FCM 3

Food Sanitation
Rosa Marie N. Flores, MD
4th/December 17, 2008
Manzano and Manzano

FOODBORNE ILLNESSES • Most common causes of foodborne illness are

• Marie Jeanne Beltran-Berroya errors on food handling and preparation at
• January 1, 2005 home, in restaurants and other eating-
• / 20 places. People busy working turn to
• Aling Carina was experiencing bouts of diarrhea convenience due to lack of time. They resort to
and muscle cramps, this was her fourth time buying prepared or cooked foods instead of
entering the toilet. Her head was throbbing with handling and preparing their own thus resulting
pain, she has fever and was vomiting. What to high incidences of health hazards.
might have caused all these symptoms?
Suddenly she thought of the foods she ate that What are the risk factors for Foodborne
may have caused these symptoms. Illnesses?____
• Young children, pregnant mothers, the elderly
What are Foodborne Illnesses?____________________
and the immuno-compromised are at greater
• Foodborne illnesses are on the rise globally. Food risks of foodborne illnessses due to age and their
borne illnesses are diseases either infectious or immune status.
toxic in nature caused by ingesting pathogens
(e.g. bacteria, fungi, parasites, viruses) through What are the symptoms of Foodborne
contaminated food or water. The condition is Illnesses?_____
otherwise known as food poisoning. • Individuals infected with foodborne organisms
may have no symptoms or may develop
Magnitude of Foodborne Illnesses_________________ symptoms ranging from headaches, dizziness,
• Foodborne illnesses are a growing health fever, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach upset, muscle
problem in developed and developing countries. aching to severe cramps and dehydration. The
It was reported that in 2000 alone, 2.1 million onset of the symptoms may not occur at once
people died of diarrheal disease worldwide. but in two days or more after the contaminated
• Some well recognized foodborne illness are food was ingested.
recognized as emerging because recently these
foodborne illnesses are becoming more common, What are the common causes Foodborne
e.g. salmonellosis. Salmonellosis has been Illnesses?_______
reported decades ago but has now increased in • harmful bacteria,
incidences in many countries worldwide. • moulds,
• In developed countries like the United States, • parasites and viruses.
there are 76 million cases of foodborne illnesses
every year, 2 million cases in the United Some of the common food pathogens that are
Kingdom, one million cases in Canada and responsible for the majority of reported cases of
750,000 cases in France. foodborne illness are:
• The Food and Agriculture Organization statistics • Escherichia coli,
show that every year 700,000 people die from • Campylobacter jejuni,
food and water borne disease in the Asia-Pacific • Listeria,
region including the Philippines. • Salmonella,
• Most foodborne illnesses are sporadic and often • Shigella,
not reported thus less documented. There are no • Vibrio cholerae,
available statistics for foodborne illnesses of • Hepatitis A,
developing countries. • Entamoeba histolytica and
• The World Health Organization announced that • Norwalk viruses.
in the Asia-Pacific region, the danger of food
related outbreaks is acute due to the proximity Escherichia Coli 0157:H7 became known to the
of animal and people to food production and public because of an outbreak caused by
food distribution that are unsafe. contaminated hamburgers. E. coli 0157:H7 infection
• Foodborne illnesses are costly. In the United causes severe bloody diarrhea and abdominal
States for example, health experts estimated the cramps, with little or no fever. It can result to
yearly costs of foodborne illnesses at $6 billion in hemorrhagic colitis and causes hemolytic uremic
medical costs and loss in productivity. For syndrome in children. Incubation period is from 3 to
salmonellosis alone, the cost is $1 Billion/year. 5 days. Outbreak cases have been associated to
foods like hamburger, un-pasteurized milk, juice,
Why do Foodborne Illnesses occur?________________ lettuce, salami, sprouts and cantaloupe.

MARY YVETTE ALLAIN TINA RALPH SHERYL BART HEINRICH PIPOY TLE JAM CECILLE DENESSE VINCE HOOPS CES XTIAN LAINEY RIZ KIX EZRA GOLDIE BUFF MONA AM MAAN ADI KC PENG KARLA ALPHE
AARON KYTH ANNE EISA KRING CANDY ISAY MARCO JOSHUA FARS RAIN JASSIE MIKA SHAR ERIKA MACKY VIKI JOAN PREI KATE BAM AMS HANNAH MEMAY PAU RACHE ESTHER JOEL GLENN TONI

