A foodborne illness, better known as food poisoning, is an illness from consuming contaminated food. The most common cause of food poisoning is when infectious organisms and their toxins have contaminated your food either during production or processing. Food can also become contaminated from being handled or cooked incorrectly at home. If you or a family member has consumed contaminated food, please contact us for food poisoning treatment Los Angeles.

Symptoms

Depending on the source of contaminations your symptoms will vary. Most cases of food poisoning show the following symptoms:

  • Diarrhea, watery and bloody
  • Fever
  • Abdominal cramps or pain
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting

After consuming the contaminated food, symptoms may start to show in just a few hours. However, it is possible for them to show days or weeks later. Less severe food poisoning will last for just a few hours, while more severe poisoning could last for several days.

Causes

Food contamination can occur during any step of production or processing; from the beginning when growing the food to shipping. It is also possible for cross-contamination to occur, which is prominent in ready-to-eat or raw foods, like produce. Since most produce and ready-to-eat foods aren’t cooked, there is no chance for the harmful organisms to be destroyed.

Treatment

Food poisoning treatment Los Angeles will depend on where the illness is from and how severe your symptoms are. It is possible for your case to resolve with no treatment after a couple of days but there are certain, more severe, cases that can last longer. Treatment options include:

  • If you have bacterial food poisoning and you are experiencing severe symptoms, your doctor will prescribe antibiotics. If your illness is caused by listeria, you will need intravenous antibiotic treatments while hospitalized.
  • Fluid replacement – Your body will lose plenty of necessary electrolytes while suffering from food poisoning and fluids must be replaced. If you or your child are struggling with persistent vomiting and diarrhea, you may need to be hospitalized to receive an IV treatment to treat or reduce the chances of dehydration.

Please feel free to call us at (213) 386-2511 or schedule an appointment online for food poisoning treatment Los Angeles.