Tidak syak lagi mereka akan pilih calon yang seiras dengan pimpinan yang ada sekarang. Pokoknya mereka ini sehati sejiwa. Yang paling mudah mereka ini semuanya 'klon'. Kenapa 'klon'...??? Kerana politik UMNO la ni..... ibarat politik 'Dikir barat' atau Orkestra....!!!

Mereka akan ikut saja arahan dan perintah ketua mereka walaupun salah...! Bunyi lagu akan sumbang dan tak sedap telinga untuk didengari sekiranya mereka tak dengar arahan ketua...!!!

Itu baru wajah yang seiras.....!!! Cuba tengok mereka perut mereka semua....!!!!

Satu Coretan.............

Keningau dulunya merupakan sebuah bandar penempatan awal British di bahagian pendalaman Sabah. Mendapat nama dari Pokok Koningau (kayu manis) sekarang pembangunan menjadi bertambah pesat. Orang kata dulu tak pernah jam, tapi sekarang boleh tahan..... kalau tak kena masa maka alamat terperangkaplah dalam kesesakan lalulintas. Bangsa utamanya ialah Dusun, hampir 80 % dari penduduknya.

Dari segi kemudahan, tidaklah teruk sangat jika dibandingkan dengan Tambunan atau Tenom bandar yang berhampiran dengannya. Perumahan di Keningau dalam proses pembangunan yang amat rancak. Sekolah menengah yang terbaik dan agak moden terletak bersebelahan dengan Hospital Besar Daerah Keningau. Maktab Perguruan Keningau pun ada walaupun terletak agak jauh sikit dari bandar Keningau. Sekolah rendah pun banyak juga.... aku tengah - tengah risik juga nih, sekolah mana agaknya anak lelakiku akan dapat.

Masjid utama ada dua satu di bandar dan satu lagi Masjid Taqwa. Dari segi perhubungan ia dihubungi oleh Jalan Kimanis yang agak berbukit dan menggerunkan ( paling dekat menuju ke bandar KK - orang kata boleh sampai KK dalam masa1 1/2 jam, tapi aku tak pernah drive ikut jalan ini - ia menggerunkan. Lagi satu jalan ialah ikut Tambunan ( paling sedap) makan masa 2 1/2 jam untuk sampai ke KK.

Pasaraya boleh tahan juga di Keningau tapi takdelah Tesco, Jaya Jusco, Giant atau Carefour, mungkin tak ramai sanggup tanggung rsiko nak buka pasaraya besar di sini. Tapi dengar cite, Giant dah mula berani nak menapak di sini....tunggu sajelah.

Penduduk semenanjung di Keningau kebanyakannya guru..... hinggakan aku yang baru pindah ke sini sering digelar Cikgu walaupun bukan Cikgu...ha ha takpelah itu hak diaorang nak panggil.. Tapi yang pasti kehidupan di sini tidak banyak membuang wang ke kantung tol......boleh safe lah sikit berbanding tempat aku dulu di Puchong Selangor.

Yang pasti anak aku yang 2 orang dalam gambar tu berpeluang juga membesar di sabah ( kawasan pendalaman pulak tu).... paling lama aku target 5 tahun.... tapi kalau ada rezeki ke mana pulak lepas ni..... KITA TUNGGU walaupun orang kata PENANTIAN ITU SATU PENYIKSAAN....................................

kOMUNITI HOSPITAL - SESUATU YANG UNIK

Pernahkah kita mengunjungi hospital. Kita mungkin terbayang di sana masyarakatnya dikelilingi oleh individu berpakaian putih, dipenuhi dengan ubat dan bau ubat, dibayangi oleh jarum penyuntik dan dihiasi dengan bunyi siren ambulan. Jika itulah yang diketahui anda, anda sebenarnya silap.

