The AnswerLine staff got flu shots today. As we move into the cold and flu season, callers sometimes ask how to tell the difference between the flu and food poisoning. It can be difficult to tell if someone has the flu, or if they ate something that made them ill.
Generally speaking, many of the symptoms of the flu are similar to those of foodborne illness. Symptoms such as fever, achy muscles, fatigue, and sinus congestion are more typical of the flu since it is more of a respiratory illness. Food poisoning can cause nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, stomach or abdominal cramping/pain, or fever. These symptoms relate to our digestive system which seems logical as food poisoning is due to something we ate. These symptoms can begin hours after eating or up to several days later. The delay in feeling symptoms is what makes foodborne illness difficult to track. It can be hard enough to remember what you had for breakfast. Now imagine trying to remember what you had two or three days ago.
Foodborne illness occurs more often than we may think; one out of every six people is sickened each year. That sudden illness that goes away the next day just may be due to something you ate. It is interesting to note that the people most susceptible to foodborne illness are the elderly, the very young, pregnant women, and people with compromised immune systems.
Remember that food does not always have to look or smell suspicious to contain enough bacteria to make us sick. Frequent hand washing, avoiding cross contamination of surfaces, keeping hot foods hot and cold foods cold will go a long way in preventing sickness in your home.
