Vegetables that are not thoroughly processed or undercooked can be infected with pathogens such as hepatitis A, E.coli, and cholera.
Doctor Pham Hong Thuyet, Medical Manager, VNVC Vaccination System, said that vegetables are foods rich in nutritional value, providing many vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. However, if not washed and prepared carefully, vegetables can carry many viruses and bacteria transmitted through the digestive tract as follows:
E.coli
E.coli, short for Escherichia coli, is a type of bacteria that appears widely in the natural environment and causes 30% of diarrhea cases each year in Vietnam. A study in the US published in February 2024, showed that E.coli is present in many green vegetables such as fish mint, spinach, kale, mustard greens… Bacteria grow stronger on vegetables. vegetables compared to cabbages have a rough surface.
Washing vegetables can reduce but not completely eliminate E.coli. In addition, this bacteria can survive for a long time in refrigerator temperatures. Bacteria will die when boiled at temperatures of 70 degrees Celsius or higher.
Hepatitis A
In the US in 2003, the state of Pennsylvania recorded a large hepatitis A outbreak, with more than 600 patients suffering from acute hepatitis, 124 people hospitalized and 3 people died. The cause was a restaurant sauce containing green onions contaminated with hepatitis A virus. In Vietnam, in 2018, Dak Lak province recorded 6 hepatitis A outbreaks with 80 cases, most of them students. .
Hepatitis A virus is transmitted through the gastrointestinal tract when a person who is not immune eats or drinks contaminated food or has direct contact with the saliva, urine, or feces of an infected person. If vegetables are not thoroughly washed or cooked, they can become carriers of the hepatitis A virus that causes disease.
Hepatitis A is an acute disease, rarely life-threatening, but still has a small chance of leading to serious complications in the elderly, people with liver disease, or immunodeficiency. A small number of cases of fulminant hepatitis can be fatal. Hepatitis A virus will be destroyed when cooking food at 85 degrees Celsius for one minute.
Vegetables, tubers, and fruits need to be prepared, washed, and cooked thoroughly before eating to prevent disease. Image: Vecteezy
Rotavirus
According to the Department of Preventive Medicine, Ministry of Health, rotavirus lives sustainably in the environment, can live for many hours on hands and many days on solid surfaces. The pathogen remains stable and capable of causing disease after living in feces for a week. With this sustainability, green vegetables that are not washed thoroughly or washed with contaminated water still pose a risk of rotavirus transmission.
Rotavirus causes acute diarrhea leading to dehydration. Children and malnourished people are at high risk of getting sick. If not rehydrated promptly, it can lead to rapid exhaustion and death.
Cholera, salmonella
The salmonella bacteria and the vibrio cholerae bacteria that cause cholera are transmitted through the gastrointestinal tract through contaminated food, drinking water, and water sources. In particular, salmonella has 2 groups causing typhoid and non-typhoid.
Typhoid usually begins suddenly with persistent high fever, headache, fatigue, loss of appetite, slow pulse, constipation or diarrhea, and dry cough. There are cases where people have mild or no symptoms. Bacteria can survive in water for 2-3 weeks, in feces for 2-3 months and in ice for 2-3 months.
People with severe typhoid may have mental disorders and death. After clinical symptoms disappear, bacteria continue to be excreted into the environment for 2-3 weeks, so there is still a risk of infection through food sources such as fruits and vegetables.
Non-typhoidal diseases caused by salmonella often have intestinal symptoms such as gastroenteritis, bacteremia and localized infection. Typically, in May this year, 500 people had food poisoning and had to be hospitalized after eating bread at a store in Long Khanh (Dong Nai). The cause was determined to be related to bacteria found in food.
Children and adults can both get cholera and salmonella. If not treated promptly, cholera can lead to complications such as shock, dehydration, cardiovascular collapse, and kidney failure. Typhoid can lead to gastrointestinal bleeding, intestinal perforation, and meningitis.
How to prevent disease
According to Dr. Thuyet, among the above mentioned agents, hepatitis A, rotavirus diarrhea, cholera and typhoid have vaccines to prevent the disease. In particular, rotavirus vaccine is administered orally to children from 6 weeks to 8 months old. After this age, children no longer have the opportunity to prevent diarrhea caused by rotavirus with vaccines.
Hepatitis A vaccine and combined hepatitis A and B vaccine are given to children from 12 months of age. Oral/injectable cholera and typhoid vaccine for children from 2 years old and adults.
Besides, to prevent diseases transmitted through the digestive tract, doctors recommend that people should eat cooked food and drink cooked food, ensuring food safety. When preparing food, you need to wash your hands with soap, use clean water, avoid infection, and regularly clean your house to avoid creating a reservoir for disease-causing agents.