The Ministry of Health of the province of Buenos Aires and the Municipality of Berazategui are investigating a possible food poisoning in that Buenos Aires district, based on four cases reported to the health portfolio and two of which turned out to be fatal. The Buenos Aires authorities issued a statement in which they indicated that at this time they are awaiting the results of an etiological diagnosis that will make it possible to define the agent(s) involved in what happened.
The health authorities urged the health teams of both the municipality and other neighboring districts to strengthen epidemiological surveillance and immediately notify the portfolio that leads Nicholas Kreplak of all inquiries from people, of any age, with a history of diarrhea, vomiting or symptoms compatible with food poisoning.
The two cases that ended in the death of the affected patients were registered in the first three weeks of January and correspond to two men aged 36 and 48 who were admitted to the Evita hospital with symptoms of diarrhea, vomiting and other symptoms compatible with food poisoning. Town of Berazategui. Both reported having eaten meat and offal from the same butcher shop that had already been identified. This situation was reported to the Department of Bromatology of the Municipality of Berazategui, which proceeded to take samples of merchandise, send them for analysis to the National Service for Agro-Food Health and Quality (SENASA) and the National Food Institute (INAL) and closed the establishment. pointed out for lack of health.
As detailed, to detect the contaminant in question, samples were taken from the patients who were referred to the ANLIS Malbrán National Reference Laboratory and other food already in INAL’s possession. The experts confirmed the presence of Salmonella typhimurium in the body of the first of the deceased and of Shigella and Salmonella in the case of the second.
THE RECOMMENDATIONS
Within this framework, the provincial authorities not only disseminated recommendations for health professionals but, above all, for the general population:
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Use safe water. If it is not tap water: add two drops of bleach per liter of water or boil it for 2 to 3 minutes or use purification tablets.
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Wash hands with soap and water after using the bathroom, after changing diapers, and before breastfeeding. Also before and after preparing food (especially after touching raw meat) and eating it.
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Maintain hygiene in food preparation.
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Use fresh, clean, well-cooked and recently prepared food.
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Vegetable washing: carefully wash and disinfect fruits and vegetables with safe water, especially if they are eaten raw and, if possible, peel them.
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Cook food well: eggs until they have a hard consistency. If the eggs have a strange smell or taste, do not eat them.
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Meats must be well cooked inside and out, until they completely lose their pink color, taking special care with minced meat, hamburgers, meatballs, empanadas, meatloaf, offal, etc. Correct cooking: cook completely until there are no pink parts inside and its juices are clear (minimum 71°C in the center of the piece).
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Do not eat meat if it has a bad smell when preparing it or if it has lost the cold chain. Meats should not be thawed more than once if they have been fried.
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Do not use the same knife, board or counter where raw meat was resting to cut other foods, without first washing them with water and detergent.
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Avoid cross-contamination: In food preparation areas, clean and sanitize surfaces, cutting boards, and utensils after they have come into contact with raw meat and/or its juices.
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Separate raw meats and/or their juices from ready-to-eat foods, mainly during purchase, storage, and preparation.
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Consume milk, dairy products and juices that are pasteurized.
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Keep fresh and cooked food in the fridge.
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Avoid taking medications without medical indication and homemade infusions.
VIRALIZATION AND ALARM
False news had circulated in several WhatsApp groups during the afternoon of last Thursday to alert that the same cuts had been distributed in butcher shops in our city. “Apparently, the meat came from a refrigerator in Berazategui that also distributes to La Plata. Just in case, avoid those meals until the sales follow-up is over.”was the warning that went viral on social networks, but sources from the Buenos Aires Ministry of Health told 0221.com.ar who are working on the issue and remarked that in the region “no cases of poisoning from eating meat and offal were registered”.
According to these same sources, the two deceased people had no relationship but the product they ingested would have been ingested in the same store. “We cannot confirm that the bacteria were in the meat they ate”detailed however the doctor Martin Garaycocheaassociate director of the Evita Pueblo hospital, in dialogue with TN.com.ar and added: “We made the complaint to Epidemiology of the Municipality and Bromatology, samples are taken from different places and sent to SENASA and INAL for analysis and they will determine where the bacteria are.”
Given what happened, in the health center they reinforced the hygiene and care prevention measures in food handling, the conservation of their cold chain and the correct and frequent washing of hands. “The first thing with food is to maintain the cold chain, the second is to see the origin of the food and the degree of contamination it may have. And in the event of an episode of diarrhea you have to hydrate yourself and consult your doctor”closed the specialist.
