Essay On Foodborne Diseases

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Foodborne diseases are serious and growing problem. Foodborne diseases cause an estimated 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths in the United States each year. 1 These illnesses are caused by food or beverages that contain harmful bacteria, parasites, viruses, or chemicals whish impair the gastrointestinal track (GI). Physician or health care professionals are the best person to make a diagnosis on person who are suspected to have the disease. Most foodborne illnesses are acute, meaning they happen suddenly but are mainly mild and cause symptoms for only a day or two. Some cases are more serious and require hospital care. The most severe cases are likely to occur in the elderly, young children, those who have pre-exiting …show more content…

MRSA was also contracted from medical equipment such as catheters which results in urinary tract infections, blood-stream infections caused by central lines as well as pneumonia contracted from ventilators. If these equipment are then used to treat another patient then they will readily be infected. Enterococcus is a natural flora found in the intestinal tract however Vancomycin resistant Enterococcus is the third most common source of HAIs and was spread from the hands of health care works and medical equipment such as electronic rectal thermometer and hospitals beds. Clostridium difficile may cause severe diarrhea, pseudomembranous colitis (swelling of the large intestine), toxic megacolon and death. The spores of Clostridium difficile are resistant to alcohol and most hospital disinfectants and are most commonly spread by the a fecal-oral route from the hands of the health care workers (usually after handling rectal thermometers) then to patients or patients environment. Acinetobacter spp. is said to be commonly spread due to environmental contamination from door knobs, computer keyboards, sinks, countertops surrounding infected

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