SOUTH DAKOTA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
FOR RELEASE: July 18, 2002
CONTACT: Dr. Lon Kightlinger, 773-3737
Dave Micklos, 773-3364

     PIERRE – Food safety precautions shouldn't be left behind as consumers head outdoors for cookouts and picnics, warns a state health official.

     "Grilling outdoors doesn't mean you can forget about cooking foods to a safe temperature or washing your hands to prevent cross contamination," said Dr. Lon Kightlinger, State Epidemiologist for the Department of Health. "Consumers need to pay attention to proper food handling practices both in the kitchen and on the grill if they want to prevent the possibility of food poisoning."

     Food poisoning is caused by microscopic bacteria in the soil, water, and in the digestive tracts of animals, including humans. Dr. Kightlinger said that the best protection against these bacteria is proper food handling practices such as the following: 

• Don’t drink untreated water or unpasteurized milk.  
• Wash hands thoroughly before handling foods and before eating.  
• Make sure cooking utensils and chopping boards are well cleaned.  
• Prevent cross-contamination after handling raw meat and poultry products. Clean all surfaces, utensils, and your hands before handling ready-to-eat products.  
• Use a clean food thermometer to make sure meat, poultry, and casseroles reach safe internal temperatures. USDA recommends that hamburgers be cooked to an internal temperature of 160°F; ground poultry to 165°F; roasts, steaks, and chops of beef, veal, or lamb to 145°F for medium rare and 160°F for medium. Fresh pork should hit 160°F and poultry should reach 180°F, as measured in the thigh.  
• Keep hot food hot (over 140ºF) and cold food cold (under 40ºF). Divide bulk foods into smaller portions for effective cooling or serving. Do not leave foods unrefrigerated more than 2 hours.  
• When food is reheated, do so rapidly to temperatures of 165ºF or above.  
• Purchase irradiated meat and vegetables.  
• Carefully check home-canned goods before use. Don’t use canned goods showing danger signs such as cracked jars, loose lids, swollen or dented cans, clear liquids that have turned milky, or contents that have a strong odor. 
• Before tasting home-canned vegetables, thoroughly heat to reduce the potential for botulism poisoning. 

     Dr. Kightlinger said that 11 cases of enterohemorrhagic E. coli, 23 cases of salmonella, and 37 cases of campylobacter have been reported to the Department in the past 30 days. This is a large increase for campylobacter over past years, a small increase for E. coli, but a drop in Salmonella cases. He said South Dakota has also had 4 cases of enterohemorrhagic E. coli linked to the Colorado ground beef outbreak. 

     To learn more about proper food handling or to report food-borne illness, call the South Dakota Department of Health, Office of Health Protection, at 605-773-3364 or check its web site at http://www.state.sd.us/doh/Protect/links.htm. 

Common food poisoning organisms 

Campylobacter – 

• can be found in untreated water, unpasteurized milk; raw meat, poultry or shellfish 
• symptoms include severe, possibly bloody diarrhea, cramping, fever, headache 
• symptoms occur within 2-5 days and last 2-7 days 
• 160 cases reported in SD in 2001 

Enterohemorrhagic E. coli 0157:H7 – 

• found in cattle manure  
• spread through undercooked contaminated ground beef, unpasteurized milk, unpasteurized juices, contaminated uncooked fruits and vegetables, untreated water; also person-to-person by unwashed hands 
• symptoms can include severe, bloody diarrhea, painful abdominal cramps, kidney shutdown 
• symptoms appear from 2 to 8 days after ingesting the bacteria 
• can be fatal 
• 44 cases reported in SD in 2001 

Salmonellosis – 

• associated with raw poultry & meat products, eggs & egg products, fish, reptiles  
• very common cause of food poisoning cases 
• caused by eating raw or undercooked products, when raw foods cross-contaminate cooked foods, or infected food handlers contaminate foods 
• symptoms include diarrhea, fever and vomiting 
• symptoms develop within 12-36 hours of exposure and last from 2-7 days 
• 151 cases reported in SD in 2001