Avoiding an E Coli Outbreak

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Avoiding an E Coli Outbreak: Do a search on the 2006 E coli outbreak. That was the year when over two hundred and forty people became ill from the e coli 0157 strain. People were panicked because they did not know how they became so sick, only that they did and it was not a fun experience. This harmful bacteria had the Food and Drug Administration working overtime to help trace down where the initial source came from so they could isolate the contaminate.

The initial E coli outbreak was caused by e coli 0157. This particularly nasty strain was tracked down to e coli infested crops of spinach. Many people were shocked that bacterium such as this could live on a vegetable. The spinach outbreaks were wide spread, with over 240 people across the United States becoming infected. Later. there was another outbreak, however this one was found in lettuce used at two food chains. Taco Bell and Taco Johns. It had many people in a panic questioning whether or not their food was actually safe.

Sometimes there is no avoiding an E coli outbreak. It is pretty much luck-of-the-draw, but you can minimize the chances that you will come across some harmful bacteria. Washing your hands with hot water and soap is the number one way to avoid these bad bacteria. Wash your hands after each time to the bathroom and immediately after touching meat or unwashed vegetables. This is step one in your fight to be germ free.

Do not waste your time with expensive anti bacterial products that may just exacerbate the germ problem. The second step is to always prepare your meats on one cutting board and your vegetables on a separate cutting board. When you are done with the meal you will need to clean the cutting boards in hot soapy water and spray them down with a water/bleach solution to remove any lingering bacteria.

An E coli outbreak can start with temperature. The ideal temperature for e coli bacteria is 37 degrees Celsius. E coli can live in temperatures both above and below that temperature as well. It is a good idea to keep food away from this temperature by keeping cold foods at the recommended temperature in your refrigerator and keeping hot foods at their recommended temperature. If you keep these tips in mind you may avoid catching e coli 0157.