For the majority of folks, the festive season is that moment where certain delicacies are consumed. Christmas through to New Year’s Day is that time when meaty foods, rice and all are gobbled with the merriment of a lifetime.

Although some folks eat these meals throughout the year, the human trait will somehow ‘programme’ them into believing there is no better joy to the same meaty and oily foods than during the festive season.But it is also during merriment that we are most susceptible to anomalies, included food-related kinds. That is why food poisoning, also known as food-borne diseases, are common around Christmas and New Year’s Day.Food poisoning is an illness caused by eating contaminated food. Infectious organisms, including various bacteria, viruses and parasites, or their toxins are the most common causes of food poisoning.Infectious organisms or their toxins can contaminate food at any point during its processing or production. Contamination can also occur at home if food is incorrectly handled or cooked.So many of the foods that we look forward to during the holiday season, whether it be beef, pork, or baked goods, we hardly eat during the rest of the year. The result can mean sacrificing flavour or worse, making guests sick as a result of improper cooking methods. It is not uncommon to find people prepare the festive meal for several generations within a family, including people who are at greater risk if they get food poisoning such as children, pregnant women, the elderly and people with compromised immune systems.People keep foods that are to be eaten row with the foods to be cooked like meat and vegetables forgetting that microorganisms that cause bacteria’s move from the to be cooked foods to the non-cook able ones.Many bacterial, viral and parasitic agents cause food poisoning. Contamination of food can happen at any point during its production, especially processing, storing, and preparing. Cross-contamination is the transfer of harmful organisms from one surface to another for exam for fish to salads.But this leaves certain foodstuff such as raw ready-to-eat foods, including salads fruits and vegetables, open to contamination.Dr Joyce Munezero, a specialist in internal medicine in Kimironko HealthCentre, says the most common food poisoning symptoms vary with the source of contamination, some people eat food that is not properly prepared, dirty food among others."Food poisoning may cause one or more symptoms including nausea, vomiting, watery diarrhea, abdominal pain and cramps, Fever among others,” Dr Munezero says.She says the symptoms may start within hours, days or a week after eating contaminated food. Sickness caused by food poisoning generally lasts from one to 10 days.According to Mayo Clinic, food poisoning symptoms often include nausea, vomiting or diarrhea, which can start just hours after eating contaminated food. Most often, food poisoning is mild and resolves without treatment. But some cases are severe, requiring hospitalisation.The most common  serious complication of food poisoning, according to experts is dehydration, which is a severe loss of water and essential salts and minerals. "If you’re a healthy adult, drink enough to replace fluids you lose from vomiting and diarrhea, dehydration shouldn’t be a problem if one drinks a lot,” Dr Munezero.However, along with food poisoning is digestive disorders that occur because of new nutrients being inducted into the body system. The body gets accustomed to certain foods. But when during festive season foodstuff one has not been consuming over time is included, the digestive system is affected.