**Note: The topics discussed here in “Caring for Your Child” are for your general information and are not a substitute for medical advice. You should contact your physician or other healthcare provider with any questions about your health, treatment, or care, or to discuss the information you have read here.

• What are the most common food borne diseases that can be found in our children’s food?
  • Infectious: Like Campylobacter, E. coli 0157 H7, Salmonella, and Norwalk virus
  • Chemical/toxins: poisonous mushrooms or some types pesticides left on food
  • (*Here we will discuss the infectious causes in more detail)

• Why does this happen? How does food become contaminated?
  • Water that is contaminated with bacteria is used to water plants and the bacteria get inside the roots/leaves
  • Water used to rinse plants is contaminated and the outer shell of the plant is coated in bacteria
  • Water used to rinse chicken carcasses has bacteria in it
  • Some chickens have bacteria inside their ovaries and that gets moved into the egg inside the shell as the egg forms
  • Bacteria that naturally live in the intestines of chickens or cow inadvertently get mixed into the meat during processing
  • Food preparers use contaminated hand while preparing food
  • Formula in an infant’s bottle left at room temperature for many hours can grow dangerous bacteria

• How can we prepare food safely for our children?
  • Cook food thoroughly – 160 degrees F is needed to kill most infectious diseases in food
  • Separate out meat preparation and vegetable preparation areas and utensils to prevent cross contamination
  • Clean cooking and preparation surfaces well
  • Chill any leftovers right away to prevent bacteria overgrowing in the containers
  • Report any suspicions of food borne diseases to your doctor and health department

• How can our children eat safely in restaurants? Are there certain foods it is better not to order?
  • Find out what the health department rating is for the restaurant
  • No raw meats/oysters
  • Ask for pasteurized eggs when getting scrambled eggs
  • Return any undercooked food to the kitchen for further cooking
  • What symptoms are typical of severe food borne illness?
    • High fever (> 101.5)
    • Blood or pus in stools
    • Diarrhea > 3-5 days in length
    • Persistent vomiting that won’t stop after 24 hours
    • Signs of dehydration : no urination, dry tongue, no tears with crying