What Is Foodborne Illness?

Foodborne illness is a preventable public health challenge that causes an estimated 48 million illnesses and 3,000 deaths each year in the United States. It is an illness that comes from eating contaminated food. The onset of symptoms may occur within minutes to weeks and often presents itself as flu-like symptoms, as the ill person may experience symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or fever. Because the symptoms are often flu-like, many people may not recognize that the illness is caused by harmful bacteria or other pathogens in food.

Everyone is at risk for getting a foodborne illness. However, some people are at greater risk for experiencing a more serious illness or even death should they get a foodborne illness. Those at greater risk are infants, young children, pregnant women and their unborn babies, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems (such as those with HIV/AIDS, cancer, diabetes, kidney disease, and transplant patients.) Some people may become ill after ingesting only a few harmful bacteria; others may remain symptom free after ingesting thousands.

How Do Bacteria Get in Food?

Microorganisms may be present on food products when you purchase them. For example, plastic-wrapped boneless chicken breasts and ground meat were once part of live chickens or cattle. Raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs are not sterile. Neither is fresh produce such as lettuce, tomatoes, sprouts, and melons.

Thousands of types of bacteria are naturally present in our environment. Microorganisms that cause disease are called pathogens. When certain pathogens enter the food supply, they can cause foodborne illness. Not all bacteria cause disease in humans. For example, some bacteria are used beneficially in making cheese and yogurt.

Foods, including safely cooked and ready-to-eat foods, can become cross-contaminated with pathogens transferred from raw egg products and raw meat, poultry, and seafood products and their juices, other contaminated products, or from food handlers with poor personal hygiene. Most cases of foodborne illness can be prevented with proper cooking or processing of food to destroy pathogens.

The Danger Zone

Bacteria multiply rapidly between 40 °F and 140 °F. To keep food out of this "Danger Zone," keep cold food cold and hot food hot.

• Store food in the refrigerator (40 °F or below) or freezer (0 °F or below).
• Cook food to a safe minimum internal temperature.
  • Cook all raw beef, pork, lamb and veal steaks, chops, and roasts to a minimum internal temperature of 145 °F as measured with a food thermometer before removing meat from the heat source. For safety and quality, allow meat to rest for at least three minutes before carving or consuming. For reasons of personal preference, consumers may choose to cook meat to higher temperatures.
  • Cook all raw ground beef, pork, lamb, and veal to an internal temperature of 160 °F as measured with a food thermometer.
  • Cook all poultry to a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F as measured with a food thermometer.
• Maintain hot cooked food at 140 °F or above.
• When reheating cooked food, reheat to 165 °F.

In Case of Foodborne Illness

Follow these general guidelines:

1. Preserve the evidence. If a portion of the suspect food is available, wrap it securely, mark "DANGER" and freeze it. Save all the packaging materials, such as cans or cartons. Write down the food type, the date, other identifying marks on the package, the time consumed, and when the onset of symptoms occurred. Save any identical unopened products.
2. Seek treatment as necessary. If the victim is in an "at risk" group, seek medical care immediately. Likewise, if symptoms persist or are severe (such as bloody diarrhea, excessive nausea and vomiting, or high temperature), call your doctor.
3. Call the local health department if the suspect food was served at a large gathering, from a restaurant or other food service facility, or if it is a commercial product.
4. Call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) if the suspect food is a USDA-inspected product and you have all the packaging.

Foodborne Bacteria Table

Food safety is important for everyone – but it’s extremely important for individuals with a weakened immune system, which makes them especially vulnerable to foodborne illness. This guide is intended to help older adults and people with cancer, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, organ transplants, or autoimmune diseases avoid foodborne infections.

In addition to this information, talk with your health care provider about any foods or other products to avoid because of any special health needs you may have.

The Immune System: Its Importance

Your immune system is vital for your health because it defends your body against infectious organisms and other invaders. Spread throughout your body, the immune system is made up of a network of cells, tissues, and organs that work together to protect you. When your immune system senses disease-causing organisms and other substances that invade the body, it responds to fight them off.

As people get older, their immune systems decline. Diseases such as cancer and diabetes can weaken the immune system. Also, medications for HIV/AIDS, organ transplants, and autoimmune diseases, like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, weaken the immune system.

