1. Salmonella Prevention

2. What is salmonella?
Salmonella infection, or salmonellosis, is a bacterial disease of the intestinal tract. People become infected mostly through contaminated water or foods, especially meat, poultry and eggs.
Salmonella is a group of bacteria that cause typhoid fever, food poisoning, gastroenteritis, enteric fever and other illnesses.

3. Risks in Houston
Every year, in Houston, salmonella cases increase in June.
Children under the age of five accounted for more than 44 percent of the reported salmonella cases; most affected population.

4. Risks in Houston In terms of race and ethnicity:
Hispanics had the highest number of cases at 36%
Whites: 28%
Blacks: 19%
Unknown: 9%
Asians and others: 8%

5. Foodborne illnesses
Each year, 1 in 6 Americans (or 48 million people) gets sick and 3,000 die of foodborne diseases.
Reducing foodborne illness by just 10% would keep 5 million Americans from getting sick each year.

6. How to prevent salmonella

7. Cooking meat at proper temperatures
Category
Food
Temperature (°F)
(Safe Minimum) 
Rest Time 
Ground Meat & Meat Mixtures
Beef, Pork, Veal, Lamb
160
None
Turkey, Chicken
165
Fresh Beef, Veal, Lamb
Steaks, roasts, chops
145
3 minutes
Poultry
Chicken & Turkey, whole
Poultry breasts, roasts
Poultry thighs, legs, wings
Duck & Goose
Stuffing (cooked alone or in bird)
Pork and Ham
Fresh pork
Fresh ham (raw)
After you remove meat from a grill, oven, or other heat source, allow it to rest for the specified amount of time. During the rest time, its temperature remains constant or continues to rise, which destroys harmful germs.

8. Cooking meat at proper temperatures
Eggs & Egg Dishes
Eggs
Cook until yolk and white are firm
None
Egg dishes
160
Leftovers & Casseroles
Leftovers
165
Casseroles
Seafood
Fin Fish
145 or cook until flesh is opaque and separates easily with a fork.
Shrimp, lobster, and crabs
Cook until flesh is pearly and opaque.
Clams, oysters, and mussels
Cook until shells open during cooking.
Scallops
Cook until flesh is milky white or opaque and firm.

9. Maintain healthy and hygienic surroundings
Always properly dispose your garbage and see that litter and garbage are timely recycled.
Maintaining clean and healthy environment of your surroundings is a key.

10. Wash your hands properly after playing with your pets
Generally animals and pets are the most common carriers of Salmonella.
Always wash your hands after playing with pets.
Wash your hands after coming in contact with animals like turtle, snakes, and pigs.
In order to prevent being infected wash your hands properly after playing with your pets and after coming in contact with animals like turtles, snakes and pigs.

11. Processing, cooking and consuming raw eggs or poultry
Hens carry bacteria through their intestines and even before the formation of outer shell of the eggs, the Salmonella bacteria can be present inside.
Never eat raw eggs – eat only thoroughly cooked eggs.
Clean the knives, kitchen boards and dishes thoroughly after processing raw poultry and consume only properly cooked poultry.
Wash your hands properly after processing and cooking raw eggs.

12. Processing, cooking and consuming raw meat
When processing raw meat be careful with defrosting and cleaning.
Properly wash and clean the dishes and kitchen boards, knives and platform with soap and hot water to avoid being infected by bacteria.
Raw meat sometimes carries Salmonella bacteria and will cause bacterial infections.

13. Processing, cooking and consuming fruits and raw vegetables
Fruits and raw vegetables may carry these bacteria and consuming directly without proper cleaning can cause Salmonella infection.

14. Contamination and cross-contamination of foods should be avoided
Thoroughly dispense the leftovers of food and dispense the garbage to avoid contamination of food.
Keep the cooked and uncooked/raw foods separate for refrigeration.
Carry raw meat and fruits and vegetables separately to avoid cross-contamination.
Raw meat may consists of Salmonella and cross-contamination of food can occur.

15. Maintain hygienic kitchen and thorough cleaning of utensils
Maintain regular and proper cleaning of kitchen and its utensils to avoiding Salmonella infections.
Foodborne infections can live and breed at room temperatures.
Clean all the kitchen utensils after preparing your food with hot water to kill these bacteria.

16. Symptoms Nausea Vomiting Abdominal cramps Diarrhea Fever Chills
Headache
Blood in the stool

17. If you think you might have salmonella contact your physician immediately!

18. Prevention is better than cure, the best way to avoid salmonella infection is prevention.