Preventing Salmonellosis
There are a number of things you can do to prevent the chances that you or your family become infected with salmonella:
- Wash hands thoroughly before, during and after food preparation.
- If you have diarrhea, do not prepare food, care for hospitalized patients, the elderly or children.
- Cook ground poultry and poultry pieces to a minimum temperature of 74°C (165°F). Whole poultry must be cooked to 82°C (180°F). Cook other ground meats to 71°C (160°F). Use a probe thermometer to verify cooking temperatures.
- Place cooked foods on clean surfaces to prevent recontamination.
- Do not leave food at room temperature for longer than two hours.
- Use only pasteurized milk and milk products.
- Thoroughly cook eggs. Do not consume raw eggs or inadequately cooked eggs (over easy, or sunny side up). Do not use an egg if it appears that the shell has been broken or damaged before you handle it.
- Avoid eating raw eggs (as in homemade ice cream or eggnog). Commercially manufactured ice cream and eggnog are made with pasteurized eggs.
- Thoroughly wash fruits and vegetables before eating them.
- When buying, preparing and storing food, keep raw meats separate from fruits, vegetables, cooked foods and ready-to-eat foods.
- Reptiles have been associated with Salmonellosis; always wash your hands after handling them. Reptiles, including turtles, are not appropriate pets for children.
- Salmonella infections can be serious in infants and young children, pregnant women and their unborn babies, and older adults, who are at a higher risk for food-borne illness, as are people with weakened immune systems (such as those with HIV/AIDS, cancer, diabetes, kidney disease, and transplant patients).
For more information on Salmonella Prevention, contact your local public health department.
Source: Salmonellosis, viewed on-line 08/18/2010 (http://www.health.gov.on.ca/english/public/pub/disease/salmonella.html)
Last reviewed: August 24, 2010