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Detecting and Preventing Food-Borne Illnesses
Peanut butter. Jalapeños. The recent salmonella outbreaks have scared many people into wondering what will be next on the list of food that is contaminated in some way. After all, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are approximately 76 million cases of food poisoning in America each year.
"That sounds like a scary number, but food poisoning is usually just a minor annoyance," explained Devon Jackoniski, PA-C, Public Education Chair for the Georgia Association of Physician Assistants. "Many people don´t even check in with their doctor or at the hospital, which is why the 76 million is just an estimate."
What is not an estimate are the 5,000 deaths that result each year from food poisoning, and the additional 325,000 people that end up in the hospital. "The key phrase is that food illness is usually a minor annoyance," Jackoniski stressed. "However, as with many diseases, food poisoning can become very serious, very quickly."
How can you tell if you have food poisoning? Here are a few simple warning signs.
- Do you have a combination of symptoms including nausea, vomiting,
diarrhea, and abdominal cramping?
- Have the symptoms lasted between 24 and 48 hours?
(Food poisoning usually lasts no longer than 48 hours, though symptoms
do sometimes linger.)
- Have you eaten food that may have been contaminated with feces
within the last 48 hours? (Symptoms can start as quickly as 30 minutes, or take
a little bit longer to surface.)
- Have you recently returned from an overseas trip, where you may have eaten food
that was contaminated by a parasite?
- Have you eaten wild fruit or mushrooms? Have you eaten fish that may have high
levels of mercury? While rare, toxic contamination is a form of food poisoning.
Remember these guidelines to minimize the risk of food poisoning.
- Wash your hands for 30 seconds with warm, soapy water prior
to and following handling food, using the restroom, changing diapers
and handling pets.
- Stop cross-contamination by using two different cutting boards –
one for meat, fish and poultry, and one for fruits and vegetables.
- Use a cooking thermometer to ensure that your meat is reaching the
proper temperature internally.
- Defrost frozen foods in the refrigerator, not out on the counter.
"Handling food properly and making sure it is thoroughly cooked are two of the biggest factors in preventing food poisoning," Jackoniski explained. "Additionally, manufacturers are now required to use Country of Origin Labeling, or COOL, on their products. This way, consumers can know to avoid a food from a certain area if it´s implicated in a food poisoning outbreak."
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