Salmonellosis – How To Avoid Contracting Salmonella?

Salmonellosis – How To Avoid Contracting Salmonella?
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Salmonella is the most common cause of foodborne illness. Salmonellosis cases are even more frequent during the summer, there is no vaccine to prevent them and the risk may be inside our own home, as the bacteria are housed in meats, chickens, eggs, and dairy products. The only way to take care of your health is to take rigorous measures in the kitchen.

Food of animal origin may be a source of Salmonella

To eliminate possible contamination, poultry and meat must be cooked very well, without leaving pink parts in the middle, and if you buy pasteurized dairy products, their consumption is safe. Perhaps the greatest risk is posed by eggs.

Not only are eggs a staple food, it is also common for people to serve them undercooked or use them raw to prepare recipes such as cookies, ice cream, and others, and dressings such as Caesar, hollandaise sauce, and homemade mayonnaise.

These practices facilitate the development of salmonellosis, the infection caused by salmonella.

The eggs may have bacteria, even though they look OK. In fact, the most recent salmonellosis outbreak originated from this food as it was tracked by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after learning that everyone who got sick ate eggs or egg dishes before they had symptoms.

Salmonellosis – How to avoid contracting Salmonella?

If properly cooked and handled, eggs are safe to eat. The CDC recommends buying pasteurized products and using them in any recipe, especially those that are raw (sauces, dressings).

Preparing eggs at higher temperature is safer than eating eggs undercooked.

Also, before and after handling raw eggs and food containing them, wash your hands with hot water and soap. All objects and utensils that came in contact with the food (countertops, plates, cutting boards) should be washed in the same way.

For storage, it is recommended to keep the eggs in the refrigerator at about 40 degrees F or 4 degrees C or even lower.

Diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramping are the most common signs of the disease. Most cases recover without treatment, but the infection with salmonella is more dangerous for older adults, infants, and people with weakened immune systems, such as patients with HIV or diabetes. In these risk groups, salmonellosis can be fatal.


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Jeffrey likes to write about health and fitness topics, being a champion fitness instructor in the past.

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