Editorial: “I have food poisoning”…Common Myths and Misconceptions

Editorial by Brian Hanft, Environmental Health Service Manager, Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health

Have you ever attended a wedding, party, family reunion or large gathering where food was served and became ill the next day? Have you ever gone out to eat only to become ill the next morning? If this has happened to you, you are not alone. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that each year roughly 1 in 6 Americans (or 48 million people) gets sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die of foodborne diseases. Food can transport many different “bugs” or “germs” that can make us sick. It is not as simple as “having food poisoning.” Therefore, it is important for individuals to know what to do if you think you have become ill from consuming food.

1) CALL YOUR LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT IMMEDIATELY. It is important that information be collected right away. Your local health department knows what information to collect.

2) YOUR LAST MEAL MAY NOT HAVE MADE YOU ILL. Often times, individuals assume the last meal they ate made them sick. However, many of the “bugs” or “germs” can take days or weeks to make you ill. This lag time between when you eat a food and when you get sick is called the incubation period. Each type of illness has a different incubation period. On average, incubation periods range from 12 to 72 hours.

3) WHEN YOU ARE ILL, IT IS IMPORTANT WE DETERMINE WHAT “BUG” OR “GERM” MADE YOU ILL. We can only do this by collecting a stool sample and having a lab test it. Your local health department can assist you with this AT NO COST TO YOU. IT’S FREE! If you go to the doctor for treatment, make certain that your physician collects the appropriate sample for analysis. If you have diarrhea and/or vomiting, it is likely more than just stomach flu.

4) WE ALSO WANT TO KNOW WHAT FOOD MADE YOU SICK. We can do this by asking a lot of questions about the food you ate over the course of many days.

5) IF YOU THINK YOU BECAME SICK FROM DINING OUT, CONTACT THE LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND THEY WILL HANDLE THE INVESTIGATION. Do not call the local dining facility or event host as they do not know how to conduct a food-borne illness investigation. The local health department has trained staff who knows how to conduct a thorough investigation.

It is important to remember that regardless of where we eat, make sure you wash your hands before handling any food. If you have any questions about investigative procedures or wish to report an illness, please call 641-421-9336 or go to www.cghealth.com for more information.