Illness caused by Bacteria

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Many people are not aware that food-borne illnesses can be caused by pathogens or bacteria found in the food we eat. These illnesses can show up as vomiting, nausea, diarrhea or a fever which can all appear to be flu-like symptoms.  The environment we live in has thousand of types of bacteria present at all times but not all of them can cause a disease in our body.

Some of the good bacteria are beneficial and used everyday in the yogurt and cheese eaten daily.  Prevention of food-borne illnesses is easy and done by proper cooking of many of the foods we eat. The processing that is done to many foods also destroys these harmful bacteria.  The elderly, children and pregnant women often have a immune system that is compromised and so they can be at a higher risk for illness.

As you shop for foods in your market, keep in mind that raw meat, seafood, eggs and poultry are not sterile. Lettuce, tomatoes, melons, sprout as well as other produce also fall into this category. Cross contamination can occur with ready-to-eat foods when bacteria is transferred from raw products. Every year, there are millions of cases reported that involve food-borne illnesses.