Food Poisoning

I received a call from Jackie last night. She and Jonathan had been to Johnny Carino's Italian Grill & Restaurant to eat earlier in the evening and she was not feeling well. She had an upset stomach and vomiting. I offered her some symptomatic relief and then she proceeded to drive the 40 minutes back to Huntsville.

I talked to her this morning and she is doing fine. No additional nausea or vomiting.

FYI....Food poisoning is a general term for health problems arising from eating contaminated food. Food may be contaminated by bacteria, viruses, environmental toxins, or toxins present within the food itself, such as the poisons in some mushrooms or certain seafood. Symptoms of food poisoning usually involve nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea.

Food poisoning is a common, usually mild, but can sometimes be a deadly illness. Typical symptoms include nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramping, and diarrhea that come on suddenly (within 48 hours) of consuming a contaminated food or drink. Depending on the contaminant, fever and chills, bloody stools, dehydration, and nervous system damage may follow. These symptoms may affect one person or a group of people who ate the same thing (this would be called an outbreak).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that in the United States alone, food poisoning causes about 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and up to 5,000 deaths each year. One of the most common bacterial forms of infection, the salmonellae organisms, account for one billion dollars in medical costs and lost work time.