Food Safety: Why It’s Critical for People with a Weakened Immune System

When disease-causing bacteria, viruses, or parasites (germs) contaminate food, they can cause foodborne illness, often called food poisoning. While the food supply in the United States is among the safest in the world, it can still be a source of infection.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 48 million persons — or 1 of every 6 people get foodborne infections each year. Of those, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die from their foodborne illness. People who have a weakened immune system have a higher risk for food poisoning. People with weakened immune systems are more likely to have a lengthier illness, undergo hospitalization, or even die as a result of foodborne disease.

• Older Adults — People 65 and older are at a higher risk for hospitalization and death from foodborne illness. This increased risk is because organs and body systems change as the body ages.
  • The digestive system holds food longer, allowing bacteria to grow while the stomach may not produce enough acid to limit the number of intestinal bacteria.
  • The liver and kidneys may not properly rid the body of foreign bacteria and toxins.
  • Between 50 and 60, the immune system in most people begins to decline. After age 75, many adults have an immune system so weakened that their risk for contracting a foodborne illness increases while the ability of their bodies to fight the infection is lowered.
• People with Cancer — If it spreads into the bone marrow, cancer can weaken the immune system. Also, most cancer patients undergo therapy such as radiation, chemotherapy, and/or medications to help fight the disease. A side effect of these treatments is that they may weaken the immune system, making patients more vulnerable to infections like foodborne illnesses.
• People with Diabetes — The immune systems of the millions of people with diabetes in the United States may not readily recognize the bacteria and viruses that cause food poisoning. This delayed response places a person with diabetes at increased risk for infection. Also, diabetes may damage the cells that create stomach acid and the nerves that help the stomach and intestines move food through the normal digestive process. As result, the digestive tract may hold on to food for a longer time, allowing harmful bacteria and viruses to multiply. In addition, diabetes may cause the kidneys, which work to cleanse the body, to hold on to harmful bacteria, toxins, and other pathogens.
• People with HIV/AIDS — When the Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) damages or destroys the immune system, individuals become more vulnerable to developing an infection, including a foodborne infection.
• People with Organ Transplants — A healthy immune system will try to reject or destroy an organ or bone marrow transplant – in the same way that the immune system works to clear infection from the body. Therefore, transplant recipients commonly take medications to keep rejection from happening. These drugs are called immunosuppressants because they suppress a person’s immune system to keep it from attacking, or rejecting transplanted organs or bone marrow. A side effect of immunosuppressants is that they leave patients more susceptible to developing infections – like those that can be brought on by the bacteria and viruses that cause foodborne illness.
• People with Autoimmune Diseases — Autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, and lupus are conditions in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the body. People with autoimmune diseases are often treated with immunosuppressants, and they are more likely to get a foodborne illness because their immune systems can’t fight infection effectively.

Children younger than five years are at an increased risk for foodborne illness and related health complications because their immune systems are still developing. Young children with developing immune systems cannot fight off infections as well as adults. In addition, young children produce less stomach acid that kills harmful bacteria, making it easier for them to get sick.

Foodborne illness (also called food poisoning) can be particularly dangerous for young children because it often causes vomiting or diarrhea or both. Since children's bodies are small, they can quickly lose a lot of body fluid and become dehydrated.

Food safety for young children depends on the food safety behaviors of their parents and caregivers. Handwashing is especially important. Children and those caring for them should wash hands often, especially before, during and after preparing food and before eating.

In children under 5 years old, E. coli infections are more likely to lead to hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a severe complication that can cause chronic kidney disease, kidney failure and death.

Symptoms of HUS are:

• Urinating less often
• Feeling very tired
• Losing pink color in cheeks and inside the lower eyelids

These new symptoms usually develop after about a week of E. coli illness, when the diarrhea is improving.

Choose and Prepare Safe Food

Learn about safer food choices for people with a higher risk for foodborne illness, including young children. If you prepare food for children under the age of five, you should always follow these four steps:

Clean: Wash hands, utensils and surfaces often. Germs can spread and survive in many places.

Separate: Raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs can spread illness-causing bacteria to ready-to-eat foods, so keep them separate.

