Some pilgrims are exposed to some symptoms of digestive disorders due to exposure to infection with germs, viruses, or fungi transmitted through contaminated food or drink. Therefore, some food-related infectious diseases may increase during Hajj (such as: gastroenteritis and food poisoning), and appear in the form of some Symptoms (e.g.: diarrhea, abdominal pain, heartburn, belching, and bloating).
Prevention of digestive problems:
- Be very careful about hygiene, and wash hands with soap and water when preparing food and before and after eating it, as well as after defecating.
- Ensure that the utensils used to prepare and eat food are clean.
- Make sure to wash fruits and vegetables before eating them.
- Do not leave food exposed; Because it is thus vulnerable to pollution.
- Ensure the expiry date when purchasing canned and preserved foods and drinks.
- Use bottled water or treated by filtration and purification for drinking and cooking, otherwise water must be boiled before use.
- Avoid using ice cubes with drinks when you are not sure of the safety of the water used to make them.
- Some foods are more susceptible to contamination than others, so it is preferable to avoid them unless their safety is confirmed (such as: salads, uncooked fruits and vegetables unless they are thoroughly washed or peeled, exposed foods, unpasteurized dairy products, raw or undercooked meat, fish and shellfish).
- Avoid keeping cooked food at room temperature for more than an hour because it leads to multiplication of germs, and then to the possibility of exposure to poisoning, and therefore it must be kept in a refrigerator or it is sufficient to prepare enough of it for one meal.
Diarrhea treatment:
It is necessary to begin to replace the body for what it has lost in terms of fluids, and therefore it is necessary to drink a lot of water, but if diarrhea is severe and signs of dehydration appear, the pilgrim must immediately refer to the nearest health center or hospital to give nutritious solutions intravenously, and the patient may also be given a rehydration solution.