{"id":8979,"date":"2023-09-21T13:50:51","date_gmt":"2023-09-21T13:50:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/2023\/09\/21\/doctor-shares-advice-on-how-to-prevent-food-poisoning\/"},"modified":"2023-09-21T13:50:51","modified_gmt":"2023-09-21T13:50:51","slug":"doctor-shares-advice-on-how-to-prevent-food-poisoning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/2023\/09\/21\/doctor-shares-advice-on-how-to-prevent-food-poisoning\/","title":{"rendered":"Doctor shares advice on how to prevent food poisoning"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Wisconsin-based company American Foods Group, doing business as Green Bay Dressed Beef, has\u00a0recalled\u00a0more than 58,000 pounds of raw ground beef due to concerns of possible contamination with the bacteria Escherichia coli, better known as E. coli, according to a Friday alert posted by the\u00a0US Department of Agriculture.<\/em> <\/p>\n

The recall follows recent warnings issued by federal health officials about foodborne illnesses, including an alert for clinicians\u00a0by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to be on the lookout for infections due to the flesh-eating Vibrio vulnificus bacteria, which caused at least five deaths on the East Coast this summer. <\/p>\n

All of this has led me to look into foodborne illnesses and how people can improve food safety practices. What exactly is food poisoning?\u00a0What can cause it? What are common symptoms? And, crucially, how can people prevent foodborne illnesses? <\/p>\n

Dr.<\/strong>\u00a0Leana Wen:\u00a0<\/strong>Those two terms are\u00a0often used interchangeably. When people become ill from the food they eat, this is generally due to infections occurring after ingesting food or drink that has been contaminated with infectious organisms such as bacteria, viruses or parasites. Foodborne illness also includes allergic reactions and other circumstances in which food is the carrier of the allergen or toxin. <\/p>\n

According to the CDC, 31 major pathogens cause\u00a0around 9 million\u00a0episodes of illness, nearly 56,000 hospitalizations and more than 1,300 deaths each year. <\/p>\n

Wen:<\/strong>\u00a0Norovirus is the most frequent pathogen implicated in foodborne infections in the United States. This is a highly contagious virus. It can be\u00a0spread\u00a0through food and drink. The virus can also be spread from person to person by sharing utensils with an infected person and through handling objects that an infected person has touched and then touching your mouth. <\/p>\n

Other common pathogens that cause foodborne illnesses include bacteria such as salmonella, campylobacter, listeria and E. coli, and parasites like toxoplasma. <\/p>\n

Wen:<\/strong>\u00a0Common symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. Depending on the infectious organism involved, the individual may also develop fevers, body aches and other flu-like symptoms. <\/p>\n

Wen:<\/strong>\u00a0Most foodborne illnesses can be treated at home and will resolve on their own. It\u2019s crucial to drink plenty of fluids and prevent dehydration. <\/p>\n

Reasons to\u00a0seek medical assistance\u00a0include inability to keep up fluid intake due to vomiting or severe diarrhea and signs of becoming too dehydrated, such as feeling dizzy when standing, decreased urination, high fever, persistent diarrhea lasting more than three days and bloody diarrhea. <\/p>\n

Wen:<\/strong>\u00a0E. coli live in the intestines of people and animals. Most forms of the bacteria are harmless, but some can cause illness. There is a particular kind of E. coli known as Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, or STEC, that has been implicated in serious foodborne illness outbreaks. Exposed individuals could get bloody diarrhea and even kidney failure. Treatment consists of supportive care for symptoms and fluids for hydration. It\u2019s estimated that about\u00a0265,000 infections\u00a0of STEC happen in the US every year. <\/p>\n

The Vibrio bacteria causes around\u00a080,000 illnesses\u00a0around the country each year. Most illnesses are due to eating raw or undercooked shellfish, in particular oysters. People who have an exposed open wound could also become infected through swimming in salt water or brackish water. Infections can be treated with antibiotics and fluids. <\/p>\n

Wen:<\/strong>\u00a0Undercooking meat is a common and serious problem. Infectious organisms may not be killed at lower temperatures. I highly recommend getting a good meat thermometer to measure the internal temperature of the food you are cooking. The federal government has an\u00a0excellent resource\u00a0on what internal temperatures different kinds of meat and poultry should be cooked to. <\/p>\n

Another common problem is neglecting to wash vegetables and fruits. Even if you are going to peel them, you should wash them first under running water. It\u2019s not necessary or advisable to use soap, dishwashing liquid, disinfectants or other solutions. <\/p>\n

Be aware of what containers and utensils are in contact with raw meat. Do not put salad items or cooked meat into these containers. Also, do not wash other uncooked meat or raw seafood in your sink. That could spread bacteria, and you could inadvertently contaminate other food. <\/p>\n

Wen:<\/strong>\u00a0Cooked meat should be kept at 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 degrees Celsius) or higher until serving. Conversely, meat and poultry should be refrigerated until ready for use. They should only be taken out just before placing on the grill. <\/p>\n

If you\u2019re going to use a cooler in lieu of a refrigerator, make sure to use an insulated one with enough ice to keep the contents at 40 F (4.4 C) or lower. It\u2019s best to store meat at the bottom of the cooler and also keep it in a separate container or a tightly sealed zip-top bag to keep it from contaminating other items. <\/p>\n

Bring plenty of plates and utensils, and make sure you clearly separate the ones used to touch raw meat from other items. <\/p>\n

Handwashing is so critical. You don\u2019t want to touch raw meat with your hands only to then make a salad. Also, many foodborne illnesses are transferred from other infected people. Making sure you wash your hands regularly with soap will reduce cross-contamination. <\/p>\n

Wen:<\/strong>\u00a0Perishable food should not be left out for\u00a0more than two hours. If the temperature around you is above 90 F (32.2 C), the food should be refrigerated within one hour. <\/p>\n

Wen:<\/strong>\u00a0People involved in making and serving food should be extra cautious, as they have the potential to infect many people. In addition, there are some individuals who are most likely to suffer ill effects if they were to have food poisoning. Those are older people, young children, pregnant people and those with immunocompromising medical conditions. These folks should take additional precautions to reduce their risk of foodborne illness. <\/p>\n\n

This post appeared first on cnn.com<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Wisconsin-based company American Foods Group, doing business as Green Bay Dressed Beef, has\u00a0recalled\u00a0more than 58,000 pounds of raw ground beef due to concerns of possible contamination with the bacteria Escherichia coli, better known as E. coli, according to a Friday alert posted by the\u00a0US Department of Agriculture. The recall follows recent warnings issued by <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":8980,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-8979","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8979","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8979"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8979\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8980"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8979"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8979"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8979"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}