolences; the products mentioned are what are known as street food. It has come to the agenda now, but on average, a few cases apply to emergency services every day, and of course, patients can come with very simple complaints of nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Toxins can especially be present in these street foods.

If we need to give an example from mussels, their cleaning processes are very important. Since the quantity consumed is very high, rice is also present, and these are products that can spoil very quickly. Storage conditions, the tracking and inspection of products sold at stalls are very important. If we talk about kokoreç, which was mentioned, since it is a product produced from intestines, its cleaning must be done well. When we look at meatballs or other products sold on the street, such as cold sandwiches, if they are not stored in good areas and in the right ways, the risk of contamination is very high.

For example, in kumpir (baked potato), when we put salads in it, it is important whether they are washed well or not. Yogurt and dairy products are also present; these are products that spoil very quickly. If they are not stored properly in refrigerators and if production conditions are problematic, they can very quickly lead to nausea, vomiting, excessive fluid loss, and poisoning tables associated with this. We generally approach poisoning patients in the same way; we try to alleviate their symptoms and try to eliminate fluid loss.

Most likely, these interventions were performed first. Due to how quickly it progressed, I suspect it could be botulinum toxin, but it is not possible to understand this with a blood test. It will emerge during the autopsy periods," he said.

"WE ARE ENCOUNTERING CHICKEN MOST FREQUENTLY DURING THIS PERIOD"

Stating that such poisoning causes very rapid diarrhea and fluid loss within the first 6-12 hours, Specialist Dr. Akyol said, "Unfortunately, poisoning is seen very often after chicken. Hygiene conditions come to the fore here; there is a thought like, 'We wore gloves, we ensured hygiene.' Service is provided to everyone with the same gloves, gloves are not changed, money is received and given; these increase the risk of contamination.

Cutting salad and raw chicken on the same board causes rapid contamination. Within the first 6-12 hours, it causes very rapid diarrhea complaints, and in later periods, fluid loss leads to low blood pressure and even cardiac arrest. I can say that we are encountering chicken most frequently during this period. It can start in different processes in kumpir or mussels. An increase in vomiting, especially in the style we call projectile vomiting, shows that we need to come to the emergency room immediately. Since mussels also contain rice, if this is not protected under the right conditions, it can quickly lead to toxins, so consuming mussels is actually a bit dangerous.

Because we eat a lot, not just one, we unfortunately increase the effects much more this time. We should try to prefer places where we are as sure as possible of their hygiene. If it is a toxin like botulinum toxin, even eating a single mussel can bring out these complaints. Especially in chicken poisoning, if not intervened quickly, it can lead to fatal points with excessive, rapid fluid loss, both vomiting and diarrhea. We do not expect such a table to form in a well-cleaned, well-prepared mussel," he said.

"IT CAN LEAD TO FATAL RESULTS"

Stating that the time elapsed between 6 and 72 hours after consuming food is important, Internal Medicine Specialist Dr. Zübeyde Yüce Alğan said, "A food you ate 2-3 days ago can poison you, and a food you took 6 hours ago can also poison you. If fluid loss is too high, this will also reflect on other organs. Those who are younger and the elderly are more affected because their immune systems are weaker. We generally see food poisoning more severely in childhood and old age.

Generally, their hospitalizations are longer-term hospitalizations. At what temperature were these foods cooked? If there is cooking at short durations and lower temperatures, harmful toxins, bacteria, and viruses will continue to exist inside the food. The quantity is important; when we consume food with a very small amount of contamination, we recover in a shorter time, while when we consume foods with very heavy contamination, it will progress more severely. Also, some viruses produce toxins. There is a toxin called botulinum, and it progresses very severely. It affects the person's neurological system and brain.

It can cause fluid loss and poisoning that can go as far as the patient's loss in the body. These generally appear in meat and meat products, milk and dairy products. For example, there is a type that appears in fish, in mussels. We cooked it at the right temperatures and kept it; when it waits outside for a long time at room temperature, there will be contamination again. These bacteria and toxins can cause liver failure and can lead to fatal results. If 48 hours have passed, if there has been no urine output for the last 5 hours, if there are complaints such as confusion, double vision, blurred vision, if the fever is very high, this patient needs to be taken to the hospital as soon as possible and their fluid balance and electrolyte disturbance need to be treated. If there is an airtight canned jar, it can also be from that, and it can be very severe food poisoning," she said.