The Campylobacter bacterium had been for several years, but there was a sharp increase in the number of infections over the past year. Data from the Health Ministry, obtained by indicated thousands of infections in recent months, a significant increase compared to previous years. Campylobacter is one of the most found in contaminated food.
It belonged to the "Gram-negative" bacteria family that resided in the digestive and urinary systems, proliferating in warm, humid environments, typically at temperatures between 37 and 42 degrees Celsius. The bacterium usually enters the digestive system through contaminated meat and poultry, causing intestinal inflammation with characteristic symptoms. It could also be through unpasteurized milk, contaminated water, fruits, and vegetables in a contaminated environment, or direct contact with infected animals or their feces.
Symptoms appeared within one to ten days after consuming contaminated food and usually manifested as high fever, weakness, nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhoea. In most cases, the illness resolved on its own, but it was particularly dangerous for people with weakened immune systems, infants, pregnant women, and chronic patients. In rarer cases, the disease could cause dehydration, joint inflammation, and a severe neurological syndrome called Guillain-Barre, which led to ascending paralysis from the legs to the head.
The disease can be diagnosed by stool culture at health clinics. In cases of severe symptoms,.
