2024-03-01 16:04:23
It is another form of epidemic, the numbers of which are exploding, and which would nevertheless be completely avoidable. The figures for collective food poisoning (TIAC), commonly called food poisoning, are on the rise, indicates Public Health France in its latest assessment of the epidemiological evolution of TIAC based on mandatory declaration data.
In 2022, “the number of notified TIACs is the highest recorded since the establishment of surveillance in 1987 and in continuation of the upward trend observed before the Covid-19 pandemic”, indicates the health agency. Each year, between 10,000 to 16,000 people are affected by TIAC in France, whether in a family environment, in commercial or collective catering. Dangerous contaminations in terms of public health, against which Public Health France reminds us of simple actions to protect against.
“A health risk for the population”
These infections “represent a health risk for the population and are often caused by the consumption of food contaminated by pathogenic bacteria”, underlines Public Health France. While the TIAC figures were down in 2020-2021, “most certainly linked to the implementation of physical distancing measures and the application of barrier gestures during the Covid-19 pandemic”, observes the health agency , in 2022, “the number of notified TIACs is the highest recorded since 1987. Thus, 1,924 collective food poisoning infections (TIACs) were declared in France, affecting 16,763 people, of which 643 (4%) presented themselves to the “hospitalization (hospitalization or emergency room) and 17 (0.1%) died,” details Public Health France.
A TIAC is defined by “the appearance of at least two cases of similar symptoms, generally gastrointestinal, the cause of which can be attributed to the same food origin, recalls the health agency. In France, they have been compulsory since 1987. And every year, the people responsible are the same. In 2022, as in previous years, “the most frequently microbiologically confirmed pathogen is Salmonella”. Causative agents of salmonellosis cases often caused by the consumption of eggs or egg products. Other sources of collective food poisoning include the bacteria Clostridium perfringens, Bacillus cereus or Staphylococcus aureus. Poisoning “mainly associated with the consumption of cooked meals” or even “shellfish”, continues Public Health France. Thus, last December, oysters from the Arcachon Basin were temporarily banned from sale after “several cases of collective food poisoning”, announced the Gironde prefecture four days before New Year’s Eve.
And if between 2021 and 2022, “the share of TIACs following family meals has decreased, going from 33 to 25%”, notes the health agency, that of TIACs declared following meals in commercial restaurants has increased, passing from 35 to 45%,” adds the health agency.
Protect yourself from food poisoning
So, although we cannot prevent all the risks of food poisoning in restaurants or in communities, a few precautions can already make it possible to reduce them at home. Public Health France therefore recommends “washing your hands well with soap and water before and during the preparation of meals, avoiding preparing meals in the event of symptoms of gastroenteritis and cleaning the refrigerator with detergent if food spills inside.”
The conditions of preparation and storage of food are also important. The health agency therefore prescribes “changing the cutting board for each food”, one for vegetables and another for meat for example. She also advises “not to keep food for more than 2 hours at room temperature before refrigeration” to avoid microbial proliferation, and “not to keep catering products, ready meals, cream-based pastries for more than three days “.
Public Health France finally recalls some specific precautions for the most vulnerable, recommending “not to store meals and bottles of milk for infants for more than 48 hours at 4°C”. She also advises, for children and pregnant women, to “cook minced meat thoroughly to protect them from pathogens”, and recalls that “the consumption of raw meat or fish (in tartare or carpaccio) and dairy products Raw milk (with the exception of pressed cooked cheeses such as Gruyère or Comté) is strongly discouraged.
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