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Food safety Picnics and cookouts
top the list of summer activities. But remember, special precautions
need to be taken when preparing and serving food during warm
weather, to avoid food-borne illnesses like salmonellosis.
To help prevent food-borne illness:
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Wash your hands
thoroughly with soap and warm water before handling any food and
after handling raw poultry, meat or eggs.
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Thoroughly rinse
fresh fruits and vegetables.
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Cook foods
thoroughly, especially ground beef, poultry and pork. While rare
beef is sometimes popular, disease-causing organisms can survive
in undercooked meat.
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Keep hot foods hot
and cold foods cold.
Make sure to keep raw meat, fish or poultry cold until it is
cooked, and make sure it does not come in contact with ready-to-eat
food (e.g., cheese, sliced onions, tomatoes or bread). Also, never
place cooked meats on the same plate or pan that held raw meats.
Do not leave food unrefrigerated longer than one hour at a time.
Some popular cold picnic foods are potentially hazardous and require
special care:
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Any homemade food
that contains eggs, meat or poultry, such as egg, chicken, tuna
and potato salads as well as deviled eggs
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Luncheon meats,
sandwich fillings and other ready-to-eat protein foods
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Meat, fish or
poultry
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Milk and other
dairy products
Foods served hot, especially creamed or scalloped dishes
containing milk, eggs, cornstarch or flour, should be cooked just
before picnic time and kept hot and covered until served.
The symptoms of most types of food poisoning include severe
cramps, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Symptoms
typically begin from 30 minutes to three days after eating
contaminated food.
Most cases of food-borne illness are mild, and the symptoms
disappear in a day or two. If symptoms are severe or last longer
than two days, contact a physician.
Swimming safety
Whether swimming at a beach or at a pool, do not enter the water
alone unless a lifeguard is on duty. Sadly, most deaths from
drowning occur within a few feet of safety.
At a swimming pool, take the following precautions:
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If no lifeguard is
on duty, do not let children swim unless they are accompanied by
a responsible adult who knows lifesaving techniques and first
aid.
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Look around the
pool area to be certain lifesaving devices, such as a floating
ring buoy and shepherd's crook, are readily available for
emergency use.
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Be sure covers are
installed on all drains of a swimming pool or in a wading pool.
The suction created by the pool's circulating pumps can be very
dangerous unless it is reduced by covers.
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To reduce the risk
of eye, ear, nose or throat infection from contaminated water,
swim only in pools in which water quality is properly
maintained. The water should appear crystal clear, be
continuously circulated and be maintained at a level that allows
free overflow into the gutter or skimmer. There should not be a
strong odor of ammonia or chlorine.
At the beach, take the following precautions:
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Look for movement
in the water; it helps keep the water clean. Do not swim in
stagnant or still water.
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Do not swim at any
beach right after a heavy rain. Runoff following a heavy rain
may result in a high bacteria level.
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When diving at a
beach, exercise extreme caution. Beach water is not as clear as
water in a pool, so underwater obstructions may not be visible.
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Avoid having beach
water in your mouth or nose.
West Nile virus prevention
The best way to prevent West Nile disease or any other
mosquito-borne illness is to reduce the number of mosquitoes around
your home and take personal precautions to avoid mosquito bites.
Precautions include:
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Avoid being
outdoors when mosquitoes are most active, especially between
dusk and dawn. Use prevention methods whenever mosquitoes are
present.
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When outdoors, wear
shoes and socks, long pants and a long-sleeved shirt, and apply
insect repellent that includes DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon
eucalyptus according to label instructions. Consult a physician
before using repellents on infants.
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Make sure doors and
windows have tight-fitting screens. Repair or replace screens
that have tears or other openings. Try to keep doors and windows
shut, especially at night.
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Eliminate all
sources of standing water that can support mosquito breeding,
including flowerpots, clogged roof gutters, old tires and any
other receptacles. Change water in birdbaths weekly. Properly
maintain wading pools and stock ornamental ponds with fish.
Cover rain barrels with 16-mesh wire screen. In communities
where there are organized mosquito control programs, contact
your municipal government to report areas of stagnant water in
roadside ditches, flooded yards and similar locations that may
produce mosquitoes.
Following these precautions will help you stay safe and healthy
this holiday and throughout the summer.
[Text from
Illinois
Department of Public Health news release received from the
Illinois Office of Communication and Information]
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