Swimming, one of the most popular activities in the country, is a fun, active, and healthy way to spend leisure time. Every year, millions of people visit ìrecreational waterî sites, such as swimming pools, water parks, hot tubs, lakes, rivers, or the ocean.
Over the past century, the use of modern disinfection systems in pools and environmental improvements in our lakes, rivers, and oceans has improved the quality of recreational water. Despite this, there has been an increase over the past decade in the number of outbreaks of illness associated with swimming.
Practicing “Healthy Swimming” behaviors should reduce the risk of getting ill. Click on the links below to learn more about RWIs.
What are recreational water illnesses (RWIs)?
RWIs are illnesses that are spread by swallowing, breathing, or having contact with contaminated water from swimming pools, spas, lakes, rivers, or oceans. Recreational water illnesses can cause a wide variety of symptoms, including skin, ear, respiratory, eye, and wound infections. The most commonly reported RWI is diarrhea. Diarrheal illnesses can be caused by germs such as Crypto, short for Cryptosporidium, Giardia, Shigella, and E. coli O157:H7.

BY A STAFF REPORTER | Monday, March 27, 2006 11:3:49 IST
Do you really know whatís cooking in your kitchen?
Regular soap does not kill germs.
Common soaps only help wash the germs off your skin. Better to wash with good antibacterial soaps, which clean your hands and kill germs. Don’t be concerned if you’ve read about building up resistance or creating ‘supergerms.’ You will not be attacked by mutant bacteria. A soapy hand-wash is still always healthy. Scrub your palms, between your fingers, across the top and under your fingernails for about 10 seconds-the time it takes to sing ‘Happy Birthday’-then rinse and repeat for another verse.
Between 50 percent and 80 percent of all food-borne illnesses are contracted in the home.
Restaurants and supermarkets are bound to health codes by law: Food storage, food handling, utensil cleaning and cooking temperatures are all regulated. In the home, all bets are off. . There are more than 250 known food-borne diseases, including botulism, salmonella, shigella, listeria, campylobacter and hepatitis A.

Continue Reading Kitchen germs

April 5, 2006
Fresh Cut: the magazine for value-added produce
Kimberly Warren
“Do I have to wash my salads?”
That’s the one question consumers ask Dole more than any other when it comes to food safety. The answer, according to www.dole.com, is no.
“Dole Salads are thoroughly washed in purified water and are sold ready-to-eat,î according to the site. ìAs a result, it is not necessary for you to wash the salad prior to eating. Nevertheless, rinsing your salad again will not damage the lettuce or vegetables in any way.”
This is just one way Dole reaches out to its consumers to share the company’s food safety practices – and works to ensure food safety from the field to the dining room table. Openness and honesty to consumers about how the company deals with food safety is one of the most important aspects of Dole’s overall quality assurance and food safety program, said Eric Schwartz, president of the fresh vegetables division of Dole. The Web site even allows people to take a virtual tour of a fresh-cut salad processing plant.

Continue Reading Food safety case study: dole fresh vegetables

Thursday, March 2, 2006
Some kids are apparently forgetting to wash their hands after leaving the bathroom and that’s caused a jump in reported cases of shigellosis in Metro Louisville.
Washing hands is the quickest way to avoid the bacteria, according to the health department. Otherwise, officials say children between 2 and 9 years old are at a greater risk of getting sick. The symptoms include diarrhea, fever, nausea, vomiting and cramps.

Continue Reading Shigellosis cases on the rise in Louisville

March 1, 2006
The Courier-Journal (KY)
Louisville is seeing a significant rise in shigellosis cases since August 2005, especially in schools and day-care centers, health department officials said.
There have been 107 cases in the past seven months, compared with eight cases for the same period in 2004-05, officials said in a press release.
Shigellosis is a highly contagious bacterial disease with symptoms that include diarrhea, fever, nausea, abdominal cramping and vomiting. In severe cases there may be blood or mucus in the stool.
The most effective way to prevent the spread of shigellosis is to wash your hands, officials said.
In 1996, a major shigellosis outbreak resulted in 1,030 cases in Louisville.

Hand Washing Recommended
MCMINNVILLE, Ore. — Yamhill County Public Health officials are investigating a large number of shigellosis cases.
Authorities say initial results show that the majority of people who have become ill ate at Tommys Restaurant in McMinnville between Jan. 23 and 27.
Officials say anyone who ate at Tommys in that time frame and is experiencing severe diarrhea with a fever should see their medical care provider immediately.
Shigellosis is caused by a bacterium and is spread when people consume contaminated food or water. The symptoms usually last for several days but can last for weeks.
The best way to prevent the spread of shigella bacteria is to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water after using the bathroom or changing diapers.

February 4, 2006
The Bellingham Herald
David Rasbach
An outbreak of shigellosis, an infectious disease that usually causes diarrhea and a fever and is transmitted through contaminated food or water, has forced the postponement of today’s Class 2A District Wrestling Tournament.
The tournament, which will still be held at Blaine High School, will be made up Wednesday, with weigh-ins scheduled for 9 a.m. and action beginning at 11 a.m.
“We want to err on the side of caution,” Blaine athletic director Gary Claussen said in a phone interview. “We want to be as safe as we can by postponing it a few days.”

Continue Reading Wrestling tournament canceled due to outbreak

February 4, 2006
Statesman Journal
Yamhill County public-health officials said they have received a high number of reported cases of shigellosis, a disease typically caused by people consuming contaminated food or water.
An investigation indicates that the majority of cases are people who ate at Tommy’s Restaurant in McMinnville from Jan. 23 to Jan. 27.
Anyone who ate there and has experienced severe diarrhea with a fever should seek medical care promptly, said Matt Jaqua, the Yamhill County environmental-health supervisor.

Continue Reading Officials investigate cases of shigellosis

SEATTLE, WA (February 3, 2006) – The Associated Press reported today that a Shigella outbreak in Yamhill County likely originated from food served at Tommyís Restaurant in McMinnville between January 23 and January 27. Several people have become ill with Shigellosis, and health officials are warning residents to use safe food handling practices and proper hygiene to prevent the further spread of illness.
Marler Clark, the Seattle law firm that has represented thousands of victims of foodborne illness, has here provided information about Shigella, its symptoms, risks of infection, and how to prevent secondary cases.
What is Shigella?
Shigella is a bacterium that can cause sudden and severe diarrhea (gastroenteritis) in humans. Shigellosis is the name of the disease that Shigella causes. The illness is also known as “bacillary dysentery.” Shigella bacteria can infect the intestinal tract after the ingestion of relatively few organisms. This is why shigellosis is the most communicable of the bacterial-induced diarrheas.
The source of Shigella bacteria is the excrement (feces) of an infected individual that is ultimately ingested by another person.

Continue Reading Yamhill County outbreak cause for concern

McMINNVILLE, Ore. (AP) — Health officials in Yamhill County are reporting an outbreak of the bacterial disease shigellosis, often known as shigella.
They say early indications are that most victims ate at Tommy’s Restaurant in McMinnville between January 23rd and January 27th.
Symptoms can include severe diarrhea, vomiting, fever and stomach cramps.
Environmental Health supervisor Matt Jaqua said officials are worried about secondary cases, where people become infected after being exposed to people who are ill.

Continue Reading Outbreak Of Shigella In McMinnville