Food Poisoning: What To Do
A friend recently posted that she thought she had food poisoning. After eating dinner at a Mexican restaurant, she and others in her group were throwing up all night. She wondered what she should do. Call the restaurant? Call the health department?
A few years ago I did a newspaper story on this topic, in the wake of several high-profile cases — E. coli in spinach and ground beef. Salmonella in jalapenos. Norwalk virus on cruise ships.
The advice I got from health department officials and an attorney who specializes in food-poisoning lawsuits was to get to a doctor who will order lab tests to try to identify if it’s a microbe such as salmonella, E.coli or campylobacter that is making you sick. That’s usually done through a stool sample.
Why? First off, it could save your life. Secondly, it’s crucial if you want to pursue legal action against a food company or restaurant. Otherwise, you have no proof that you had a foodborne illness, or what the type of bacteria that caused it, according to Denis Stearn, who was a partner at Marler Clark, a Seattle-based law firm that specializes in foodborne illness litigation. When someone would call his office wanting to file a suit, the first thing they were asked was if a stool sample was taken.
“If the answer is no, we ask if they’ve spoken to their local health department and know if there are other reported illnesses or an outbreak,” he told me. “If the answer is no, we tell them they’re going to join the millions of people whose foodborne illness will never be connected to anything.”
But frankly, it’s tough to get to a doctor’s office when you’re experiencing constant bouts of diarrhea and vomiting. You may wonder if it’s a case of the flu. Foodborne illness usually causes stomach cramps, vomiting and diarrhea, whereas flu symptoms are more likely to include fever, chills, body aches, extreme tiredness, and dry cough, according to the Centers for Disease Control Web site.
An estimated 76 million cases of food-borne disease occur each year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The great majority cause symptoms for only a day or two.
Even if the hospital lab identifies a microbe, such as salmonella or campylobacter, sometimes it may overlook contacting the local health department. So, it’s a good idea to call your local health department on your own.
Then the health department will try to track down the source. You will likely be asked about where, when and what you ate. The health department will try to find commonalities with other people who have also tested positive.
Sometimes, the clues may lead officials in the wrong direction. In the case of one salmonella poisoning that sickened more than 1,400 people, officials first blamed tomatoes, because so many victims reported eating them. It took awhile to figure out that the tomatoes were eaten in fresh salsa, and link the illness to jalapenos that were also in the salsa.
Another complicating factor is the germ’s incubation period, where it begins to divide and multiply in the digestive system. This could be a few hours to a few days, depending on the type of microbe, and whether or not a toxin has developed from it, how much of the food was eaten and the person’s immune system.
If during that time, the epidemiology bureau gets a second report with a possible link to the same source, a health inspector will visit the restaurant or facility in question. Inspectors also follow up on complaints about poor food safety practices in restaurants.
Unfortunately, the source of the illness may be in your own home. Common triggers among home cooks include unwashed hands, contaminated sponges or utensils, and not cooking meat thoroughly.
Another friend’s husband became extremely ill after eating dinner at one of their favorite restaurants. Because he was so sick, he went to his doctor, who was able to confirm the type of bacterial infection. She and her husband contacted the restaurant, and were able to walk through what likely happened. Her husband had ordered a chicken dish that night. There was a mix-up in the kitchen, and the waiter brought out a different dish. They sent it back. In the haste to quickly bring out the correct dish, the chicken didn’t get fully cooked. My friend said she watched as her husband cut into his chicken and noticed it seemed really juicy and a little pink. different dish , but the order got mixed-up and was sent back to the kitchen. Through their receipts and in talking to the waiter, the restaurant owner was able to confirm their suspicions. They were given a $200 gift certificate to the restaurant. In my opinion, the restaurant got off easy, as her husband was miserably sick, missed several days of work and had two doctor visits. And if he hadn’t sought medical attention so soon, who knows whether he would have fully recovered.
The increased amount of tainted food cases in the news is partly due to better surveillance, with national data bases that can quickly identify similar cases in other parts of the country. Also, in recent years, more doctors are prone to order stool samples.
A Centers for Disease Control bulletin recommends consulting a health-care provider about a “diarrheal illness” if it’s accompanied by:
• A fever of more than 101.5 F, measured orally;
• Blood in the stools;
• Prolonged vomiting that prevents keeping liquids down;
• Signs of dehydration, including a decrease in urination, a dry mouth and throat, and feeling dizzy when standing up;
• Diarrheal illness that lasts more than three days;
• Suspected food poisoning from a canned food or symptoms of botulism: blurred or double vision or difficulty swallowing or breathing.