Summer Health Alert: Food-borne diseases

CEBU, Philippines - Summer after summer, public health authorities give the same recurring reminder: "Handle food carefully and beware of food-borne diseases." Unfortunately, like how much people love beach outings, fiesta celebrations and summer street parties, food-borne pathogens and other disease-causing microorganisms enjoy the heat, too.

With food-borne illnesses in the news headlines these past days, the public is reminded once again that the problem primarily springs from bacteria present in the environment - in the soil, air, water, and in human or animal bodies - which grow fastest in warm and humid weather. Another reason that ailments spread quite easily is the increase of outdoor activities that people engage in during summer, such as picnics, backyard barbecues, and camping trips where kitchen safety controls are not easy to enforce - like proper cooking, cooling, refrigeration, and washing facilities.

The Department of Health (DOH) has warned the public to be wary of the food-borne illness outbreaks during the warm months, especially that the incidence of gastroenteritis and food poisoning is on a rise. Though the two illnesses have, more or less, similar symptoms, experts say it's important to distinguish one from the other, for proper treatment.

With gastroenteritis, one's stomach and intestines are irritated and inflamed due to virus or other offending agents. Though it is also called stomach flu, it has really nothing to do with flu. The website www.healthline.com says viral gastroenteritis is a highly contagious illness that spreads through close contact with infected persons or through intake of contaminated food or water. One who has stomach flu will probably have watery diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, headache, muscle aches, joint aches, fever, sweating, clammy skin, abdominal cramps and pain, loss of appetite, and weight loss.

Like stomach flu, food poisoning is also caused by a number of agents including viral and bacterial strains, parasites, and chemical toxins. According to www.emedicinehealth.com, food poisoning usually results in vomiting and diarrhea after ingesting fluids contaminated with certain bacteria. Aside from that, other signs that may occur are fever, abdominal pain and/or cramps. Severe symptoms may even include dehydration and blood in vomit or stools, among others.

Findings by the World Health Organization reveal a growing problem of food-borne illness around the world. In the Philippines, alarming cases of food poisoning mostly occur within school premises or nearby areas, prompting the DOH to require health certificate for food handlers working in school canteens.

Given the current humid weather, harmful bacteria can apparently multiply in large numbers very quickly. But, surely, there are steps that can be taken to lower the chances of contracting food-borne diseases. The website www.fsis.usda.gov recommends the following steps:

Clean: Wash hands and surfaces often.

Unwashed hands are a prime cause of food-borne illnesses.

• Wash hands with warm, soapy water before handling food and after using the bathroom, changing diapers, and handling pets.

• When eating away from home, find out if there's a source of potable (safe drinking) water. If not, bring water for preparation and cleaning. Or pack clean, wet, disposable washcloths or moist towels and paper towels for cleaning hands and surfaces.

Separate: Don't cross-contaminate.

Cross-contamination during preparation, grilling, and serving food is a prime cause of food-borne illnesses.

• When packing the cooler chest for an outing, wrap raw meats securely; avoid raw meat juices from coming in contact with ready-to-eat food.

• Wash plates, utensils, and cutting boards that held the raw meat or poultry before using these again for cooked food.

Cook: Cook to safe temperatures.

Food safety experts agree that food is safely cooked when it is heated for a long-enough time and at a high enough temperature to kill harmful bacteria that cause food-borne illneses.

• Check food with a food thermometer, if possible. Meat and poultry cooked on a grill often browns very fast on the outside, so be sure that meats are cooked thoroughly.

• Cook all raw beef, pork, lamb and veal steaks, chops, and roasts to a minimum internal temperature of 63 degrees Celsius as measured with a food thermometer before removing meat from the heat source. For safety and quality, allow meat to rest for at least three minutes before carving or consuming. For reasons of personal preference, consumers may choose to cook meat to higher temperatures.

• Cook all raw ground beef, pork, lamb, and veal to an internal temperature of 72 degrees Celsius as measured with a food thermometer.

• Cook all poultry to a safe minimum internal temperature of 73 degrees Celsius as measured with a food thermometer.

• Cook meat and poultry completely at the picnic site. Partial cooking of food ahead of time allows bacteria to survive and multiply to the point that subsequent cooking cannot destroy them.

Chill: Refrigerate promptly.

Holding food at an unsafe temperature is a prime cause of food-borne illnesses. Keep cold food cold!

• Cold refrigerated perishable food like luncheon meats, cooked meats, chicken, and potato or pasta salads should be kept in an insulated cooler packed with several inches of ice, ice packs, or containers of frozen water.

• Consider packing canned beverages in one cooler and perishable food in another cooler because the beverage cooler will probably be opened frequently.

• Keep the cooler in the coolest part of the car, and place in the shade or shelter, out of the sun, whenever possible.

• Preserve the cold temperature of the cooler by replenishing the ice as soon as it starts melting.

• If a cooler chest is not an option, consider taking fruits, vegetables, hard cheeses, canned or dried meats, dried cereal, bread, peanut butter, crackers, and a bottle of refreshing beverage.

• Take-out food: If you don't plan to eat take-out food within two hours of purchase, plan ahead and chill the food in your refrigerator before packing for your outing.

Leftovers?

Food left out of refrigeration for more than two hours may not be safe to eat. Play it safe; put leftover perishables back on ice once one finishes eating so they do not spoil or become unsafe to eat. If having any doubt, throw it out. (FREEMAN)