Cook:Food is safely cooked only when the internal temperature is high enough to kill germs that can make you sick.

Chill: Refrigerate perishable food promptly. Bacteria that cause food poisoning multiply quickest between 40°F and 140°F.

Safe Storage of Puréed and Solid Baby Food

Safe Microwaving of Puréed and Solid Baby Foods

Follow these precautions when microwaving baby food:

• Don't microwave baby foods in the jar. Instead, transfer the food to a dish before microwaving it. This way the food can be stirred and taste-tested for temperature.
• Microwave four ounces of solid food in a dish for about 15 seconds on high power. Always stir, let stand 30 seconds, and taste-test before feeding. Food that's "baby-ready" should taste or feel lukewarm.
• Don't heat baby-food meats, meat sticks, or eggs in the microwave. Use the stovetop instead. These foods have a high fat content, and since microwaves heat fats faster than other substances, these foods can cause splattering and overheating.

Safe Preparation and Storage of Infant Formula

How to Prepare Formula

• Carefully read and follow the instructions on the infant formula container.
• Wash your hands well before preparing bottles or feeding your baby.
• Clean and sanitize the workspace where you will prepare the infant formula.
• Use clean, sanitized bottles.
• If you use powdered infant formula, use water from a safe source to mix it. If you are not sure if your tap water is safe to use for preparing infant formula, contact your local health department.
• Use the amount of water listed on the instructions of the infant formula container. Always measure the water first and then add the powder.
• If your baby is younger than 3 months old, was born prematurely, or has a weakened immune system, you may want to take extra precautions in preparing your infant’s formula to protect against Cronobacter, a rare but serious infection that can be caused by germs in powdered infant formula.
• Use prepared infant formula within 2 hours of preparation and within 1 hour from when feeding begins.
• If you do not start to use it within 2 hours, immediately store the bottle in the fridge and use it within 24 hours.
• Throw away formula left in the bottle after feeding your baby.

Heating Breast Milk or Formula

Baby’s milk or infant formula does not need to be warmed before feeding, but some people like to warm their baby’s bottle. If you do decide to warm the bottle, here is advice on how to warm it safely:

In Hot Tap Water: Place bottle under hot, running tap water until the bottle reaches the desired temperature. This should take 1 to 2 minutes.

On the Stove: Heat water in a pan. Remove the pan from the heat and set the bottle in the hot water until the bottle is warm.

When heating baby's milk, always shake the liquid to even out the temperature and test on top of your hand—not the wrist (this is one of the areas least sensitive to heat)—before feeding. Milk that's "baby-ready" should feel lukewarm.

Never heat breast milk or infant formula in the microwave. Microwaves heat baby's milk and formula unevenly, which results in hot spots that can burn a baby's mouth and throat.

Adults aged 65 and older are more likely to be hospitalized or die from foodborne illness. This increased risk of foodborne illness is because organs and body systems go through changes as people age:

• The body's immune response to disease grows weaker.
• The gastrointestinal tract holds onto food for a longer period of time, allowing bacteria to grow.
• The liver and kidneys may not properly rid the body of foreign bacteria and toxins.
• The stomach may not produce enough acid. The acidity helps to reduce the number of bacteria in our intestinal tract.
• Underlying chronic conditions, such as diabetes and cancer, may also increase a person's risk of foodborne illness.

Choose Safer Food

Learn about safer food choices for older adults who have a higher risk of getting very sick from foodborne germs, such as Listeria.

If you are 65 or older, or prepare food for someone who is, always follow the four steps:

• Clean: Wash hands, utensils and surfaces often. Germs can spread and survive in many places.
• Separate: Raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs can spread germs to ready-to-eat foods, so keep them separate.
• Cook: Food is safely cooked only when the internal temperature is high enough to kill germs that can make you sick.
• Chill: Refrigerate perishable food within 2 hours. If the food is exposed to temperatures above 90°F (like a hot car or picnic), refrigerate it within 1 hour.

