Intestinal infections are a group of infections that cause diseases of the digestive tract with the main clinical manifestations such as fever, diarrhea, vomiting. Intestinal infections include such dangerous diseases as typhoid fever, dysentery, food toxic infections, hepatitis "A", salmonellosis, botulism, gastroenterocolitis. All of these diseases arise from the consumption of infected food or water, which enter the human body through dirty hands, food. Intestinal infections are widespread even in developed countries, characterized by a high incidence of disease. This is one of the most frequent infectious diseases in children and adults, which often lead to serious complications.

Intestinal infections are characterized by summer and fall seasonality, this is when there is an increase in morbidity. It is connected with activation of ways of infection transmission, with favorable conditions for storage and reproduction of pathogens in the environment, with changes in human body which occur in summer-autumn period, namely decrease of its reactivity under the influence of solar radiation, rest in natural conditions, decrease of acidity of gastric juice. Intestinal infections are transmitted through the fecal-oral mechanism, food, water, contact and domestic routes. Factors of transmission are meat, eggs, water, kitchen utensils, hands, flies. The source of infection can be a sick person with clinical manifestations of infection or a healthy "carrier". Carriers pose an epidemiological hazard because they lead an active life, come into contact with healthy people, cook meals, work in catering facilities and food processing plants while sick.

The presence of pathogens, their reproduction in food does not affect their taste. Infected products do not differ in taste and appearance from the safe and quality products. The time from infection to the first clinical manifestations of the disease lasts from a few hours to two to three days.

According to epidemiological anamnesis of patients associate the disease intestinal infections with the consumption of food purchased at unauthorized markets, in places of unauthorized trade, the consumption of products that have been insufficiently heat treated. Most outbreaks occur as a result of non-compliance with sanitary and hygienic requirements, the involvement of carriers of intestinal infections in the preparation of dishes for guests, celebrations. Given that with the onset of summer increases the danger of intestinal infections to prevent disease can be advised:

- Be sure to wash your hands with soap and water before preparing food and before eating it. Be sure to wash your hands after using the toilet.

- Do not use meat and dairy products purchased at illegal markets, from the hands of private individuals.

- Do not use water from unfamiliar water sources (rivers, lakes, groundwater, surface water) for drinking, cooking and washing dishes. Use bottled drinking water or water from centralized water supply sources for drinking and cooking.

- Do not consume food and beverages whose shelf life has expired.

- Do not consume food and beverages with the slightest suspicion of their quality.

- Do not eat unfamiliar mushrooms, berries, herbs and other plants.

- At unorganized recreation (tourist trips) to wash dishes and hands use boiled water. When eating in the woods, on the beach exclude contact of food with the soil and sand.

- To store the foodstuff only in the way which is specified on a package and in the established terms.

- When buying any food product in the trade network, the consumer has the right to demand documents from the seller, confirming the quality and safety of sold products.

- When traveling is not recommended to take on the road products that spoil quickly (sausage, dairy, culinary, confectionery cream products, meat salads, pates and other products that require cooling during storage).

- On vacation without organized meals exclude the preparation of multi-component dishes that do not have sufficient heat treatment (pates, meat salads, multi-component dishes). Storage of the prepared dish without refrigeration equipment should not exceed 2:00. Vegetables and fruits before consumption should be thoroughly washed and steeped in boiling water.

In the case of the first signs of gastrointestinal disorders must urgently contact a medical facility. It is not recommended to self-medicate. At a group rest, crowds of people ill with gastrointestinal disturbances must be isolated from other people until the arrival of the doctor.

Your health depends on you!