Uncooked fish, shellfish, and seafood are the leading causes of infection.
Make it a habit to wash your hands and eat cooked food.
It is commonly known that food poisoning occurs mainly in hot and humid summers. However, even in winter, food poisoning should not be ignored.
Unlike in summer, food poisoning in winter is caused by norovirus food poisoning bacteria.
According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, a total of 230 cases of food poisoning were caused by norovirus for 5 years from 2016 to 2020, of which 145 points, or 63%, occurred from November to March of the following year, and 2524 cases (52%) out of a total of 4817 cases concentrated in this period.
Norovirus food poisoning, which is highly infectious, can occur when people consume contaminated raw fish or seafood, cook food with contaminated hands, or eat contaminated food with the secretions of an infected person.It is also transmitted through contaminated drinking water and objects an infected person has come into contact with.
Professor JeongSeon Ji of the Department of Gastroenterology at Incheon St. Mary's Hospital at the Catholic University of Korea stated, "Many think that fish and shellfish will not go bad easily in cold winter, but they are still vulnerable to norovirus infection." "For prevention, people should make a habit of hand washing as a part of life and eat full-cooked food," she advised.
After an average incubation period of one to two days after infection with norovirus, symptoms such as ▲nausea ▲vomiting ▲diarrhea ▲headache ▲fever ▲chills ▲muscle pain appear. In particular, norovirus survives at minus 20 degrees and maintains infectivity even when heated at 60 degrees for 30 minutes. In addition, the resistance is strong enough to hold the activity even in the chlorine concentration of tap water.
"Norovirus can survive for quite a long time even at minus 20 degrees Celsius," said Professor GyeongOh Kim of the Department of Gastroenterology at Gachon University Gil Hospital. "Even if food is stored in the refrigerator or in a cold place, the contaminated food can cause food poisoning, so you have to be cautious," he expressed.
Symptoms usually go away on their own after 2-3 days, but it is good to replenish the water frequently to prevent dehydration. Professor KyungOh Kim stated, "Rather than unconditional fasting just because you are infected with norovirus, it is more acceptable to eat soft foods such as white porridge and drink barley tea." "There are about 150 types of norovirus, so we need to be careful about re-infection," he declared.
In addition, to prevent norovirus infection, it is essential to wash your hands thoroughly, cook food at 85℃ for more than 1 minute, and avoid touching cooked food with your bare hands. Also, drink boiled water and be careful when eating uncooked fish, shellfish, or seafood such as oysters, clams, and sashimi.
TIP. How to prevent norovirus food poisoning
1. Wash your hands frequently with soap under running water for at least 30 seconds
2. Wash fish and shellfish with tap water and heat for at least 1 minute at 85℃ or higher.
3. Drink boiled water.
4. Wash vegetables and fruits thoroughly under running water before eating
5. Sterilize cooking utensils with boiling water and chlorine.
6. Keep the environment clean.
7. Close the toilet lid and flush it after using the toilet.
8. Avoid contact with people infected with norovirus and use personal utensils when eating
