Ecoli: How to Stay Safe

Ecoli: How to Stay Safe

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  E. COLI How toStay Safe
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  Introduction •E. coli ismaking headlines again, with yet another outbreak making people ill all over the country due to contaminated food. •What is E. coli? •Where does E. coli come from? •What are the signs and symptoms? •And how can you and your family stay safe? http://EternalSpiralBooks.com 2
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  1-What is E.coli? •Escherichia coli, commonly referred to as E. col, is a food- and water-borne virus which can cause a range of symptoms and lead to severe illness or even death if not treated properly. •It can affect the lungs, urinary tract, and more. •The most common form causes gastro- intestinal illness http://EternalSpiralBooks.com 3
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  2-Where does E.coli come from? •E. coli is a bacteria found in the digestive tracts of all animals and people •Most of the time it is not harmful. •However, it can spread through poor food processing practices, people not washing their hands after going to the bathroom, and more. http://EternalSpiralBooks.com 4
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  3-Who gets E.coli? •Anyone can get E. coli at any time. •The very young, seniors, and pregnant women are most at risk. •It seems like almost every day, we hear of some new food-related outbreak or factory recall due to concerns over the safety of what we and our pets are eating. http://EternalSpiralBooks.com 5
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  4-What are thecauses of E. coli? •Animal to person through incorrectly slaughtered animal,s poor food- processing methods and dirty machinery •Animal to person-such as at petting zoos •Person to person through poor handwashing or direct contact •Cross-contamination in food processing plants http://EternalSpiralBooks.com 6
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  5-What are thesymptoms of E. coli? •E. coli can manifest in a number of ways. Sometimes it might seem like an ordinary illness •At other times there will be more serious signs, such as diarrhea which can start to turn bloody •Diarrhea and vomiting can lead to severe dehydration, especially in the young and seniors http://EternalSpiralBooks.com 7
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  6-What are themain risks of E. coli? •Most of the time, E. coli will result in a miserable bout of illness, including diarrhea, sometimes bloody •In some cases, however, it can progress to something more serious, such as: •Deyhdration •Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) •Knowing what to look out for can mean the difference between getting well, and death http://EternalSpiralBooks.com 8
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  7-How can Itell where I’ve caught E. coli from? •Symptoms can start 1 to 10 days after exposure, making it tough to pin down the exact source of the infection. •You may never know where you got it from •If you think you have it, see the doctor and give a stool sample to confirm E. coli and to help identify the possible source in the event of an outbreak. http://EternalSpiralBooks.com 9
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  8-What to doif you think you have E. coli •There are a number of things to do if you think you have E. coli •Head to the doctor to get tested •Review all the symptoms for dehydration •Drink often even if you don’t feel like it •Review all the symptoms of HUS-it will usually start, if it does, after the diarrhea starts to clear up, when you might think you are getting much better http://EternalSpiralBooks.com 10
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  9-How can E.coli be treated? •E. coli of the gastrointestinal tract can’t be treated with antibiotics-in fact, they can lead to further illness •Supportive care is the only way to get it out of your system •Preventing the spread of E. coli is the best way to keep you and everyone in your family safe http://EternalSpiralBooks.com 11
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  10-Preventing the spreadof E. coli •There are a number of things you can do to prevent the spread of E. coli •The first is to wash your hands well and often, especially after going to the toilet or handling pet food, bowls and so on •If you work on a farm, wash up often •The second is to cook all meat and poultry to the correct recommended internal temperature http://EternalSpiralBooks.com 12
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  11-The future ofE. coli treatment •Researchers are always looking for new ways to spot and treat E. coli infections •However, a new ‘super bug’ emerged in Spring 2016, a urinary tract infection completely resistant even to antibiotics that are considered to be ‘the last resort’ in treating infections •Avoid too many antiobiotics and broad- spectrum ones, since overuse is being blamed for the emergency of super bugs http://EternalSpiralBooks.com 13
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  Conclusion •E. coli isan unpleasant and potentially life-threatening illness passed through food, water and a lack of good hand- washing habits that can spread the germs from person to person or animal to person if you work on a farm or don’t wash up well after feeding your pets. •Stay safe by learning all you can about E. coli and its potentially fatal complications http://EternalSpiralBooks.com 14
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  Further Reading •To learnmore, please visit: http://eternalspiralbooks.com/e-coli/ http://EternalSpiralBooks.com 15