Most cases of foodborne illness are mild and resolve in a day or two. However, sometimes the effects are more serious and can cause long-lasting injury.
In this video, David Henson talks about the most dangerous types of foodborne illness, and how HensonFuerst Attorneys can help if you have been the victim of food toxins.
If you have additional questions about foodborne illness injuries, feel free to visit our website at http://www.lawmed.com/. And don't forget to look at some of our other videos at http://www.youtube.com/hensonfuerst/.
(Principal office of Henson & Fuerst, PA: 2501 Blue Ridge Road, Raleigh, NC 27607)
There are lots of different ways you can get sick from food-borne toxins, but there are a few illnesses are so serious that they can cause long-term problems, or even death. The ugliest, most dangerous bugs that cause food-borne illness are:
Campylobacter is a bacterium that causes fever, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps. This pathogen is spread through eating raw or undercooked chicken, or other foods that have been cross-contaminated with raw chicken.
Salmonella is also a bacterium, and it causes a disease called salmonellosis, which causes fever, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps. In severe cases, it can also cause life-threatening infection, particularly among people with compromised immune systems.
E. coli O157:H7, more commonly called simply "E-coli." These bacteria are found in cow feces, and any illness in people is results from ingesting food or water contaminated with microscopic amounts of dung. Disgusting, right? This infection typically causes severe and bloody diarrhea, and painful abdominal cramps, but without much fever. In a small percentage of people, the initial symptoms are followed by a severe disease called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which can cause anemia, profuse bleeding, and kidney failure.
Norovirus, or Norwalk-like virus, is extremely common—it causes most cases of what people call "stomach flu." The virus causes acute gastrointestinal illness, with severe vomiting, that resolves within two days. This virus spreads easily from person to person, which is why outbreaks tend to occur in "closed population" settings, such as schools and child care facilities, nursing homes, dormitories, and cruise ships.
After you eat a microbe-infested meal, there is a delay, or "incubation period," before the symptoms begin. This delay ranges from hours to days, depending on the organism, and on how many microbes were swallowed. Many organisms cause similar symptoms, most commonly diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and nausea. There is so much overlap that it is rarely possible to say which microbe caused your illness unless laboratory tests are done, or unless the illness is part of a recognized outbreak.
Now that I've scared you, what should you do? First, make sure you get all the medical care you need. Second, report the incident to public health authorities so the illness can be investigated. (Go to www.foodsafety.gov for state contact information. Third, collect and save evidence—that might mean packaging from the food you believe made you ill, receipts from a restaurant meal, names and contact information of witnesses, or anything else that supports your claim. Also, write down information about your illness while your memory is fresh. Include the date your symptoms began, what your symptoms felt like, days taken off work, and any other way the illness affected your life. Finally, if your injuries are severe or long-lasting, contact HensonFuerst Attorneys. Our experienced food-borne illness lawyers are here to listen, and to help determine what rights and obligations you have.
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Viruses that cause foodborne Illnessesby edblank001608 views
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