Nowadays, exporters and businessmen, including the provincial-based entrepreneurs are getting more health-conscious. For a reason. There are many bacteria, viruses, and other germs that can cause illness in people. Many times, fatal to our health.

As a public service, I am sharing with your about one kind of bacteria that has infected many people. I am referring to a common type of bacteria known as Escherichia coli, more popularly known as E. coli.

Here are some basic information about E. coli researched in medical books and in the Internet: -

• E. coli is a type of bacteria that can get into food, like beef and vegetables like spinach, lettuce and sprouts. Even drinking water.

• There are hundreds of types or strains of E.coli. There is a kind of E. coli that causes a severe intestinal infection in humans.

• The most common way to get E. coli infection is by eating contaminated food. For example, beef. Undercooked beef causes the germs to go into one’s stomach and intestines.

• The germ can be passed from one person to another as when the infected person does not wash his/her hands well with soap after going to the bathroom. One can give the germ to others when the infected person touches things, especially food. In short, people who are infected with E. coli are very contagious.

• Usually, symptoms start about seven (7) days after one is infected with the germs. The first sign is severe abdominal cramps that start suddenly. Watery diarrhea starts after a few hours. The watery diarrhea lasts for about a day. After diarrhea, the stools become bright red bloody stools. The bloody stools are a result of the sores in the stomach. Some people infected with the germs have 10 or more bowel movements a day. While others say their stools are all blood and stool. Some other symptoms are cramps, fever, nausea or vomiting. A doctor should be consulted right away if some of these symptoms appear.

• E. coli infection is diagnosed in a stool culture. If one has bloody diarrhea, a doctor should take a stool culture in the first 48 hours after the bloody diarrhea starts to find out if one has E. coli in the stomach.

• The most common complication of E. coli is renal failure (which is kidney damage). There is no special treatment, except drinking a lot of water and watching for complications. Avoid taking anti diarrhea medicine.

• Here are some tips in preventing E. coli infection:
– Wash your hands carefully with soap before you start cooking.
– Cook ground beef until you see no pink anywhere.
– Don’t taste small bites of raw ground beef while you’re cooking.
– Don’t put cooked hamburgers on a plate that had raw ground beef on it before.
– Cook all hamburgers to at least 155 F. A meat thermometer can help you test your hamburgers.
– Defrost meats in the refrigerator or the microwave. Don’t let meat sit on the counter to defrost.
– Keep raw meat and poultry separate from other foods. Use hot water and soap to wash cutting boards and dishes if raw meat and poultry have touched them.
– Don’t drink raw milk.
– Keep food refrigerated or frozen.
– Keep hot food hot and cold food cold.
– Refrigerate leftovers right away or throw them away.
– People with diarrhea should wash their hands carefully and often, using hot water and soap, and washing for at least 30 seconds. People who work in daycare centers and homes for elderly should wash their hands often, too.
– In restaurants, always order hamburgers that are cooked well done so that no pink shows.

Finally, our water dispensers in our homes and offices are convenient breeding places of E. coli. We should have our water dispensers cleaned regularly every two weeks.

I have a friend now who is in a US hospital. Scheduled for operation. She just went abroad to visit a sister and ended up being infected with E. coli.

Let us all take extra precaution to protect the health of our family, our friends and other people as well by observing good hygienic practice as well as eating thoroughly cooked foods.

Have a joyful day!