Was It Something I Ate?
San Francisco Chronicle writer Janet Fletcher reports that confirming the cause of a food-borne illness is devilishly difficult, public health officials say, especially without a cluster of cases.
Consequently, many sickened patrons don't even bother to report incidents, and many chefs struggle with how to respond when they do.
Armed with more knowledge about food-borne illness -- its causes and its usual course -- stricken diners may find they're more reluctant to assign blame and more realistic about what restaurants can and should do.
The federal Centers for Disease Control estimates that Americans experience 76 million food-borne illnesses a year, with very few of those incidents reported, and even fewer confirmed by laboratory tests. The symptoms are typically similar to those that accompany the
flu: diarrhea, vomiting, stomach cramps.
Most people never go to a doctor with their complaint because their symptoms quickly subside. Those who do see a physician are rarely tested for food-borne illness because the lab tests are expensive, and the patient probably will have recovered by the time the results come back.
Janet Fletcher of the SF Gate says if you believe you have been sickened by a restaurant meal, health authorities advise alerting the establishment and calling the health department of the county where the restaurant is located; see accompaying phone numbers. Most common illnesses: Salmonella, staphylococcus, campylobacter, E. coli 0157:H7
Sun Shangwu of the China Daily News reports that the alarming number of cases of contaminated farm produce in markets have prodded Chinese legislators to draft a law improving the quality and safety of agricultural products.
Students in two Park Forest schools became sick twice in two weeks this month after eating or drinking lunchroom fare.
Seven people died today and 18 others took ill in two incidents of food poisoning in Uttar Pradesh.
H-P Community Editor Cheril Vernon reports that Elkhart resident Maria Vancel said she wouldn't be surprised to find a worm while shucking corn, a rock in a package of dry beans - but finding what she said resembles a turtle's head in her frozen green beans bag was not expected.
You may be at risk of contracting potentially fatal food poisoning from unhygienic street food, is the latest health warning. Not only that, the risk may even be highest in more expensive areas, according to scientists at the University of Ghana.
Did you know that pregnant women are at a high risk for foodborne illness?
A celebration turned into tragedy at a slum in Borivli late on Monday when several hutment dwellers consumed meals after a religious function and fell ill. Nine of the victims were later rushed to Borivli's Bhagwati Hospital with symptoms of food poisoning.
Microbial pathogens cause many millions of cases of foodborne illness each year. The more common pathogens associated with foodborne illness include Salmonella, Campylobacter jejuni, 
