Bacteria that thrive in the heat, more close contact with animals and more careless food hygiene.
There are a few things that make summer peak season for stomach ailments.
– You are outside and move more in surroundings where there are animals and we bathe where ruminants can have the diseases, says Erik Eriksson at the State Veterinary Institute (SVA).
A large proportion of the 8,000 people who were reported as suffering from stomach ailments in 2022 became ill during the summer, according to figures from the Public Health Agency. In addition to more close contact with animals, we are more careless with food hygiene when we grill and eat outdoors.
– You cut chicken and then you may have salad on the cutting board and then it mixes and causes bacterial growth. You go into a slightly more “relaxed mode” and don’t think the same way as when you’re standing in the kitchen, says Erik Eriksson, who is a laboratory veterinarian at SVA.
Avoid bloody hamburgers
Being thorough in washing your hands after petting animals and cooking is a good protection against stomach illness. It may also be wise to think about where you serve the summer food.
– Avoid having a picnic where there are a lot of cows, it’s not very smart, says veterinarian Erik Eriksson.
Minced meat is a food that you should be extra careful with and grill so that the hamburgers are cooked through. Erik Eriksson says that the more “modern” cooking with bloody hamburgers is not a good idea if you want to avoid getting sick
Fact: How to avoid summer stomach flu
Wash your hands in connection with cooking and after you have been to the toilet or had close contact with animals.
Do not eat or bathe near pastures where cows, sheep or goats roam.
Keep raw meat and food that should not be heated separated from each other.
Do not leave the food in the heat for a long time.
Rinse vegetables thoroughly.
Check the water quality every three years if you have your own well with drinking water.
Source: The Norwegian Veterinary Institute (SVA)