Foodborne Illness Can Last: How to Treat

Have you ever had some food that made you sick? Chances are it isn’t the first time. If left untreated, foodborne Illness can last for days and leave you feeling ill.

The FDA estimates that every year, 48 million Americans become ill from eating contaminated food. That’s about 128,000 people a day.

Most healthy people recover quickly from foodborne Illness. But about 3,000 of them die.

The CDC estimates that 48,000 people a year become infected with Salmonella, and 275,000 become infected with E. coli.

Foodborne Illness can lead to shock, convulsion, coma, and death. It’s something that is not taken seriously by the general public.

This blog will discuss the different causes of foodborne illness, what can be done to prevent it, and how to treat this Illness when you are ill.

What Is Foodborne Illness

Foodborne illnesses are illnesses caused by eating food that is contaminated with germs, viruses, or bacteria. The germs, viruses, and bacteria usually come from animals, such as cows, chickens, hogs, and other animals. They may also come from people.

Foodborne Illness Causes

We often think of food as safe to eat, but consuming food can be dangerous. Foodborne Illness is the leading cause of illness and death in the United States.

• Its refers to diseases caused by consuming foods contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites, or chemical substances. 
• Foodborne Illness can be mild, resulting in diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, cramps, headache, and fever. Other illnesses are severe, including death.
• Some pathogens that can cause foodborne Illness are harmless in small doses. Others, like E. coli, Salmonella, and Listeria, can be deadly.
• The most common causes of foodborne illness are bacteria, viruses, parasites, or chemical contamination.
• Bacteria are single-celled microorganisms that multiply inside people or animals. Some bacteria are harmless, but others cause serious illnesses.

The Biggest Foodborne Illness Cause

According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2014, 48 million people got sick from foodborne illness. Of those, 3,000 died.

The CDC also estimates that 3.8 million school days are lost each year due to foodborne illness.

The CDC estimates that foodborne diseases cost the United States $76 billion in 2012.

Types of Food Poisoning

Whenever you cook something, three types of food poisoning threaten you: 

1. Bacteria: It can develop very quickly and may make people seriously ill or lead to death.
2. Viruses: It can develop slowly, and most people recover, though some develop serious symptoms.
3. Parasites: These cause disease by living in and affecting another living organism, such as a human, animal or plant.

What Causes Food Poison

Food poisoning is no fun, but what’s more, it’s surprisingly common. Over 10 million Americans get sick from food every year, and 3,000 die. The third most common cause of death in the United States is more common in children than in any other cause of death.

The most common source of food poisoning is bacteria, but parasites and viruses are close behind. The bacteria start as harmless bacteria, like E. coli, and multiply out of control. 

The bacteria that cause botulism build up in the food, and when humans eat the food, they release toxins that paralyze the muscles.

Other bacteria cause bloody diarrhoea, which can cause death from dehydration. Bacteria like salmonella, campylobacter, and shigella cause vomiting and diarrhoea, respectively. Toxoplasma gondii, which most people carry harmlessly in their intestines, can cause violent seizures.

Bacteria can be killed by cooking but keeping food hot enough to kill all bacteria. And bacteria aren’t the only source of food poisoning.

Parasites, like giardia, amoebae, and roundworms, live in the digestive tracts of animals, and they reproduce in the intestines of humans, causing diarrhoea.

Viruses like norovirus, hepatitis, and norovirus, can cause vomiting and diarrhea.

A surprising source of food poisoning is dairy, which is normally considered quite safe. Enzymes cause it in milk that breaks down proteins. The enzymes also break down the proteins in our food, and they combine with the proteins to form toxins.

Can You Die From Food Poisoning

Food poisoning can be mild, causing diarrhea, or it can kill you, as with botulism, which causes trouble breathing and muscle weakness. As with so many health problems, food poisoning is related to diet. 

If you eat a lot of bad food, you are more likely to get a disease caused by bad bacteria.

People do not always die from food poisoning. People get sick, sometimes a lot of suffering. But only the unlucky ones die. So food poisoning is not usually a leading cause of death.

Foodborne Illnesses Can Last

Contrary to popular belief, foodborne illnesses can last a long time. A study of food-borne-illness outbreaks by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that 71 per cent of the illnesses last three weeks or more, and 18 per cent previous six weeks or more.

Foodborne illnesses are caused by a variety of germs, some of which are very resistant to antibiotics. Bacteria from contaminated water, contaminated meat, and spoiled produce cause many of these illnesses. But bacteria and viruses can also survive in milk, eggs, vegetables, and fruit.

According to the CDC, 3.5 million Americans get foodborne illnesses every year. Foodborne diseases cause almost 48,000 deaths.

How to Prevent Foodborne Illness

Of the many how to prevent foodborne illnesses, one of the most common questions I get is, “Is eggplant poisonous?”

Here are some quick food safety tips to keep in mind to Prevent Foodborne Illness

1. Don’t want to get sick? Make sure you cook your food all the way through! Cooking to the right temperature not only makes your food safe but also delicious.
2. If you’re pregnant, have a compromised immune system, or suffer from a debilitating disease that leaves you in frequent contact with others who have similar illnesses, it is smart to take precautions in the kitchen, so your beloved doesn’t come down with a nasty case of upchuck.
3. Another thing that you should do to avoid food poisoning is to examine the food and see if it was cooked thoroughly. Ensure that the food is piping hot and steaming hot.
4. The bacteria that can cause foodborne illness can live on both food prep surfaces and kitchen utensils. It’s wise to clean them after every use. After every use, thoroughly cleaning your counters, sinks, cutting boards, dish towels, sponges, and other kitchen surfaces is crucial for preventing foodborne illness.
5. You’ve probably heard several times as a child to wash your hands regularly, but as an adult, do you remember why? Proper handwashing is the single most effective way to prevent foodborne illness.
6. Wash fruits and vegetables well before eating to remove dirt, soil, bacteria, and pesticide residues. Ensure you wash the tops and bottoms of containers that fruit has been packaged in when it is not feasible to remove the packaging. Also, when shopping for fresh produce, choose firm, unblemished, and not wilted items.
7. Leftover food is one of the most common sources of food poisoning. However, with the right steps like refrigerating immediately, you can limit your risks for foodborne illnesses.

Summary

Adequate food safety practices lead to less foodborne illness. The goal is to prevent foodborne illness, so you don’t have to spend your life’s savings on a lawsuit and medical bills.

Don’t let food be the cause of your financial crisis. By eating healthy and avoiding foodborne illness, you are putting yourself in the best position to avoid legal and medical issues that can cause great stress and monetary loss.

Even if you do not have experience with food, there are many food safety courses that you can take to learn the basics.

Once you understand food safety, you can provide your customers with a healthier and safer product every time and help yourself retain good health while experiencing a high level of business success.