A properly functioning immune system works to clear infection and other foreign agents from the body. If you have health problems or take medicines that weaken your body’s ability to fight germs and sickness, you are more likely to get a foodborne illness. This includes, for example, if you have:

• diabetes
• liver or kidney disease
• HIV or AIDS
• autoimmune diseases
• organ transplants
• a need for chemotherapy or radiation therapy

If you have weakened immune systems, you are more likely to be sick for a longer time, to be hospitalized, or even die, should you get a foodborne illness. To avoid this, you must be especially careful when choosing, handling, preparing, and consuming food.

Choose Safer Food

Learn about safer food choices if you have a weakened immune system and might have a higher risk for foodborne illnesses, such as Listeria or Salmonella infections.

If you have health problems or take medicines that weaken your immune systems, or prepare food for someone who does, you should always follow the four steps below to reduce foodborne illness:

• Clean: Wash hands, utensils and surfaces often. Germs can spread and survive in many places.
• Separate: Raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs can spread illness-causing bacteria to ready-to-eat foods, so keep them separate.
• Cook: Food is safely cooked only when the internal temperature is high enough to kill germs that can make you sick.
• Chill: Refrigerate promptly. Bacteria that cause food poisoning multiply quickest between 40°F and 140°F.

People with Cancer

If you have cancer, you are more likely to get a foodborne illness because of your weakened immune systems. Cancer and its treatments put you at higher risk for many types of infections.

People with Diabetes

Diabetes affects various organs and systems of the body, causing them not to function properly, and making infection more likely. The immune system may not immediately recognize harmful germs, which increases the risk of infection.

• Glucose Levels: High glucose levels suppress the function of white blood cells that fight off infection, increasing the risk of contracting a foodborne illness. A foodborne illness may affect blood glucose levels because the illness impacts what and how much can be eaten.
• Gastrointestinal Tract (GI): Diabetes may cause the stomach to produce low amounts of digestive acid. In addition, nerves may not move food through the GI tract as quickly. When the stomach holds on to food longer than necessary, bacteria start to multiply. If the amount of unhealthy bacteria in the stomach gets too high, it can lead to foodborne illness.
• Kidneys: Kidneys usually work to cleanse the body. If diabetes affects how the kidneys function, they may hold on to harmful germs.

People with HIV or AIDS

HIV and AIDS damage or destroy the immune system, making people more likely to contract many types of infections, including those that cause foodborne illness.

Transplant Recipients

Organ rejection by the immune system is a serious problem for transplant recipients. Transplant recipients take drugs to suppress the immune system to keep it from attacking, or rejecting, the transplanted organ or bone marrow. These medicines are necessary, but a side effect is that they make infections more likely, such as those caused by foodborne germs.

People with Autoimmune Diseases

If you have an autoimmune disease, you are more likely to get a foodborne illness because your immune systems can’t fight infection effectively. Common types of autoimmune diseases include multiple sclerosis (MS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and lupus (SLE).

Immune system changes in pregnant women place the women themselves, their unborn children, and their newborns at increased risk of foodborne illness. These illnesses can be worse during pregnancy and may lead to miscarriage or premature delivery. Some foodborne illnesses, such as Listeria and Toxoplasma gondii, can infect the fetus even if the mother does not feel sick. This is why doctors provide pregnant women with specific guidelines about foods that they should and should not eat.

Advice Regarding Seafood

Women who are pregnant or may become pregnant—as well as breastfeeding mothers and parents of young children – should make informed choices when it comes to seafood. Fish is one source of high quality protein, minerals, and vitamins that are beneficial to overall health. However, it is important to choose fish that are safe to eat and offer health benefits. Follow FDA and EPA’s advice on eating fish by using this chart and a set of frequently asked questions and answers to choose healthy and safe options.

Cook seafood thoroughly: All seafood dishes should be cooked to 145°F. Raw seafood may contain parasites or bacteria, including Listeria, that can make pregnant women ill and could potentially harm their babies. This means that you should avoid:

• Sushi
• Sashimi
• Raw Oysters
• Raw Clams
• Raw Scallops
• Ceviche

Take care with smoked seafood: Refrigerated smoked seafood presents a very real threat of Listeria. Don’t eat refrigerated smoked seafood unless it’s in a cooked dish, such as a casserole, that reaches an internal temperature of 165°F to kill harmful germs.