Komuniti hospital ada pelbagai latar akademik dan pelanggannya tidak seperti setting jabatan/badan yang lain. Pelanggan utamanya ialah pesakit dan keluarga pesakit. Ia tidak sama seperti Jabatan Kastam, Jabatan Imigresen, Institusi Pendidikan baik dari segi corak kerja, misi atau visi. Dengan mempunyai pelanggan utamanya yang merupakan pesakit, anggota hospital perlu mempunyai personaliti penyayang, mindanya anggota perlu serasi dengan kehendak pesakit, jiwanya juga perlu menyelami masalah yang dialami pesakit dan lengok bahasanya juga perlu seiring dengan kehendak pelanggannya yang utama iaitu seorang pesakit. Jika pesakit itu puas dengan layanan dan khidmat yang diperolehinya dari anggota hospital, secara terus pesakit tersebut akan meletakkan sepenuh kepercayaan kepada anggota hospital yang memberi rawatan kepadanya.

Ramai orang mungkin mengenali doktor/pakar, tetapi tidak semua pelanggan iaitu pesakit mengenali bidang tugas jururawat dan lain - lain anggota sokongan dari lain - lain jabatan. Tugas doktor dalam melayani pesakit tidak akan sempurna tanpa dokongan dan sokongan dari petugas di makmal. Ia tidak terhenti setakat itu. Layanan kepada pesakit tidak sempurna jika petugas lain seperti Ahli Farmasi, Pegawai Dietetik, anggota dari Unit Kejuruteraan dan anggota pentadbiran masing - masing memainkan peranan utama. Mereka saling bekerjasama walaupun dari kategori gred yang berbeza. Ada dari gred UD dan U (Perubatan & Kesihatan), C (Sains), M (Tadbir dan Diplomatik), W (Akauntan), N (Pentadbiran) dan lain - lain jenis gred. Kesmeua mereka berkerjasama dalam satu pasukan demi memuaskan kehendak pesakit yang tinggi itu.

Pesakit sebagai pelanggan utama, selalunya mahukan 100% kesempurnaan dari anggota hospital yang memberi khidmat kepadanya. Ini kerana anggota hospital berdepan dengan nyawa manusia. Memang ajal maut di tangan Tuhan, tetapi sebelum maut / nyawa manusia diragut , rawatan ke atas pesakit perlulah diberi dengan tahap kepuasan yang maksima. Peralatan di hospital perlulah tip top, tahap kepakaran dan kemahiran anggotanya juga perlu tip top serta layanan dari segi komunikasi juga perlu cemerlang. Oleh itu, memang tepatlah sekali moto yang digunakan oleh anggota hospital iaitu 'PENYAYANG, BEKERJA BERPASUKAN DAN PROFESONALISME'

Apa yang ingin disampaikan dalam tulisan ini ialah anggota hospital memang bekerja dalam tekanan dan tahap tekanan ini berbeza-beza antara kategori jawatan. Walaupun berbeza tekanan bidang tugas mereka tetap berdepan dengan nyawa pesakit, nyawa pesakit dan nyawa pesakit. Tertekan tetapi sangat murni sebab melayani karenah pesakit.

Kepada semua anggota hospital, jasa bakti anda semua tiada tolok bandingnya. Kerelaan dan ketinggian komitmen anda dalam memberi khidmat kepada pesakit amat dihargai. Semua anggota mempunyai peranan masing - masing. Apa yang perlu diingati ialah tanpa pesakit siapalah kita....... kita mungkin bergaji tetapi statusnya buta. Tetapi jika tiada pesakit, anggota hospital tetap menunggu kehadiran pesakit yang akan datang secara tiba - tiba malam atau siang, baik yang masih ada atau telah meninggal dunia. Walau di mana anda berada, anggota hospital tetap boleh berbangga kerana keunikan pelanggannya iaitu seorang pesakit di mana persoalan menyelamatkan nyawa adalah agenda paling utama.

