Avoid Food-Borne Illnesses
Posted on: Friday, 3 March 2006, 06:00 CST
By Anonymous
HEALTHBEAT
According to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are about 76 million food-borne illnesses annually, with an estimated 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,200 deaths in the United States each year. Infants, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are especially at risk for serious illness or death from food-borne pathogens, yet very few people know how to take the simple precautions to avoid food poisoning. Here are a few tips:
* Head straight home from the grocery store. When summer is at its peak, ifs not always OK to make a few stops along the way. That's because E. coli or salmonella bacteria can surface if fresh meats, poultry or milk products are not refrigerated immediately, especially when they're all cooped up in the back of your car.
* A "sniff test" is not reliable. Though a food may smell fine, that doesn't mean it should be consumed. Foods can have a high bacteria count without a noticeable change in appearance or odor.
* Lastly, remember this: The danger of food-borne illnesses increases once the surface temperature rises above 40 Fahrenheit. That's when bacteria begin to multiply rapidly.
Adapted from OsterDowJones Commodity News
Copyright American Dental Assistants Association Jan/Feb 2006
Source: Dental Assistant
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