a current event
article
by
|
||
No matter how civilized and modern a country you may live in, chances are you’ve had an episode with food-poisoning. Scientists have identified more than 250 viruses, bacteria and parasitic food borne illnesses, with the Norwalk virus (of cruise ship fame) making for two-thirds of the known cases. Also very common are the bacteria salmonella and campylobacter (which just sound nasty, don’t they?).
Even with the recent high profile outbreaks of salmonella in the peanut products and e-coli in the spinach, I was still surprised to find that 1 in 4 Americans contract food-poisoning every year. According to the linked article, in a study from 10 years ago, CDC scientists estimated 76 million cases with 5000 deaths and 325,000 hospitalizations due to contaminated food related illness; and though no recent study has been done, the current estimate is even higher based on population growth. However, the number of minor cases is probably much higher than the studies show. How many of us who wake up in the middle of the night with all those terrible weekend-ruining symptoms actually report the illness? “It must have been something I ate”, we say, and painfully go on with our business.
|
||
Similarly tagged OmniNerd content:
- Dangers of High Fructose Corn Syrup Demonstrated in Humans, by Brandon 3 months ago
- Save $100 Billion at the cost of your health, by JyroBritanniac 3 months ago
- No Health Value to Organic Food, by VnutZ 8 months ago
- 5 freedoms you'd lose in health care reform, by smcbride 8 months ago
This article was edited after publication by the author on 23 Feb 2009.
View changes.
Print Friendly
Write an Article
Re: Food Poisoning by xKimberx :: NR0 :: Show
Look for that Servesafe Certification on the wall. (for a little piece of mind) At least then you know the employees and/ or managers have been trained to prevent those diseases. I am recertified every three years. It is a sixteen hour class with a 90 question test. We covered a wealth of food borne illnesses. They really drill into you that the loss of customers, reputation, and ultimately your job are possible by not following our companies strict policies on food safety. I admit, after this class I will never eat sushi. ;-)
unrealistic toilet by EyeOfSage :: NR6 :: Show
Where have you EVER seen a toilet that has 17 toilet paper rolls?