{"id":147,"date":"2019-07-26T13:56:49","date_gmt":"2019-07-26T13:56:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-mcc-childdevelopment\/?post_type=chapter&p=147"},"modified":"2019-08-08T19:34:50","modified_gmt":"2019-08-08T19:34:50","slug":"food-safety-basics","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-mcc-childdevelopment\/chapter\/food-safety-basics\/","title":{"raw":"Food Safety Basics","rendered":"Food Safety Basics"},"content":{"raw":"

Food Safety Basics<\/strong><\/h2>\r\nFood safety awareness and safe practices are critical for health and wellness. Caregivers and children need to know how food becomes unsafe and how people can become sick from it.\r\n\r\nAnyone can get food poisoning, but certain groups of people are more likely to get sick and to have a more serious illness. Their bodies\u2019 ability to fight germs and sickness is not as effective for a variety of reasons. These groups of people are:\r\n\r\nAdults Aged 65 and Older<\/strong>\r\n\r\nOlder adults<\/a> have a higher risk because as people age, their immune systems and organs don\u2019t recognize and get rid of harmful germs as well as they once did. Nearly half of people aged 65 and older who have a lab-confirmed foodborne illness from Salmonella<\/em><\/a>, Campylobacter<\/em><\/a>,\u00a0Listeria<\/em><\/a> or\u00a0E. coli<\/em><\/a> are hospitalized.\r\n\r\nChildren Younger Than 5 Years<\/strong>\r\n\r\nYoung children<\/a> have immune systems that are still developing, so their body\u2019s ability to fight germs and sickness isn\u2019t as strong. Food poisoning can be particularly dangerous for them because illness can lead to diarrhea and dehydration. Children younger than 5 are three times more likely to be hospitalized if they get a Salmonella<\/em><\/a> infection. And kidney failure strikes 1 out of 7 children under age 5 who are diagnosed with E. coli <\/em>O157 infection.\r\n\r\nPeople with Weakened Immune Systems<\/strong>\r\n\r\nPeople with weakened immune systems due to\u00a0diabetes<\/a>, liver or kidney disease, alcoholism, and HIV\/AIDS<\/a>; or receiving chemotherapy or radiation therapy<\/a> cannot fight germs and sickness as effectively. For example, people on dialysis are 50 times more likely to get a Listeria<\/em> infection.\r\n\r\nPregnant Women<\/strong>\r\n\r\nPregnant women are more likely than other people to get sick from certain germs. For example, pregnant women are 10 times more likely to get a\u00a0Listeria<\/em><\/a>\u00a0infection.\r\n\r\nIf you or someone you care for is in one of these groups, it\u2019s especially important to take steps to <\/strong>prevent food poisoning<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and to know <\/strong>which foods are more associated with illness<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0than others.<\/strong>\r\n\r\nMost people with a foodborne illness get better without medical treatment, but people with severe symptoms should see their doctor<\/a>.\r\n

Some Common Foodborne Germs<\/h3>\r\nThe top five germs<\/strong> that cause illnesses from food eaten in the United States are:\r\n