Avoiding Salmonella Exposure

Jason Knowles

Attorney

0 CommentsPrint ArticleSubscribe

A couple of years ago I obtained a nice settlement for a good fellow who was hospitalized for several days after salmonella exposure at a local restaurant. That case sparked my interest in food poisoning cases. Here is some recent information on salmonella you might find interesting and helpful.

On July 23, 2009, the AAJ News Brief advised of an Associated Press report that Tanimura & Antle, Inc., a major California lettuce grower, has recalled about 22,000 cartons of romaine lettuce due to concerns that the product may be tainted with salmonella. The lettuce was harvested in late June and early July and sold to retail, wholesale, and food service outlets across the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico.

Salmonella is a bacterium that causes one of the most common intestinal infections in the U.S. – salmonellosis. The CDC estimates that there are about 30,000 confirmed cases of salmonellosis yearly in the U.S. and that about 600 deaths are caused by salmonella infections in the U.S. every year, accounting for 31 % of all food-related deaths (CDC, October 13, 2005).

Salmonella infection is contagious, so take precautions to avoid spreading bacteria to others. Preventive methods are especially important when preparing food or providing care for infants, elderly, or people with compromised immune systems. The Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research offers these suggestions for avoiding salmonella exposure: (1) wash your hands after using the toilet, changing a diaper, handling raw meat or poultry, or cleaning up after animals, (2) store raw meat, poultry and seafood away from other foods in your refrigerator and never place cooked food on an unwashed plate that has held raw meat, and (3) avoid eating raw eggs, which can be found in cookie dough, homemade ice cream, and eggnog.