How to prevent food poisoning - NBC Latino

One of my worst personal health memories is when my wife and I both became violently ill after eating poorly-refrigerated cheese. I will spare you the gory details? suffice it to say that it was both frightening and violent. We were lucky in that we recovered but that memory is etched in glass. With so many recent headlines about food-related illnesses, we are frequently reminded of that incident and often it seems as though things are out of control with regards to the safety of our food supply. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released its annual report card; these are the highlights from this year?s report find:

* Overall, the US.. has seen essentially no change in the number of infections that are associated with food compared to the number in 2006-2008.

* Illnesses associated with eating raw or undercooked poultry, raw milk, dairy products, contaminated produce and water, increased by 14 percent in 2012.

* Another bacterium which lives in the sea ? most infections are associated with eating raw oysters ? have increased 43 percent in 2012, and its trend shows it to be 116 percent higher than it had been from 1996-1998.

* There has been a slight increase of the dangerous type of e-coli, the shiga-toxin-producing e-coli, which had previously been decreasing, returned to levels seen in 2006-2008.

Here are some tips how to maintain food safety and prevent food poisoning.

1. Remember to wash your hands, especially before you touch or prepare any food.

2. Make sure that the cooking surfaces, particularly your kitchen counters, cutting areas or sinks are clean before you place any items for preparation or cutting.

3. Separate raw meats from produce and other fresh foods. Assume that raw chicken and other meats carry bacteria that cause illness. Do not allow these foods to touch surfaces that you will be preparing other foods on.

4. Cook meat, chicken, shellfish and seafood to the proper temperature. The best guide is to follow instructions on the package or use a food thermometer.

5. Refrigerate leftovers as soon as possible.

6. Avoid consuming unpasteurized milk or unpasteurized soft cheese.

7. Pregnant women and individuals who have a weak immune system or liver disease should avoid eating raw or partially cooked seafood, including oysters.

Should you get sick and start to vomit or have diarrhea, remember these tips:

8. Hydration ? drinking a lot of water or clear liquids ? is the best treatment given that vomiting and diarrhea are often the symptoms of food-related disease and drinking helps to replace the lost fluids.

9. Antibiotics are not required in most cases of food associated infections.

10. If you have serious diarrhea, medications such as loperamide (Imodium?) are useful in people in which there is no fever and no bloody stools.

11. Probiotics have been useful in treating diarrhea, especially traveler?s diarrhea and nonspecific diarrhea in children, but this in not an immediate management item.

If you follow these tips, you should be on your way to avoiding some of the most serious concerns that arise with foodborne illnesses. However, if you do become sick always consult your doctor as some of these cases may require admission to a hospital and further treatment.

Dr. Joseph Sirven is a first-generation Cuban-American. He is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Neurology and was past Director of Education for Mayo Clinic Arizona. He is editor-in-chief of?epilepsy.com?and has served U.S. and global governmental agencies including the Institute of Medicine, NASA, FAA, NIH and CDC.

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Source: http://nbclatino.com/2013/05/13/how-to-prevent-food-poisoning/

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