Oleh itu anggota atau komuniti hospital tetap merupakan petugas paling penting dalam mencorakkan agenda sesebuah negara. Perlu diingat, kemajuan negara tidak akan ke mana, jika komuniti di dalamnya sakit dan tidak berupaya bertindak dengan baik kerana fikiran, jiwa dan fizikalnya sakit. Dengan kudrat anggota hospital dalam memberi rawatan kepada pesakit yang datang dari pelbagai ragam dan latar itu, maka akan terbentuklah masyarakat yang sihat. RAKYAT SIHAT, NEGARA TERBILANG

Health, politics & economic come together

Health care often accounts for one of the largest areas of spending for both governments and individuals all over the world, and as such it is surrounded by controversy. Though there are many topics involved in health care politics, most can be categorized as either philosophical or economic. Philosophical debates center around questions about individual rights and government authority while economic topics include how to maximize the quality of health care and minimize costs.

Background

The modern concept of health care involves access to medical professionals from various fields as well as medical technologies such as medication and surgical techniques. One way that a person gains access to these goods and services is by paying for them. Now, many governments around the world have established universal health care, which essentially puts every person in a country on the same level of access.

The United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) asserts that medical care is a right of all people. Many religions also impose an obligation on their followers to care for those in less favourable circumstances, including the sick. Humanists too would assert the same obligation and the right has been enshrined in many other ways too.

An opposing school of thought rejects this notion. They (laissez-faire capitalists for example) assert that providing health care funded by taxes is immoral because it is a form of legalized robbery, denying the right to dispose of one's own income at one's own will. They assert that doctors should not be servants of their patients but rather they should be regarded as traders, like everyone else in a free society."

Government Regulation

A second question concerns the effect government involvement would have. One concern is that the right to privacy between doctors and patients could be eroded if governments demand power to oversee health of citizens.

Another concern is that governments use legislation to control personal freedoms. For example, some Canadian provinces have outlawed private medical insurance from competing with the national social insurance systems for basic health care to ensure fair allocation of national resources irrespective of personal wealth. Laissez-faire supporters argue that this blocks a fundamental freedom to use one's own purchasing power at will.

Controlling the Industry

When a government controls the health care industry, they essentially mandate what health care everyone will get and use wealth redistribution to finance it, as with any tax. Critics would argue that HMOs and medical insurance companies (which are not under the democratic control of health care users) also determine what health care a person might get. Universal health care requires government involvement and oversight.

Economics

Impact on quality of health care

One question that is often brought up is whether publicly-funded health care provides better or worse quality health care than market driven medicine. There are many arguments on both sides of the issue. Arguments which see publicly-funded health care as improving the quality of health care:

For those people who would otherwise go without care, any quality care is an improvement. Since people perceive universal health care as free, they are more likely to seek preventative care which makes them better off in the long run. A study of hospitals in Canada found that death rates are lower in private not-for-profit hospitals than in private for-profit hospitals.

Arguments which see publicly-funded health care as worsening the quality of health care:

It slows down innovation and inhibits new technologies from being developed and utilized. This simply means that medical technologies are less likely to be researched and manufactured, and technologies that are available are less likely to be used. Free health care can lead to overuse of medical services, and hence raise overall cost. Publicly-funded medicine leads to greater inefficiencies and inequalities. It is alleged that uninsured citizens can simply pay for their health care. Even indigent citizens can still receive emergency care from alternative sources such as non-profit organizations. Some providers may be required to provide some emergency services regardless of insured status or ability to pay, as with the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act in the United States.

Impact on medical professionals

Proponents of universal health care contend that universal health care reduces the amount of paperwork that medical professionals have to deal with, allowing them to concentrate on treating patients. Opponents argue that government-mandated procedures reduce doctor flexibility. This, along with the loss of private practice options and possible reduced pay dissuades many would-be doctors from pursuing the profession.

Impact on Medical Research

Those in favor of universal health care posit that removing profit as a motive will increase the rate of medical innovation. Those opposed argue that it will do the opposite, for the same reason.

