The Department of Health (DOH) has issued a warning about food-borne illnesses during the summer season.
The department advised people to choose cooked food, eat hot meals, use a medium-sized spoon, and wash their hands frequently to avoid illnesses such as diarrhea, food poisoning, typhoid, and cholera.
Hot weather conditions in Thailand – with temperatures of up to 43 degrees Celsius – provide favorable conditions for the growth of microorganisms in food, leading to spoilage and contamination. According to the DOH, there were about 410,700 cases of diarrhea-related illnesses in Thailand last year.
The DOH recommends buying food from certified sources, such as fresh markets, food fairs, or clean restaurants. It also urged people to be selective when purchasing food from street vendors and reiterated that seafood is particularly susceptible to spoilage. Cooked food kept for over four hours or overnight should be reheated thoroughly before eating.
Furthermore, the DOH recommended avoiding raw or undercooked food, such as salads and raw fish dishes, including popular dishes like shrimp salad, fish curry, shrimp marinated in fish sauce, and spicy clams.
It also advocated washing hands with soap and water before and after eating and using the restroom to reduce the risk of disease transmission. (NNT)
