Social media can be an excellent source to share information. But when bad information is shared it can unfairly harm a business’s reputation.
I often see posts where someone claims that they became sick or got food poisoning from a restaurant. The problem is most often you did not get sick from the last thing you ate. It just may have been your bodies “tipping point” of when the vomiting and or diarrhea starts.
Take a look at this chart, it lists the top 6 pathogens as identified by the CDC1. I have included estimated number of cases, transmission, incubation period, duration and symptoms. Although this is just a quick overview of these pathogens it will help you see that each pathogen is different from each other. Remember there are approximately 40 pathogens that can cause illness in humans.
| Pathogen | Mean estimated number of cases each year. | How do humans typically get sick. | Onset or incubation period before symptoms appear | Duration of your illness | Symptoms |
| Norovirus | 20 million | Ready to eat foods or by drinking contaminated beverages. Touching a surface and putting your hand in your mouth could also be a source. Only a few cells are necessary to cause illness. | 12-48 hours | 1-3 days | Diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, stomach pains. Sometimes fever and body aches |
| Campylobacter | 1.3 million | Most illnesses likely occur due to eating raw or undercooked poultry, or to eating something that touched it. Some are due to contaminated water, contact with animals, or drinking raw (unpasteurized) milk.
Only a small number of cells is needed to cause illness. A single drop of poultry juice can contain enough cells! |
2-5 days | 1 week | Diarrhea (often bloody), fever, cramping, nausea, vomiting |
| Salmonella | 1.2 million | Can be found in many foods, including sprouts and other vegetables, eggs, chicken, pork, fruits, and even processed foods, such as nut butters, frozen pot pies, chicken nuggets, and stuffed chicken entrees. | 12-72 hours | 4-7 days | Diarrhea, fever, cramps |
| Clostridium Perfringens | 1 million | Beef, poultry, gravies, and dried or pre-cooked foods. Especially those left out for too long during cooling. | 6-24 hours | 24 hours | Diarrhea, cramping, usually there is no fever or vomiting |
| Shigella | 500,000 | Found in human feces, so any contact with feces from a person that had shigella can become contaminated very easily, even weeks after they are better. This transmission could happen when changing a sick baby’s diaper, during sex or eating foods that person touched without proper hand-washing. It only takes a small number of cells to cause illness. | 1-2 days | 5-7 days | Diarrhea, fever, stomach cramping |
| Staphylococcus Aureus (Staph) | 300,000 | Ready to eat foods that require refrigeration that have been handled by someone that is a carrier of Staph. 25% of healthy adults are carriers in their nose or infected cuts. Contaminated food is left at unsafe temperatures for too long. Cooking will typically kill the bacteria but sometimes a toxin is formed and those cannot be destroyed. | 30 minutes – 6 hours | 1 day | Nausea, vomiting, cramps, most have diarrhea but not always. |
As you look at the data, you see that the only pathogen that causes illness right after eating is Staph. There are 300,000 estimated cases a year. That is still a large number of people getting sick from improper handling of food, but statistically you are more likely to be ill from another pathogen.
What does this mean?
Do NOT immediately blame the last place you ate and publicly shame them. I am in no way dismissing your illness and how bad you felt. But making false accusations can be very harmful to someone already in a grueling business.
What should you do?
First and foremost, take care of yourself. If you experience symptoms of foodborne illness, such as diarrhea or vomiting, drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration.
Then report the illness, doing so helps alert the health department of a possible outbreak.
They will likely do an investigation including asking you what your exact symptoms are and what foods you ate in at least the last 7 days. They may also ask you go to the doctors to be tested. A doctor is the only sure way that your illness can be diagnosed.
If you don’t feel it is necessary to make a report here is the recommendations from the CDC2 of when you should seek medical attention:
- High fever (temperature over 101.5°F, measured orally)
- Blood in stools
- Frequent vomiting that prevents keeping liquids down (which can lead to dehydration)
- Signs of dehydration, including a marked decrease in urination, a very dry mouth and throat, or feeling dizzy when standing up.
- Diarrhea that lasts more than 3 days
But remember, unless you have the illness diagnosed, understand the incubation period, think of what you ate that is typically associated with that illness during that time period and make a report, please do not blame a restaurant for your illness. Remember, the illness could have come from your own home. Be informed. Be smart.
- gov/foodborneburden/pdfs/scallan-estimated-illnesses-foodborne-pathogens.pdf
- gov/foodsafety/symptoms.html