Over 400 people have become sick from an outbreak of Salmonella in the United States, and authorities are scrambling to find out why. The U.S. government thinks they may have found the source of the outbreak, a jar of King Nut peanut butter, a brand that is distributed across the United States.

We called some local grocery stores in Lethbridge to find out if they carry the King Nut brand of peanut butter, and they do not, and they suspect it’s only sold in the United States, so that should ease some worried minds.

Many of us have heard of Salmonella, but may not know exactly what it is, or what to do if you discover it’s made you sick.

“Salmonella is a bacteria, an infection of the intestines,” explains Andrea Hohne, Public Health Inspector for Chinook Health. “[You can get Salmonella] by eating undercooked meat and poultry, drinking raw (unpasteurized) milk, [or] contaminated food or water.”

Salmonella poisoning can present many symptoms that are similar to a stomach flu, and Hohne strongly recommends anyone with these symptoms immediately see their doctor to find out the exact cause.

“In general, [the symptoms include] vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, cramps, and fever,” says Hohne. “[symptoms can show] 6 to 72 hours after being infected.”

One website, Healthsquare.com recommends anyone recovering from Salmonella poisoning “rest in bed at least 3 days after your symptoms go away”, “use a heating pad or hot water bottle to help relieve stomach cramps,” and “drink plenty of liquids that have a lot of minerals and vitamins in them until the diarrhea stops”, as this will replenish the nutrition your body expelled along with the bad bacteria.

This brings up the issue of food poisoning, as well as how to tell if you’ve become a victim, and how to avoid becoming sick in the first place.

“Cook meat or poultry to the correct internal temperature, 74 degrees celcius, [and] check with a thermometer,” says Hohne, adding that people should always wash their hands before eating to prevent any bacteria from entering your body.

If you happen to suffer from food poisoning, emedicinehealth.com suggests watching out for additional symptoms, including, “fever and chills, bloody stools, dehydration.

The same website also shares some interesting stats, such as the “Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that in the United States, food poisoning causes about 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and up to 5,000 deaths each year.”

Another statistic explains that “more than 250 known diseases can be transmitted through food. The CDC estimates unknown or undiscovered agents cause 81% of all food-borne illnesses and related hospitalizations. Many cases of food poisoning are not reported because people suffer mild symptoms and recover quickly.”

Food poisoning can be easily avoided by simply making sure your food is completely cooked, and that you properly wash your hands before you sit down to eat or put your fingers in your mouth. It’s just that simple, and it takes mere seconds to prevent.

Originally posted 2009-01-17 20:36:27. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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