• S. typhimurium and S. enteriditis are the
two leading causes of salmonellosis. Salmonella
bacteria live in the intestinal tracts of domestic
and wild animals and may contaminate raw
meat, poultry, eggs, dairy products and other
foods. S. typhimurium is only carried by humans
that causes typhoid fever and is characterized
by fever, diarrhea and inflammation of the
infected organs. S. enteriditis is egg-associated
salmonellosis. It is characterized by fever,
nausea, abdominal cramps and diarrhea
beginning 12 to 72 hours after consuming the
contaminated food or beverage. The illness can
last 4 to 7 days.
• Listeria monocytogenes is a gram-positive
bacterium and it is hardy, resists freezing, drying
and heat. Listeria is associated with foods like
raw milk, soft or semi-soft cheeses, ice cream,
raw vegetables, meat, poultry, raw and smoked
fish. Listeria can grow at refrigerated
temperature. Incubation period for Listeriosis is 4
days to several weeks and it can cause
meningitis and spontaneous abortion. Listeria
monocytogenes has a fatality rate of 30%.
• Campylobacteriosis is an infectious disease
caused by bacteria of the genus
Campylobacter. Symptoms of diarrhea,
cramping, abdominal pain, fever and vomiting
usually occur two to five days after ingestion of
the contaminated food or water. The diarrhea
may be bloody and the illness typically lasts one
week. In persons with compromised immune
systems, Campylobacter occasionally spreads to
the bloodstream and causes a serious life-
threatening infection. Incubation period is from 2
to 5 days.
The consumption of undercooked poultry and
cross-contamination of other foods with
drippings from raw poultry are the leading risk
factors for human campylobacteriosis. Larger
outbreaks due to Campylobacter are not usually
associated with raw poultry but are usually
related to drinking un-pasteurized milk or
contaminated water.
• Shigellosis or bacillary dysentery is an infectious
disease caused by the bacteria Shigella. The
most common symptoms are bloody diarrhea,
fever, nausea, vomiting and cramps. Shigellosis
usually resolves in 5 to 7 days.
Outbreaks of shigellosis occur frequently where
there is overcrowding and poor sanitation and
where personal hygiene is poor. Shigella
organisms are transmitted via the fecal-oral
route. The most common cause of contamination
is unsanitary handling by food handlers and
water contaminated with human waste.
Vegetables are sources of contaminated if they
are harvested from a field with sewage in it.
Foods associated with shigella are salads
(potato, tuna, shrimp, macaroni, and chicken),
FCM 3
Food Sanitation
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raw vegetables, milk and dairy products, and
poultry.
• Cholera is an acute diarrheal disease caused by
the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The disease is
characterized by profuse watery stools, vomiting
and leg cramps. The incubation period for vibrio
cholerae is 24 to 48 hours. The rapid loss of body
fluids leads to dehydration and shock and if left
untreated may cause death. The cause of
contamination is water, fish, shellfish and street
foods that are un-hygienically prepared.
• Entamoeba histolytica is the parasite causing
inflammation of the intestine called amoebiasis
or amoebic dysentery. The symptoms include
bloody diarrhea, nausea, stomach cramps,
vomiting, loss of appetite, and fatigue.
Symptoms appear from 2-3 days to 1-4 weeks.
Foods associated with the disease are water, any
uncooked foods or foods contaminated by an ill
food handler.
• Hepatitis A, the most common of hepatitis is
transmitted through person-to-person contact
when a person does not wash his hands properly
after toilet use. Common sources of outbreaks
have been related to water contamination, food
contamination by infected food handlers and raw
or undercooked shellfish from contaminated
waters. The symptoms are fever, fatigue, loss of
appetite, nausea, abdominal discomfort,
jaundice, dark urine and joint aches. The
symptoms occur within 15 � 50 days within
exposure.
• Norwalk and Norwalk-like viruses are
transmitted through the fecal-oral route via
contaminated water and foods. Water is the
most common source of the outbreaks while
shellfish and salad ingredients are the common
implicated foods although any food can be
contaminated with the virus by an infected
person. The symptoms of the illness occur within
24-48 hours after water or food has been
ingested. Symptoms are nausea, vomiting,
diarrhea, abdominal cramps, fever, headache
and muscle pains.
Why do Foodborne Illnesses emerge?______________
 Globalization of the food supply
 increase in international travel and trade
 Changes in micro-organisms, i.e. evolution of new
pathogens, changes in the ability to survive in
various environmental conditions, development of
new virulent strains from old pathogens,
development of resistance to drugs making the
treatment of the disease difficult
 Changes in the food production system
 Changes in lifestyles of the human population
How do we treat Foodborne Illnesses?______________
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Food Sanitation
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• Mild cases of foodborne illness can be treated by

increased fluid intake to replace fluid and
electrolyte losses while severe cases need
hospitalization for medical and nutritional
therapy.

How do we prevent Foodborne Illnesses?___________

• Careful washing of hands before preparing food,
thorough cooking of foods particularly beef,
poultry and eggs, thorough washing of fruits and
vegetables especially those that will be eaten
raw, avoid drinking un-pasteurized milk, fruit
juices and untreated surface water and
protecting foods from insects, animals and
rodents.
 To prevent harmful bacteria from growing in
foods:
o Refrigerate foods immediately.
o Cook foods to proper temperature. Properly
cooked foods are heated long and at high
temperature to kill the harmful bacteria.
o Prevent cross contamination (e.g. separate
raw foods from cooked foods).
o Handle foods properly.

Conclusion____________________________________
• Food safety is an increasingly important public
health issue as there is an alarming increase in
foodborne outbreaks.
• Foodborne illnesses continue to have major
impact on the health of individuals.
Microorganisms continue to adapt and evolve,
increasing their virulence. The foodborne illness,
E. coli 0157:H7 was unrecognized as a foodborne
disease two decades ago.
• Bacteria recognized as sources of foodborne
illnesses have found new modes of transmission.
For example, Salmonella enteritidis, which only
contaminated the outside shell of eggs, is now
also found inside many eggs, making uncooked
eggs no longer safe to eat.
Foodborne illness is costly in terms of direct
medical expenses and loss in productivity.
• Aggressive research efforts must be done to
identify, assess and control microbiological
hazards associated with food production from
farm to table. Intensified focus on education to
all food handlers and consumers about safe food
handling must be a priority. Reinforcing hygienic
practices at each link in the food chain, from
producer to consumer is critical in preventing
these foodborne diseases.