FOODBORNE ILLNESS IN THE ELDERLY· RISKS ANO PREVENTION
Keywords:
food safety, health education, aged, foodAbstract
Foodborne illness is sti/1 a very important public health problem of the contemporary world. There are evidences that elderly persons are more susceptib/e to infections, particularly, food and waterborne diseases as a result of severa! risk factors, such as: the immune function declines with age, decrease in physiological functions, malnutrition and use of antibiotics. On the other hand, the behavioral risk factors associated with hygiene practices and food safety regarding the foods prepared at home are highlighted as we/1. Recently, 9 enteropathogens of special importance to the elderly were identified: Vibrio spp, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli 0157:H7, Campylobacter jejuni, Salmonella enteriditis, Norwalk virus, Yersinia enterocolitica, Toxoplasma gondii and Shigella sp. The most common food safety recommendations to avoid them are: keeping food at safe temperatures, adequate cooking, avoiding cross-contamination and food from unsafe sources and good personal hygiene practices. Foodborne illness is partially preventable with health education, especially in clinica/ primary health care. The aim of this study was to use articles published in the fields of geriatrics and intestinal infections to p/an educational strategies to prevent foodborne diseases in the e/derly.
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