(NEXSTAR) — After numerous recalls related to tainted food and outbreaks of E. coli, salmonella, and listeria, it might be hard not to wonder if a sudden wave of queasiness and fever has anything to do with what you ate recently.
It’s worth noting that despite the seemingly brisk pace of food recalls and alerts this year, the U.S. ranks near the top when it comes to food safety.
But, as Barbara Kowalcyk, director of the Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition Security at George Washington University told the Associated Press, “All food carries risk.” Just as there are measures you can take to cut your risk of foodborne illness, there are certain steps available if you believe you’ve been infected with such an illness.
The most important is seeking medical attention if you’re experiencing severe foodborne illness symptoms. That includes bloody diarrhea, diarrhea that lasts more than three days, a fever over 102°F, vomiting that prevents you from keeping liquids down, or signs of dehydration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explain.
If you do speak with a health care provider, they may decide to test you for certain illnesses. Should the test come back positive for a foodborne illness, the local health department would be notified, Dr. Laura Gieraltowski, the lead of the Foodborne Outbreak Response Team at the CDC, explained to Nexstar. (Foodborne illnesses like salmonella, E. coli, and listeria are national notifiable diseases, which means the CDC would also be alerted, but more on that in a moment.)
Your state health department may, however, offer a method to report a potential sickness brought on by food or beverages even without a test.
In Wisconsin, for example, the state’s Department of Health Services offers an online tool — Feeling Sick? Report It Quick! — for reporting sickness when symptoms occur that may be brought on by food or water. Residents are not required to speak with a health care provider before completing the form, which should not be considered a substitute for medical care.
The questionnaire asks respondents about their current symptoms, the places they’ve visited recently, and the food they’ve consumed lately. That information is then sent to local health departments which can identify potential sources of the illness, according to the Wisconsin agency. Should additional information be needed, public health specialists may conduct confidential follow-ups.
If commonalities are found between submissions, additional investigations, including possible assessments or inspections at a potentially involved facility, may occur.
Meanwhile, laboratorians at the CDC, known as bioinformaticians, are watching for clusters of testing-confirmed illnesses — the CDC does not investigate individual reports made to online systems like Wisconsin’s Feeling Sick? Report It Quick! Tool — across the country that share similarities. As Gieraltowski explains, If they spot cases that meet certain criteria, which vary depending on the illness but generally have to occur in more than one state, her team would be notified.
If enough of those laboratory results are found to have the same DNA fingerprint during additional testing, an outbreak investigation can be launched.
Take, for example, the recent multi-state E. coli outbreak the CDC has determined to be linked to organic carrots. As of Nov. 17, 39 people were found to have been infected by Shiga toxin-producing E. coli. The CDC warned, though, that the true number of people impacted by the carrots, which have been recalled, may be higher.
Once a likely source of a multi-state outbreak has been determined, the Food and Drug Administration is notified. The FDA regulates many of the products we consume or use daily, including food, infant formula, pet food, dietary supplements, cosmetics, and more. (The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which also issues recalls, is largely responsible for meat products.)
The FDA will help to determine where the potentially contaminated product came from and where it had been distributed. In the current E. coli outbreak, the FDA said its traceback investigation found California-based Grimmway Farms to be the common supplier of the involved carrots. After identifying the likely source, a recall can be issued and the products can be removed from store shelves.
“Consumers should know that recalls and outbreak investigations indicate that a problem has been identified and is being addressed,” an FDA spokesperson told Nexstar.
It may, however, take weeks before an illness you experience is linked to an outbreak, according to the FDA.
Still, health officials recommend reporting any illness or otherwise adverse effect you experience that may be related to a food or otherwise regulated product even if you do not seek out medical care (which, again, you should, if you experience severe symptoms).
“When problems with FDA-regulated products occur, the agency wants to know about them and has several ways for the public to make reports,” the spokesperson added. “Timely reporting by consumers, health professionals, and FDA-regulated companies allows the agency to take prompt action.”
The FDA offers online reporting methods as well. For problems with food or the other product categories listed above, there’s SmartHub, and for observed or suspected adverse events to human medical products, there’s MedWatch.
If you are concerned about ongoing recalls and outbreak investigations, the CDC, FDA, USDA, and local health departments provide updates online and via social media. If you are more widely concerned about food safety, Kowalcyk recommends putting pressure on stores, restaurants and government officials to ensure food safety.
“You can reach out to your congressional representative and tell them food safety is important to you,” Kowalcyk said. “You can also contact food companies. If you see something, say something.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
