Why You Should Report Food Poisoning to the Health Department

 

Often the first step is the hardest when making a decision about a situation. Today we are going to talk about why you should report food poisoning to the health department. I get it, you already feel awful. The doctors office has more than likely already asked for samples of blood and stool. You may be vomiting, exhausted, worried and just all around stressed out especially if you are a parent. It is so very important to report food poisoning to your local health department regardless of the situation so that they can properly report and investigate the cause but more importantly so that the proper chain of command can be notified in hopes that no one else becomes ill and if they do actions can be further taken.

What is Food Poisoning?

According to the CDC: You can get sick with food poisoning after swallowing certain germs, like Salmonella or E. coli. Your symptoms may vary, depending on the germ you swallowed. Symptoms can range from mild to serious and can last for a few hours or several days.

The most common symptoms of food poisoning are:

• Diarrhea
• Stomach pain or cramps
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Fever

If you have diarrhea or vomiting, be sure to drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration (not having enough water in your body).

See a doctor if you have any symptoms that are severe, including:

• Bloody diarrhea
• Diarrhea that lasts more than 3 days
• High fever (temperature over 102°F)
• Vomiting so often that you cannot keep liquids down
• Signs of dehydration, which include not urinating (peeing) much, a dry mouth and throat, and/or feeling dizzy when standing up.

Why Report Food Poisoning to the Health Department?

You have become sick with the above mentioned symptoms and a doctor confirms you have food poisoning. Now what happens? Sometimes a doctor will report the illness for you after taking information and someone from the health department will call you. Other times you have to locate information and make the report yourself. There are many websites online that list local health departments so that you can find the proper authorities to report your illness to.

Most foodborne outbreaks are local events and will be investigated by city or county health departments. If an outbreak spreads across several cities or counties, a state’s health department will get involved in the investigation. When outbreaks involve large numbers of people (or severe or unusual illness), a state may ask for help from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). During widespread outbreaks (linked to food or animal contact) affecting many states at once, the CDC has three main roles: Quickly detecting outbreaks by monitoring nationwide surveillance systems, gathering the evidence to link the outbreak to a likely food or animal source, and communicating with consumers and retailers about the source to prevent additional illnesses.

Reporting is so important to identify potential large scale outbreaks, but even if you are the only person that got sick or if your whole family did it is so important to gather that documentation. Local events of food poisoning as horrible as they are even if just a few people become sick can provide major teaching events for everyone involved, even if it is just a small family owned restaurant.

These days social media plays such a crucial role in knowledge (or lack thereof) spread. I recall recently in my area a restaurant made a few people sick and the local groups became absolutely inundated with posts. This was not done to bash the business or to create any public outcry, it was more for educational purposes especially since someone from the local health department was assigned to take the case and handle other reports. Because more people called and reported sickness a better idea of where the illness came from was able to be pinned down and the employees were able to be educated on how to better handle and prepare food.

One should never feel that they are getting someone in trouble or causing problems by reporting food poisoning. You should instead feel that you are bettering your community, helping others and possibly preventing someone else from getting sick. The reporting process is typically short but can include multiple calls, sometimes with the case worker just following up to see if you are feeling better. These are all important steps in the process of properly reporting, identifying and following up on food poisoning incidents.

Have You Become Sick from Food Poisoning?

If you have gotten food poisoning, a food poisoning lawyer can help. An experienced food poisoning lawyer, like The Lange Law Firm, PLLC helps hold those responsible for foodborne illness accountable.

Call (833) 330-3663 for a free consultation or click here to email.

By: Samantha Cooper