On Tue, 06 Jan 2004 22:56:11 GMT, "ameijers"
> wrote:

>
>"Oz" > wrote in message
...
>> Rubystars > writes
>> >"Oz" > wrote in message
>> ...
>> >> Rubystars > writes
>> >>
>(snip)
>> I should warn you that we are the sort of family who happily eats stuff
>> a week after it's eat by date if it smells ok. Good for a healthy immune
>> response.
>>
>> If it doesn't smell that bad, well a good thai or curry will do even if
>> it has a little bit of a nose.
>>
>> Nor do we wash veg and salad in disinfectant before eating in case its
>> been crapped on by a bird.
>>
>I'm really not too worried about getting a food-borne disease that will kill
>me, because I know how rare that is. However, I seriously hate having to
>spend the day on the throne if I eat something bad. Seeing as how cashflow
>isn't a problem for me, and the grocery stores are open on a regular basis,
>I err on the side of caution. I always take a second and look at and smell
>whatever I am about to eat or cook. If it looks or smells funny, or if the
>plastic bag has self-inflated, it's gone. 'When in doubt, throw it out',
>may seem wasteful to some people, but it works for me.
>
>aem sends...

Goodness. You really think that? YOu at much more risk of death by
food poisoning that any prion-pudding-brain scare being shoveled out
here. 5,200 deaths in the US each year and that is thought to be a
serious underestimate.

Boron

http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s785664.htm
Food poisoning deaths may be wildly underestimated
Monday, 17 February 2003

Food poisoning may claim more lives than doctors suspect

Deaths from food poisoning caused by bacteria such as Salmonella may
kill double the number of people previously thought, according to a
large-scale Danish study.

In research published in the latest issue of the The British Medical
Journal, Dr Kare Molbak and colleagues at the Statens Serum Institute
in Copenhagen said that not only could deaths from food poisoning be
twice as high as current estimates, they may also occur up to a year
after infection.

"This has never been studied before because people have always thought
of Salmonella and Campylobacter as acute infections," Molbak said.
"But what we observe is that for some patients there is a late excess
mortality up to one year after infection."

Salmonella in poultry products and eggs and Campylobacter, which is
found in chicken, are leading causes of food poisoning. In most
people, the infections are not serious and will result in a few days
of diarrhoea, stomach cramps or fever; but in the very young, the
elderly and in people with chronic illnesses like diabetes or HIV,
they can be deadly.

The Atlanta-based Centres for Disease Control estimate that about
5,200 people in the United States die each year from food poisoning,
and according to the Australia New Zealand Food Authority, more than 4
million Australians contract food poisoning every year and an unknown
number die. But the scientists said these figures are likely to be
underestimates.

Deaths from food poisoning are underestimated because they usually
occur within 30 days after infection, the researchers said, and there
is very little long-term data. Food poisoning deaths can also be
wrongly attributed to other illnesses. "It has been due basically to a
lack of data," said Molbak.

The Danish researchers studied the medical history of 1,071 people who
had died within a year of being infected with Salmonella,
Campylobacter, Yersinia enterocolitica and Shigella. Yersinia
enterocolitica is bacteria found in pork and Shigella is found mainly
on fruits and vegetables grown in poorer countries.

Deaths within the first year after infection were 2.2% in the people
who had had food poisoning, compared to 0.7% in a control group of
3,636 people.

Molbak advised people concerned by results of the study to thoroughly
to cook meat and to wash fruits and vegetables in clean water to avoid
food poisoning, which can be treated with antibiotics. But he added
that the overuse of antibiotics can lead to the development of strains
of bacteria resistant to the drugs.

In Denmark, about 90 deaths a year are due to food poisoning,
according to the research. Molbak said the number in Britain, which
has a much bigger population, would be about 10 times higher.