Economic Impact

Universal health care affects economies differently than private health care. Those in favor of universal health care contend that it reduces wastefulness in the delivery of health care by removing the middle man, the insurance companies, and thus reducing the amount of bureaucracy. Those opposed to universal health care argue that socialized medicine suffers from the same financial problems as any other government planned economy. They argue that it requires governments to greatly increase taxes as costs rise year over year. Their claim is that universal health care essentially tries to do the economically impossible. Opponents of universal health care argue that government agencies are less efficient due to bureaucracy. However, supporters note that modern industrial countries with socialized medicine tend to spend much less on health care than similar countries lacking such systems, and their health outcomes are often significantly better.

In the United States, opponents of universal health care also claim that, before heavy regulation of the health care and insurance industries, doctor visits to the elderly, and free care or low cost care to impoverished patients were common, and that governments effectively regulated this form of charity out of existence. They suggest that universal health care plans will add more inefficiency to the medical system through additional bureaucratic oversight and paperwork, which will lead to fewer doctor patient visits. However, in the UK for example, which has universal health care under a socialized medicine arrangement, free home visits are common for the elderly and infirm that cannot visit a doctor's office and such visits are part of the service and are not offered as charity.

Healthy people who take care of themselves have to pay for the burden of those who smoke, are obese, etc. However, several countries tax alcohol and tobacco highly in order to recoup the costs that excessive use of these products has on national health expenditures. Some have even considered taxing more heavily foodstuffs that are considered less healthy. Opponents of single payer insurance programs claim that empirical evidence demonstrates that the cost exceeds the expectations of advocates.

Means

Many forms of universal health care have been proposed. These include mandatory health insurance requirements, complete capitalization of health care, and single payer systems among others.

Can it be done without supplement ?

Maybe not. One reason that certain foods (such as milk, bread, table salt, and cereal) are fortified with extra vitamins is that the government is concerned that without fortification, most people wouldn't get enough of certain vitamins, especially vitamin D, E, folic acid, iron, and iodine. Vitamins C and E are often added to processed foods as preservatives, but in quantities that are not nutritionally meaningful.

If you want to avoid processed foods, including things like cereal and bread, then you may find it a bit challenging to hit the mark on certain nutrients. Just for fun, I tried to build a one-day meal plan that would hit 100% all recommended nutrients, using only whole foods.

My sample meal plan included oatmeal with apples; a smoothie with yogurt, berries, flaxseed and honey; a spinach salad with carrots, peppers, tomatoes, garbanzo beans, oil, vinegar, and pumpkin seeds; a chicken breast; some Brazil nuts; a piece of tuna, a sweet potato, and brussels sprouts.

Sounds pretty healthy, right? Yet, when I analyzed my total consumption, I found that my healthy meals were still falling slightly short on iron and zinc, provided only about half of the recommended vitamin B12 and vitamin E, and (here's the real shocker) contained no vitamin D whatsoever. (See also this recent post and comments on Vitamin D deficiency.)

I'm not saying it's not possible to build a diet containing only whole foods that meets 100% of all the recommended nutrients, but I think it would be challenging to do so on a consistent basis without resorting to a multi-vitamin or judicious use of fortified foods.

THE TRUTH ABOUT DIET SODA

We talk a lot about ''watching what we eat,'' but if you never gave a thought to what you ate and instead watched only what you drank, you could probably cut 450 calories a day out of your life. (Yes, nearly a pound of fat loss a week!) That's what a study from the University of North Carolina found. Americans today drink about 192 gallons of liquid a year—or about 2 liters a day. To put it into perspective, this is nearly twice as many calories as we did 30 years ago.

When confronted with the growing tide of calories from sweetened beverages, the first response is, “Why not just drink diet soda?” Well, for a few reasons: Just because diet soda is low in calories doesn't mean it can't lead to weight gain.

It may have only 5 or fewer calories per serving, but emerging research suggests that consuming sugary-tasting beverages--even if they're artificially sweetened--may lead to a high preference for sweetness overall. That means sweeter (and more caloric) cereal, bread, dessert--everything.

