The Dangers of the Unseen.

  Has your stomach ever been upset 6 to 48 hours after eating? If so you might have suffered from a foodbourne illness.  Now, this is not always the case.  Sometimes it is just a matter of someone not washing their hands properly.  Or perhaps, YOU did not thoroughly wash your hands correctly. 

FDA information concerning foodborne illnesses

  If you like this pretty image to right, you might not after knowing that it is the bacteria called Salmonella. This is a bacteria we find on food, animals and people! That's basically everything.

  According to the CDC, Salmonella causes about 1.2 million illnesses, 23,000 hospitalizations, and 450 deaths in the United States every year. Food is the source for about 1 million of these illnesses.

• Most persons infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most persons recover without treatment.
• However, in some persons, the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized."

  This definitely makes me rethink my hand washing strategies and quite frankly makes me a bit of a germ a phob. But do not worry.  Here are some tips provided by the CDC to help prevent the spread and or creation of Salmonella.

You can get a Salmonella infection from a variety of food.  Salmonella can be found in many foods, including sprouts and other vegetables, eggs, chicken, pork, fruits, and even processed foods, such as nut butters, frozen pot pies, chicken nuggets, and stuffed chicken entrees. Contaminated foods usually look and smell normal, which is why it is important to know how to prevent infection.

Salmonella also can spread from animals to people and from people to people. Always wash you hands after contact with animals. Also wash your hands after using the toilet, changing diapers, or helping someone with diarrhea clean up after using the toilet. If you have a Salmonella infection, you should not prepare food or drinks for others until you no longer have diarrhea. 

This one is super overlooked in my opinion.  I, having a child myself, was always concerned with this one.  When your child's diaper has leaked and diarrhea is running down it's leg but you are in Target, what do you do?  I mean the bathrooms are great but not disinfecting. I am just saying wet wipes only do so much.  I am a huge advocate for keeping you hands away from your face, that's the best advice I have concerning germs and children. If the hands stay away from the mouth the germs have a hard time getting in.

Salmonella illness is more common in the summer.Warmer weather and unrefrigerated foods create ideal conditions for Salmonella to grow. Be sure to refrigerate or freeze perishables (foods likely to spoil or go bad quickly), prepared foods, and leftovers within 2 hours (or 1 hour if the temperature outside is 90°F or hotter).

  This is for my boat friends, COLD PACKS lots and lots of cold packs.  My husband always jokes me "how many do we need?" I always reply as many as I can fit in the cooler!

Salmonella illness can be serious and is more dangerous for certain people. Anyone can get a Salmonella infection, but some people are more likely to develop a serious illness, including children younger than 5, older adults, and people with immune systems weakened from a medical condition, such as diabetes, liver or kidney disease, and cancer or its treatment. 

  That's me!  I have hypothyroid disease so my immune system is compromised, like a secret agent on a mission.  My body cannot discuss it's complexity without being compromised.  Basically I wash my hands regularly and never touch my face.

Salmonella causes far more illnesses than you might suspect. For every person with a Salmonella illness confirmed by a laboratory test, there are about 30 more people with Salmonella illnesses that are not reported. Most people who get food poisoning do not go to a doctor or submit a sample to a laboratory, so we never learn what germ made them sick.

  So do these tips apply to restaurants, food trucks, food packaging, day cares, schools, rest homes and anyone else serving food?  Heck yeah! Anyone dealing with food should be trained and certified in ServSafe .  If you would like to schedule a training feel free to go to ParksServSafe or contact me directly through the contact tab.

  I hope I have been helpful and relateable at the same time.  Good luck and remember "be proactive, not reactive"