The Foodborne Illness Investigation program investigates all complaints received that implicate consumption of food and illness associated with the consumption of that food. A foodborne outbreak occurs when “two or more persons consume common foods from a common source at a common time.” This period of time can be as specific as one particular meal, or event, or it can also be identified by illness caused by a food at a particular location over a period of several days. Often a foodborne outbreak is identified by linking several complaints from one person’s complaint to several others who have eaten at the same location over a given period of time. For this reason, it is very important for you to contact our Epidemiology staff at (405) 425-4437 anytime you feel that you consumed a food and you became ill as a result. The Epidemiology staff will obtain the information concerning your complaint. This information will be forward to our Foodborne Illness Investigation Coordinator for our investigative actions. A common error made by many people is that they became ill as a result of consuming food at the last food location they visited.
Another thing to remember is that many times you become ill several days to weeks after the consumption of a food contaminated by a bacteria. Before calling the Epidemiology staff, think about the foods you consumed, all the places that you have eaten in the last 3 to 5 days (besides the location you believe is at fault) and any other people who consumed food with you.
For more information regarding Foodborne Illness, please contact Coordinator Gary Rutherford at Gary_Rutherford@occhd.org and (405) 425-4325.
Frequently Asked Questions
Question: What is a foodborne outbreak?
A foodborne outbreak occurs when two or more persons consume common foods from a common place or source at a common time.
Question: I have the food that I believe made me sick. What should I do with it?
OCCHD has no means of testing food samples for private individuals. All testing of food for private individuals must be done at their expense through a commercial laboratory that conducts bacterialogical, viral or chemical testing on foods. These laboratories may be found by looking in the Yellow Pages or by searching on the internet.
Question: What are the major causes of foodborne illness in the United States?
According to the Food and Drug Administration and Center for Disease Control, there are five major causes of foodborne illness. They are:
- Poor personal hygiene, i.e., food workers not washing their hands properly
- Inadequate cooking temperatures
- Improper holding times and temperatures that allow bacteria to multiply to dangerous levels on the food or produce toxins into the food
- Contaminated or improperly cleaned equipment that permits cross contamination from one food product to another
- Food from an unapproved source, such as home-canned or home-prepared foods
We can prevent much of the foodborne illness in the United States by washing our hands, cooking foods to the correct temperature, keeping hot foods hot/cold foods cold, and by rapidly cooling our leftover foods.
Question: Where can I find information about a foodborne disease, such as, E Coli, Shigella, Salmonella, Hepatitis A, Norovirus etc.?
We have fact sheets located on our website that address foodborne illness. If you want more information, you may be interested in looking at the Center for Disease Control website or the FDA’s Bad Bug Handbook. In addition to these sources, you can also obtain information from the Food Safety Inspection Service. They also cover topics related to foodborne illness and many other food safety issues.
Question: I heard about a recall of a food product. Where can I find out the latest foods are that are being recalled?
Food products and other medical products are recalled by the Food and Drug Administration on a routine basis. You can find out which products are being recalled or have been recalled here. In addition to food and medical devices, the Food and Drug Administration has information about recalls affecting pet food here.