Guzzling these drinks all day long forces out the healthy beverages you need. Diet soda is 100 percent nutrition-free, and again, it's just as important to actively drink the good stuff as it is to avoid that bad stuff. So one diet soda a day is fine, but if you're downing five or six cans, that means you're limiting your intake of healthful beverages, particularly water and tea.There remain some concerns over aspartame, the low-calorie chemical used to give diet sodas their flavor.

Aspartame is 180 times sweeter than sugar, and some animal research has linked consumption of high amounts of the sweetener to brain tumors and lymphoma in rodents. The FDA maintains that the sweetener is safe, but reported side effects include dizziness, headaches, diarrhea, memory loss, and mood changes. Bottom line: Diet soda does you no good, and it might just be doing you wrong.

Keutamaan Pemberian Makanan Berkhasiat di Kantin Sekolah

BEBERAPA kejadian kes keracunan makanan membabitkan pelajar di beberapa sekolah di negara ini, mendapat pelbagai reaksi daripada pelbagai peringkat masyarakat.

Kes terbaru membabitkan keracunan makanan pelajar di dua sekolah berasingan di Terengganu yang menyebabkan mereka terpaksa dirawat kerana pening dan muntah selepas memakan makanan yang dibeli di kantin sekolah. Kes sebegini sepatutnya dianggap serius oleh semua pihak dan perlu ditangani segera kerana ia membabitkan kesihatan, malah nyawa pelajar.

Jika diteliti, faktor kecuaian manusia di samping proses penyediaan yang tidak mengikut spesifikasi yang ditetapkan adalah punca kejadian.Berdasarkan banyak kes keracunan yang disiar di media, ada sesetengah pengusaha kantin gagal menyediakan makanan bersih dan berkhasiat kerana terlalu mementingkan keuntungan. Malah, ada sesetengah pekerja di kantin bersikap sambil lewa apabila berhadapan dengan aspek kebersihan makanan.Pada masa sama, ada juga peniaga mengambil kesempatan menjual makanan dan minuman ringan yang sepatutnya tidak dijual kepada pelajar.

Kandungan makanan ringan yang tidak berkhasiat dan mempunyai kesan sampingan terhadap kesihatan wajar dielakkan daripada menjadi makanan pelajar dikantin.

Saya ingin mengesyorkan supaya ibu bapa, guru dan pihak berkuasa supaya turut bersama-sama memastikan pelajar mendapat makanan berkhasiat.
Pemantauan terhadap kebersihan dan makanan yang dijual wajar dilaksanakan secara berkala.

Hal ini penting bagi mengelakkan berlaku kecuaian dalam proses penyediaan makanan, perbincangan mengenai menu yang bersesuaian, juga wajar dilaksanakan di kalangan pengusaha dan pihak sekolah.

Pengusaha pula perlu menyediakan satu piawaian bagi penyediaan makanan.Elakkan daripada menjual makanan dan minuman ringan di kantin, sebaliknya tingkatkan jumlah makanan yang berkhasiat yang boleh membantu tumbesaran pelajar seperti buah-buahan dan sayuran.

Sekiranya memerlukan khidmat nasihat, terutama dalam penyediaan makanan berkhasiat, pengusaha boleh mendapatkannya melalui Pegawai Kesihatan atau Pegawai Dietetik/Pakar Pemakanan yang terdapat hospital atau Pejabat Kesihatan di seluruh Malaysia. Sekiranya amalan pemakanan sihat dan berkhasiat ini dapat dilaksanakan di sekolah, ia dapat mengelak berulang lagi masalah keracunan makanan. Malah, ia satu pendidikan kepada pelajar untuk memilih makanan berkualiti untuk kesihatan mereka.

HACCP plans and operating procedures are adaptable to any food production, processing, or distribution activity. The food industry began realizing a number of years ago that the lack of proper food-handling procedures could lead to very drastic situations concerning food-borne microorganisms, toxic chemicals, and physical contaminants. The national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that we in the United States experience between 4 to 7 million cases of food-borne illness resulting in 5,000 deaths and $3 billion to $6 billion in costs annually. The U.S. food distribution and marketing system is a potential source for these causative agents.