Refrigerated smoked seafood, such as salmon, trout, whitefish, cod, tuna, or mackerel, are often labeled as:

• Nova-style
• Lox
• Kippered
• Smoked
• Jerky

It is OK to eat smoked seafood during pregnancy if it is canned, shelf stable or an ingredient in a casserole or other cooked dish.

Don’t Drink Unpasteurized Juice or Cider

Unpasteurized juice, even fresh-squeezed juice, and cider can cause foodborne illness. These beverages have been linked to outbreaks caused by E. coli and other harmful germs. To prevent infection, either choose a pasteurized version or bring unpasteurized juice or cider to a rolling boil and boil for at least 1 minute before drinking.

Avoid Raw Milk, Raw Milk Soft Cheeses, and Other Raw Milk Products

Raw milk is milk from any animal that has not been pasteurized to kill harmful bacteria. Raw milk, also called unpasteurized milk, may contain bacteria such as Campylobacter, E. coli, Listeria, Salmonella or the bacteria that causes tuberculosis. To avoid getting these foodborne illnesses, only consume pasteurized milk and milk products, including cheese.

Don’t eat the soft cheeses listed below unless they’re made with pasteurized milk. Make sure the label says “made with pasteurized milk.”

• Brie
• Feta
• Camembert
• Roquefort
• Queso blanco
• Queso fresco

Cheese made with unpasteurized milk may contain E. coli or Listeria. Instead of eating soft cheese, eat hard cheese such as Cheddar or Swiss.

Pregnant woman should pay particular attention at farmers’ markets to make sure that fresh and soft cheeses are pasteurized.

Cook Eggs Thoroughly

Undercooked eggs may contain Salmonella. Cook eggs until the yolks and whites are firm to kill germs. If you are making a casserole or other dish containing eggs, make sure the dish is cooked to a temperature of 160°F. Make sure that foods that contain raw or lightly cooked eggs are made only with pasteurized eggs. Do not eat foods that may contain raw eggs, such as:

• Homemade eggnog
• Raw batter
• Homemade Caesar salad dressing
• Tiramisu
• Eggs Benedict
• Homemade ice cream
• Freshly made or homemade hollandaise sauce

Don’t Eat Premade Meat or Seafood Salad (Such as Deli Chicken or Tuna Salads)

Don’t buy or eat premade ham salad, chicken salad, or seafood salad which may contain Listeria. These items are commonly found in delis.

Do Not Eat Raw Sprouts

Raw or undercooked sprouts, such as alfalfa, clover, mung bean, and radish may contain E. coli or Salmonella. Cook sprouts thoroughly.

Avoid Undercooked Meat and Poultry

All meat and poultry should be thoroughly cooked before eating. A food thermometer should be used to ensure that the meat has reached the USDA-recommended safe minimum internal temperature. Visit minimum cooking temperatures for specific details.

Following the minimum recommend internal temperature is important because meat and poultry may contain E. coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter, or Toxoplasma gondii.

CDC recommends the following preventive measures to reduce the risk of contracting toxoplasmosis from eating meat:

• Cook meat to the USDA-recommended minimum safe internal temperature.
• Freeze meat for several days at sub-zero (0 °F) temperatures before cooking to greatly reduce chance of infection.
• Wash cutting boards, dishes, counters and utensils with hot, soapy water after contact with raw meat, poultry, seafood, or unwashed fruits or vegetables.
• Wash hands with soap and water.

Reheat Hot Dogs and Luncheon Meats

Reheat these meats to steaming hot or 165°F before eating, even though the label says precooked. These meat items may contain Listeria and are unsafe to eat if they have not been thoroughly reheated.

• Hot dogs
• Luncheon (deli) meats
• Cold cuts
• Fermented or dry sausage
• Any other deli-style meat and poultry

Be Selective with Meat Spreads or Pâté

Do not eat refrigerated pâtés or meat spreads from a deli or meat counter, or from the refrigerated section of a store. They can contain Listeria. Meat spreads and pâté that do not need refrigeration before opening, such as products in cans, jars, or sealed pouches, are a safer choice. Refrigerate these foods after opening.

