According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) annual report on food safety released earlier this month, 1 in 6 Americans gets sick from contaminated food every year.
While infections caused by dangerous E.coli O157 have dropped by half over the last 15 years, salmonella cases have increased by 10%. In 2010 alone, there were 841 deaths, 66,410 hospitalizations, and 239,424 salmonella infections reported to CDC.
Salmonella can be found in nearly any type of food, especially poultry, eggs, vine vegetables, fruits, nuts, and pork.
CDC suggests the following to avoid salmonella and other foodborne illness:
- Wash hands, cutting boards, utensils, and countertops after they come in contact with any food.
- Keep raw meat, poultry, and seafood separate from ready-to-eat foods.
- Use a food thermometer to ensure that whole meats are cooked to 145 degrees Fahrenheit (plus a three minute rest time). Ground meats should be cooked to 160 degrees and poultry should be cooked to 165 degrees.
- Keep the refrigerator set below 40 degrees Fahrenheit and refrigerate all foods that can spoil.
- Report any suspected illness to the local health department.
- Refrain from cooking when ill, and take special care when preparing food for children, those in poor health, pregnant women, and the elderly.
Healthcare providers have a unique role in preventing foodborne illness. They should:
- Diagnose and treat infections using best practices and report cases rapidly.
- Talk to high-risk patients about food safety.
- Report suspected outbreaks to the local health department.
A variety of resources for public health staff to prevent and control foodborne disease outbreaks are available from the Public Health Foundation (PHF). Epidemiologic case studies based on real-life investigations outline the steps of a foodborne disease outbreak investigation. Specifically, these interactive programs emphasize surveillance, detection, investigation, and control methods to address different types of outbreaks. These programs are available for
salmonella,
E.coli,
Botulism, and
Gastroenteritis.
Student and
instructor handbooks are also available to complement the case studies.
To learn more about these resources and place an order, visit the
Learning Resource Center (LRC). PHF’s Learning Resource Center is where public health, health care, and allied health professionals can find high quality training materials at an affordable price. These informative materials cover areas such as quality improvement, performance management, infectious diseases, epidemiology, diabetes, preparedness, and immunization. Materials are available in a variety of formats, including print, software, resource manuals, physician guides, and patient brochures.
LRC also specializes in marketing services for promoting public health products. New product distribution and partnership opportunities are available. Contact
Antoinette Barber if your organization is interested in learning more about PHF’s Learning Resource Center.