A nasty bacteria called "E Coli 0157 H7" sickened nearly eight people within days of a community picnic in German Township last July. Fourteen of them had to be hospitalized and a 73-year-old man died. The source was never determined because so many different foods were carried in by different people.
An estimated 48 million Americans become sick from food poisoning every year. That means your chance of getting sick from something you eat is better than one in seven. 3,000 of those people become so ill, that they die.
The 2012 E Coli outbreak was one of 16 large food poisoning outbreaks sickening 1,800 people in Montgomery County since 1984. Ten of those outbreaks were linked to the hugely infectious Norovirus.
No matter what the offending organism is called, public health officials said they can all be controlled the same way - with proper food handling and temperature control. That is an important factor, especially when food sits outside on a hot summer day. Proper food handling begins with washing hands and utensils thoroughly before and after handling food, and wearing disposable gloves when needed.
Malinda Bour recovered from her illness within hours. She chalked it up to an unfortunate occurrence. Angela Slate had a long road to recovery after seven weeks in the hospital.
In the wake of last summer's E Coli outbreak, Public Health Dayton-Montgomery County has produced a flyer for groups planning a big community or family picnic. You can find it on their web site: phdmc.org or you can contact Public Health for copies of their flyer.
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