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Foodborne Illness

What You Should Know

By Michele St. Martin

Contaminated foods often don't taste "bad," but if you've eaten something that is contaminated, Wenberg says it's important that you seek medical attention. "Usually the symptoms are gastro-intestinal -- flu-like. We tell people it's pretty impossible to determine if food or other cause -- if they have eaten a suspect food, they should see their doctor to confirm whether they may have eaten something with Listeria or salmonella another contaminant. It's especially important that a doctor be involved if it's suspected that a small child ate contaminated food, and that medical attention be sought before dehydration occurs. It's helpful for the physician to know if person thinks their illness is due to something they ate; this kind of information can assist the physician in ruling a diagnosis in or out."

Preventing food contamination at home is not difficult or time consuming, and is worth more than any time and effort it may require. After all, it is far easier to wash off an apple than to suffer the consequences of salmonella poisoning.

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