Food Safety ·
Although food safety is important for everyone, if you have HIV, practicing food safety is particularly important because you may be at greater risk of food poisoning, especially if you have a CD4 count of less than 200. Listed below are some suggestions as to how to minimize your risk:
- Wash your hands thoroughly before preparing food and keep all kitchen tools and surfaces clean.
- Avoid food such as raw fish, undercooked chicken/pork, live yoghurt and probiotic drinks and unpasteurised cheese, milk and yoghurt.
- Keep leftovers in the fridge and eat within three days.
- Check the expiry date on food and do not buy or eat if out of date.
- If you have a CD4 count of less than 200, boil your drinking water. Once boiled it can be kept in the fridge for 24 hours and should be used for drinking, cleaning your teeth and preparing food. Similar procedures may also be applied to bottled water, as it is not possible to guarantee that they are free from waterborne infections.
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