Here’s what viewers have to say about E. coli breakouts
CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KBSI) – You’ve seen the headlines — concern over carrots — deaths connected to listeria — and over 160,000 pounds of ground beef recalled over an E. coli warning.
We reached out to our viewers through the Now app to hear about your past experiences specifically with E. coli outbreaks.
“There was a E. coli outbreak in a water system at a gymnastics gym that I used to go to, and at that time we were just told not to drink the water or wash our hands with the faucets. So we used bottled water and big jugs of water at that time,” Kate Appleman said.
“As a nurse, I’ve seen many patients come into the hospital that were positive for E. coli. We all have E. coli in our GI tract. But, you know, there’s different strains that become more problematic depending on the person’s health condition,” Kathy Siemers said.
“You do not want to get it — for sure. One of my friends experienced that and it was awful,” Jill Hudson said.
Southern 7 Health Department’s community outreach coordinator Shawnna Rhine said, with the holidays coming up its important to be mindful of any food preparation.
“Eating raw vegetables, eating raw meat — there’s always a chance for a bacterial infection to occur,” she said.
As simple as it might seem, she says it’s important to frequently wash your hands during meal prep.
Some more safety tips — keep raw meat and raw vegetables separated from other foods. Use separate utensils. If you use something like a bowl more than once, wash it in-between uses.
“Oftentimes we think we’re being very safe and doing everything we can but it’s important to follow as many safety tips as you can to help prevent the spread of any bacteria,” Rhine said.
Experts and health professionals like Rhine say, while the number of warnings might seem extreme, this year is actually on par with others —the FDA saying our food supply is still one of the safest in the world, and most recalls are voluntary.
For more food safety information, click here.
