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A 5-year-old boy in Bengaluru’s Bhuvaneshwari Nagar lost his life after consuming a cake. His parents are in critical condition and are undergoing treatment. The 5-year-old boy, identified as Dheeraj, fell ill after eating the cake at their home. The boy’s father, Balaraj, works as a Swiggy delivery executive and had brought the cake home after a customer cancelled their order.
The family consumed the cake and shortly after began experiencing severe symptoms of illness. Dheeraj couldn’t survive the condition, however, his parents are receiving treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU) at the KIMS Hospital.
According to a report in Indian Express, S Girish, Deputy Commissioner of Police (West), said, “Initial observation reveals that the parents had eaten stale food due to which food poisoning could have happened. We will collect the available food items consumed by them and send them for testing.”
Officials have launched a full probe into the incident and are working to find more details about what led to the family’s sudden illness.
Food poisoning happens when you eat contaminated food wherein the food is infected with a toxic organism, like a bacterium, fungus, parasite or virus. When you consume such contaminated foods, your body reacts to remove these toxins. It might lead to vomiting, diarrhoea, fever or all of these. While these are usual symptoms, sometimes, food poisoning might also cause severe illness and complications and turn out to be fatal.
Symptoms of Food Poisoning
Here, take a look at some of the symptoms of food poisoning.
These symptoms may begin within a few hours or a few weeks depending on the cause. These include:
- Upset stomach
- Vomiting
- Diarrhoea
- Diarrhoea with bloody stools
- Stomach pain and cramps
- Fever
- Headache.
Sometimes, food poisoning can also affect the nervous system and can cause severe disease. The symptoms of these include:
- Blurred or double vision
- Headache
- Loss of movement in limbs
- Problems with swallowing
- Tingling or numbness of the skin
- Weakness
- Changes in the sound of the voice.
Complications of Food Poisoning
Here, take a look at some of the complications caused due to food poisoning.
Meningitis
Meningitis causes inflammation of the protective membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord. This needs urgent medical treatment as it can cause severe brain damage or even death.
Dehydration
Severe vomiting and diarrhoea due to food poisoning can lead to loss of fluids in the body. When the body loses more fluids than it takes in, it can lead to dehydration. Severe dehydration can be life-threatening and might require hospitalisation.
Septicemia
This is a condition which causes blood poisoning. Certain bacteria that cause food poisoning can affect the blood which causes infection known as septicemia. This can lead to sepsis which is a life-threatening reaction to infection that can cause organ failure and death.
Chronic Kidney Disease
Severe cases of food poisoning can also result in long-term kidney damage. One might develop chronic kidney disease (CKD) if the kidneys are affected.
Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS)
This usually happens from infection with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC). HUS can destroy the red blood cells and lead to kidney failure. This condition requires immediate medical attention and can turn out to be fatal if not treated immediately.