Food-borne illness during pregnancy

Food-borne illness occurs when a food or drink is consumed and contaminated with a microorganism, such as bacteria and parasites.Food-borne illness can affect anyone, but particular care needs to be taken by the pregnant women to avoid food-borne illness. During pregnancy the immune system is weakened, a natural and necessary process to ensure that mom and baby remain happy together. This weakness makes it more difficult to fight infections. Your unborn baby is also at risk because the baby’s immune system is not developed enough to fight off infection.

What are the symptoms of food-borne illness?

Eating a contaminated food or drink will usually cause illness within 1 to 3 hours, and symptoms may even occur as soon as 20 minutes after eating the food. Exposure to some metals, such as mercury, may take months before symptoms are seen. Some symptoms of food-borne illness (among others) include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramping, fever, chills, headache and weakness.

 

What do I do if I experience symptoms of food-borne illness?

Most food-borne illness resolves within 1 to 3 days. Ensure that you remain well-hydrated, especially with fever, vomiting and diarrhea. Good options for hydrating yourself include sports drinks like Powerade, Energade and Game. Check with your doctor if any concerns arise.

How do I decrease my risk for food-borne illnesses?

1.    Do not eat or drink raw (unpasteurized) milk or milk products

Pasteurization is a process where milk is exposed to high temperatures. This process kills and inactivated sufficient numbers of microorganisms without affecting the quality of the food.

Food legislation in South Africa sees to it that all milk is pasteurized before reaching the shelves of supermarkets, so these products are of no concern. However, consuming milk fresh from a farm should be avoided.

2. Do not eat raw or undercooked fish or shellfish

Keep fish and shellfish refrigerated or frozen until use.

The popularity of sushi makes it difficult to avoid this food completely. For those who chose to eat sushi, try filing options of avocado and cucumber instead of raw fish. Alternatively ask the sushi chef for some personalized sushi with filled with seared tuna fish or cooked prawn.

3. The consumption of fish during pregnancy is a topic of great concern for most expecting moms

Mercury is a highly toxic metal that can cause brain and nervous system damage in the unborn baby if consumed in excessive amounts. Mercury levels are particularly high in fish as mercury from industries leaking toxic waste into the water system.

A study conducted in South Africa by the CSIR in January 2010 published the following guidelines for fish intake:

- Fish with the highest mercury levels: red roman, silver fish, red pang
- Cob, yellow tale and silver fish: 4 meals per month
- White stumpnose and hottentot sea bream: 8-12 meals per month
- Mullet, snoek and blueskim sea bream: 16 meals per month
- Do not eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel or tilefish
- Pregnant women can safely consume 360g of cooked fish and shellfish per week lower in mercury e.g. shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, catfish
- Limit albacore (“white”) tuna to 180g or less per week (this type of tuna contains more mercury than canned light tuna
- Check local advisories about the safety of fish in local lakes, rivers, and coastal areas. If no advice is available, up to 180g a week of fish is considered safe.

4. Do not eat raw or undercooked meat and poultry

- Cook meat and poultry until the bright pink colour has disappeared.

- Avoid raw meat dishes e.g. carpaccio, steak tartar, pate (liver, duck, etc.)

5. Do not eat raw or partially cooked eggs, or foods containing raw eggs

Salmonella is bacteria found in chicken and eggs, and the most frequently reported cause of food-borne illness. There is no guarantee that organic, free range or kosher chicken has more or less Salmonella than other poultry products.

Be wary of uncooked foods made with raw egg e.g. uncooked custards, tiramisu, raw cake batter, eggnog, home-made mayonnaise, hollandaise sauce, mousse etc

6. Avoid cold, smoked fish and cold deli salads

Eat only deli meats, lunch meats, and frankfurters that have been reheated to steaming hot.

7. Avoid soft cheeses such as feta, brie, camembert and Roquefort.

These cheeses may be contaminated with Listeria, an organism that can cause premature labour or fetal death. If using these cheeses, cook thoroughly first.

8. Ensure good food hygiene and safety

Always wash your hands before and after preparing food.

Wash all cutlery, dishes, utensils and equipment in hot, soapy water.
Prepare all animal products until cooked throughout. 

Avoid all raw foods e.g. meat, chicken, eggs, fish.

Prepare raw and cooked foods on separate cutting boards or plates to prevent contamination of foods.

Wash fruit and vegetables thoroughly before eating and cooking.

Put leftover food in the fridge in a closed container. Leftovers can be kept in the fridge for 3 days and in the freezer for 1 month. Label food with the date you prepared the food.

Bring sauces, soups and gravies to the boil when reheating

Do not buy foods in damaged tins, packets or containers.

Defrost food in the fridge or microwave and not in the sun.

Store raw meat and poultry below cooked foods to prevent raw drippings falling onto the cooked foods.

9. Be aware of pets, particularly stray animals

Do not handle pets when preparing foods.

Keep pets out of food preparation areas.

Cats can be carriers of Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite which can have serious or even fatal effects on a fetus. Avoid cleaning cat litter boxes. Alternatively, wear gloves when cleaning litter boxes and wash hands thoroughly after.