Have a happy and safe Tet holiday

This year’s Lunar New Year holiday lasts about a week, which is also the time when many people have changes in their daily routines. In the first days of the new year, in addition to spring activities, traveling, and socializing more, eating and drinking also increases, causing many health risks.

Eat cooked food, drink boiled water

At the beginning of the new year, along with the increased consumption of pork and pork-based food products, many people have the habit of eating pig blood pudding for luck and "redness" all year round. However, the use of pig blood pudding and uncooked meat from livestock and poultry can easily lead to the risk of poisoning and foodborne diseases, the most worrying of which is streptococcus suis infection. A survey by the Department of Preventive Medicine ( Ministry of Health ) showed that about 70% of people with streptococcus suis had eaten pig blood pudding. The remaining cases were due to eating raw nem chao, contact with and slaughtering sick pigs.

According to Dr. Nguyen Trung Cap, Deputy Director of the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases, people infected with swine streptococcus often increase during Tet. Swine streptococcus not only occurs in cases of eating raw blood pudding, raw spring rolls, and rare meat, but also those who slaughter pigs are at risk of infection due to direct contact with meat containing pathogens. Swine streptococcus infection is an acute bacterial infection transmitted from animals to humans, mainly transmitted from pigs. The mortality rate caused by swine streptococcus is about 7%. "If a patient is infected with this type of bacteria and is not treated promptly, they will suffer from meningitis, sepsis causing shock and possibly leaving serious sequelae," Dr. Nguyen Trung Cap warned; at the same time, he said that the bacteria that cause swine streptococcus can live at temperatures of 60o C for 10 minutes, 50o C for 2 hours and 10o C for 6 weeks.

Lunar New Year is also the longest holiday of the year. For a long time, many people have had the "Tet" mentality, so they often shop and store a lot of food, food, and drinks for a long time, causing the quality of food to decline or even spoil. Meanwhile, during Lunar New Year, in the North, there is often drizzle and humid weather, creating favorable conditions for bacteria and mold to grow, so foods that are not stored and preserved well are very susceptible to mold, causing food poisoning to users. Meanwhile, in the South, the hot weather makes foods high in protein (such as meat, fish, ham) easily spoil or infected with bacteria that are harmful to the health of users. Along with that, in the first days of the new year, due to constant drinking, traveling more, and sleeping less, the daily routine of many families is disrupted, making many people tired and even sick.

Beware of "alcohol"

During the Lunar New Year, meeting friends and relatives, sitting together and drinking a few glasses of wine or beer to celebrate the new year has long been a tradition of many families, but it is worrying that this is being abused, not only causing harm to health but also endangering the community.

Cho Ray Hospital medical staff take care of a patient with alcohol poisoning.

Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen, Director of the Poison Control Center, Bach Mai Hospital, said that during the Lunar New Year, the number of people with alcohol poisoning often increases, including many cases of life-threatening poisoning due to alcohol poisoning containing methanol. In addition, alcohol and beer abuse also seriously affects health, especially the cardiovascular system, stomach, liver, pancreas, and mental health. In particular, the liver is greatly affected if you drink too much alcohol and beer. The healthiest liver can only handle about 1-2 units of alcohol per day (1 unit = 1 cup of 125ml wine or 270ml beer, or equivalent to 1 cup of strong alcohol with a volume of 30ml and an alcohol content of 40%). When the amount of alcohol and beer absorbed is more than normal, the liver will not be able to produce enough enzymes to metabolize alcohol. At this time, the toxins created from alcohol and beer will accumulate in the body, directly destroying liver cells, leading to cirrhosis and liver failure over time.

To prevent alcohol poisoning and the consequences caused by alcohol, Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen recommends that people need to strictly follow the provisions of the Law on Prevention and Control of Harmful Effects of Alcohol. In particular, when using alcohol, absolutely do not drive a vehicle because it can easily cause traffic accidents; do not participate in outdoor activities or in dangerous, unsafe places because it is easy to fall, collide, or get injured. Limit your alcohol consumption because there is no safe threshold. If you have accidentally drunk unsafe alcohol, you need to go immediately to the nearest medical facility or hospital with testing facilities.

According to the National Children's Hospital, during the Lunar New Year holiday, children may be at risk of many injuries, such as: burns, firecrackers, choking on foreign objects, food/chemical poisoning, falls, electric shock, traffic accidents, drowning, etc. To prevent injuries to children, the role of parents and caregivers is very important. Children should not be allowed to play near electrical outlets; electrical outlets must be carefully covered; use food of clear origin, ensuring food safety and hygiene. In addition, keep medicines and chemicals out of reach of children and closely supervise when children eat nuts such as melons, pumpkins, peanuts, sunflowers, etc.

MINH KHANG

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/an-tet-vui-khoe-an-toan-post725959.html