Don’t Eat Raw Dough

Unbaked (raw) dough or batter can make you sick. Flour hasn’t been treated to kill germs like E. coli. Raw eggs can contain Salmonella. Make sure batter is thoroughly baked or cooked before eating.

The food supply in the United States is among the safest in the world. However, when certain disease-causing bacteria or pathogens contaminate food, they can cause foodborne illness, often called "food poisoning." The Federal government estimates that there are about 48 million cases of foodborne illness annually — the equivalent of sickening 1 in 6 Americans each year. And each year, these illnesses result in an estimated 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths. Although everyone is susceptible, some people are at greater risk for developing foodborne illness.

Who's At-Risk?

If you – or someone you care for – are in one of these high-risk groups, it's especially important to practice safe food handling. Vulnerable people are not only at increased risk of contracting a foodborne illness but are also more likely to have a lengthier illness, undergo hospitalization, or even die.

Pregnant Women, Their Unborn Babies, and Children

Changes during pregnancy alter the mother's immune system, making pregnant women more susceptible to foodborne illness. Harmful bacteria can also cross the placenta and infect an unborn baby whose immune system is under-developed and not able to fight infection. Foodborne illness during pregnancy is serious and can lead to miscarriage, premature delivery, stillbirth, sickness or the death of a newborn baby.

Unborn babies are just beginning to develop immune systems and have little power to resist foodborne disease.

Children younger than 5 years have a high risk of foodborne illness and related health problems because their immune systems are still developing, and they cannot fight off infections as well as older children and adults.

Older Adults and People with Cancer, Diabetes, HIV/AIDS, Organ Transplants, and Autoimmune Diseases

The immune system is the body's natural reaction or response to "foreign invasion." In healthy people, a properly functioning immune system fights off harmful bacteria and other pathogens that cause infection. As people age, their immune system and other organs become sluggish in recognizing and ridding the body of harmful bacteria and other pathogens that cause infections, such as foodborne illness. Also, the immune systems of transplant patients and people with certain illnesses, such as HIV/AIDS, cancer, diabetes, and autoimmune diseases are often weakened from the disease process and/or the side effects of some treatments, making them susceptible to many types of infections — like those that can be brought on by harmful bacteria that cause foodborne illness. In addition, diabetes may lead to a slowing of the rate at which food passes through the stomach and intestines, allowing harmful foodborne pathogens an opportunity to multiply.

Foods to Avoid

If you are at greater risk of foodborne illness, you are advised not to eat:

• Raw or undercooked meat or poultry.
• Raw fish, partially cooked seafood (such as shrimp and crab), and refrigerated smoked seafood.
• Raw shellfish (including oysters, clams, mussels, and scallops) and their juices.
• Unpasteurized (raw) milk and products made with raw milk, like yogurt and cheese.
• Soft cheeses made from unpasteurized milk, such as Feta, Brie, Camembert, blue-veined, and Mexican-style cheeses (such as such as Queso Fresco, Panela, Asadero, and Queso Blanco).
• Raw or undercooked eggs or foods containing raw or undercooked eggs, including certain homemade salad dressings (such as Caesar salad dressing), homemade cookie dough and cake batters, and homemade eggnog.
  NOTE: Most pre-made foods from grocery stores, such as Caesar dressing, pre-made cookie dough, or packaged eggnog are made with pasteurized eggs.
• Unwashed fresh vegetables, including lettuce/salads.
• Unpasteurized fruit or vegetable juices (these juices will carry a warning label).
• Hot dogs, luncheon meats (cold cuts), fermented and dry sausage, and other deli-style meats, poultry products, and smoked fish — unless they are reheated until steaming hot.
• Salads (without added preservatives) prepared on site in a deli-type establishment, such as ham salad, chicken salad, or seafood salad.
• Unpasteurized, refrigerated pâtés or meat spreads.
• Raw sprouts (alfalfa, bean, or any other sprout).

Foodborne Illness: Know the Symptoms

Symptoms of foodborne illness usually appear 12 to 72 hours after eating contaminated food but may occur between 30 minutes and 4 weeks later. Symptoms include:

• Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea (may be bloody), and abdominal pain
• Fever, headache, and body ache

If you suspect that you could have a foodborne illness, contact your physician or health care provider right away!