A Reminder: Food Safety And Your Health

I received this email today and thought I'd pass it along to you. 

I did see the news shot of a dozen or more rats scurrying around a closed New York City Taco Bell/Kentucky Fried Chicken.  It doesn't just happen in New York City though.  I was waiting in line at a Burger King Drive-Thru when I saw a rat running along the bricks between the cars and the building.  I'm sure I am not the only one that passed on eating there that day!

We have had several news alerts on tv in the past six months concerning recalls on food or warnings not to eat bagged spinach or onions ... Food Safety is always a good idea.  I have always assumed that the FDA and USDA would protect our food supply.  I have taken a lot of things for granted.  Warnings like these remind me to take extra care in my home when I am preparing my family's food.

I'm sharing this email as a reminder to you too.  
 

 

When I was a little girl, I used to follow my grandmother all around the kitchen.  One of the things she always did was wash the lids off cans when she brought them home from the grocery store and before she ever opened them.  This is a habit I observed in her all throughout my life and she continues to do it to this day.  My relatives always inquired why she did it and she said it's something she thought she should do; you never know what happens to the cans in the stores or warehouses.  Because of that, when I used to drink soda, I never drank directly from the can, I always used a straw.  It turns out that my grandma may have known a thing or two.....

 

Yesterday evening, at 5:46pm in St. James, Trinidad, my uncle Derrick Mollineau, died of complications due to leptospirosis - an infection from the leptospira bacterium from rat excrement (feces or urine).  Less than a week ago (last Tuesday or Wednesday), my uncle unfortunately ate a cheese sandwich, that after consuming about 3/4 of it, he realized had rat droppings on the bread.  My uncle became sick, and went to the doctor who told him that he had a case of the cold that was going around.  My uncle quickly became lethargic, all his muscles aches and by Friday, was completely bed ridden, did not have a urine or bowel movement for several days and began turning yellow.  His family thought that he had jaundice and he was taken to the hospital.  The fact that he had eaten that sandwich was not top of mind, and my uncle did not tell the doctors upon his arrival.  However, upon further analysis of his blood, the doctors determined that he had leptospirosis.  The infection had spread thorough out his body, and they had to flush his system as kidney and liver failure was imminent. On Sunday, it appeared that he was making a turn for the better; but when my uncle Carlton visited him yesterday afternoon he thought differently.  He noticed that my uncle Derrick's gums were bleeding and notified the nurses as he did not think this was a good sign - based upon what he read about the infection on the internet over the weekend.  The doctors decided that my uncle Derrick needed to be put on dialysis immediately; and as they transported him from his hospital room to the dialysis room, he passed away.

 

According to WebMD:

 

Leptospirosis is an infectious disease that affects humans and animals. It results in a wide range of symptoms, and some people may have no symptoms at all. It is caused by a spiral-shaped bacterium (spirochete). Symptoms include high fever, chills, muscle aches, headache, vomiting, diarrhea, and jaundice (yellow skin and eyes). (My uncle had all of these....)

A definitive diagnosis requires laboratory testing of a blood or urine sample. Early detection is important because the disease can cause serious complications if not treated early in its course. These include kidney damage (nephrosis), meningitis (inflammation of the tissue around the brain or spinal cord), respiratory distress and/or liver failure.

 

Within 5-6 days, my uncle Derrick, who had been an exuberant, friendly, outgoing person had succommed to an infection that few know about.  While most people who are infected do recover, my uncle's quick demise was partially due to a compromised immune system from multiple years of drug use.  Even though he had quit several years ago - the damage was already done.

 

Several years ago, there was information about infections from rat urine on soda cans that was tagged as "urban legends".  More recently, several NYC restaurants were closed due to rat infestations ... Many of us shop at warehouses - Costco, BJs, Sam's; supermarkets etc. and we don't know what goes on in the back.  I caution you to be more mindful of the things you purchase, how you store them and how you clean them before use.

 

For more information on Leptospirosis, visit http://www.leptospirosis.org/medical/overview.php

With all of the recent food scares about ecoli found on fruit and vegetables, I have been taking extra care to wash and rinse the fruit and vegetables in my home, no matter where I buy them.  Perhaps, it's a good idea to do the same with bottles and cans when they come into the house.  There was a time I would have thought I was just being paranoid ... Now, I think it's just being safe.

Take care of you.