Federal, state, and local food regulatory agencies, along with other food educational and organizational groups, are working to implement the HACCP Food Safety Program in the entire food chain ? from producers and growers to processors, and on to the marketing and distribution channels.

The operating principles of HACCP systems are applicable to any of the food chain activities and to any size of business. The critical areas within supermarkets and other food sales and marketing areas that have a potential to cause consumer harm are essentially the same whether the operation is a large, multifunctional store or a small mom-and-pop grocery and/or deli.

The entire concept of the HACCP program is to provide the consumer with a safe consumable product. The responsibility for producing and marketing these safe products rests with the food industry. Workers in retail food establishments must understand the hazards that are present and the effects these hazards might have on anyone consuming your products.
People in the United States do not go to the supermarket with any fear concerning the safety of the food that they purchase and take home. The majority of food-borne illnesses related to retail food operations are not created in the food store. They are created at home or in a restaurant.

Nevertheless, because of the large complex distribution system that we use to deliver our food from the supplier to the consumer, any situation that arises concerning the safety of the food product can result in literally hundreds of people becoming ill. The Critical Control Points (CCP) can range from the bacteria spread on the knife or slicer in the meat department to an improper chemical sanitizer used in the deli to a light bulb that inadvertently falls into the mixer in the bakery.

The HACCP program is designed so that we are aware of the Critical Control Points that we have within our establishment, and that we ensure that these critical factors are monitored in such a way as to produce a safe food supply.

HACCP.........

Americans have become increasingly concerned about food safety. Incidences of food-borne illness are receiving more attention as consumers have become more aware of new pathogens that threaten all of us.

The Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points system (HACCP) was developed to focus specifically on food safety. A major focus of the new HACCP system is ?from farm to table.? In short, everyone is responsible for safe food products.

The primary factor in the implementation of HACCP is a shift toward reliance on systems rather than individual defect. Taking a systems approach involves looking at all parts of the food handling and preparation process, step by logical step. It is a preventive maintenance plan rather than a fix-it-when-it-breaks attitude.

HACCP is a concept as well as a method of operation. When it comes to pathogens, ?sight, smell, and taste? just do not get it done. We must have control over the process, the raw materials, the environment, and the people, beginning as early in the food production system as possible. A very important component of the HACCP system is the change between past and future regulatory oversight. Having a HACCP plan will:

1) Improve your operation from the regulatory standpoint and provide for the safety of your food products.

2) Reduce the chance for food-borne illness.

3) Identify and document where corrections need to be made.

4) Have you thoroughly review your operation specifically for food safety and place controls on those areas of concern.

Food Poisoning Symptoms

Symptoms of food poisoning depend on the type of contaminant and the amount eaten. The symptoms can develop rapidly, within 30 minutes, or slowly, worsening over days to weeks. Most of the common contaminants cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal cramping. Usually food poisoning is not serious, and the illness runs its course in 24-48 hours. Viruses account for most food poisoning cases where a specific contaminant is found.

Noroviruses are a group of viruses that cause a mild illness (often termed "stomach flu") with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, headache, and low-grade fever. These symptoms usually resolve in two to three days. It is the most common viral cause of adult food poisoning and is transmitted from water, shellfish, and vegetables contaminated by feces, as well as from person to person. Outbreaks are more common in densely populated areas such as nursing homes, schools and cruise ships (hence why the virus is also known as the "Cruise Ship Illness"). The term norovirus has been approved as the official name for this group of viruses. Several other names have been used for noroviruses, including Norwalk-like viruses, caliciviruses (because they belong to the virus family Caliciviridae), and small round structured viruses.

Rotavirus: Causes moderate to severe illness with vomiting followed by watery diarrhea and fever. It is the most common cause of food poisoning in infants and children and is transmitted from person to person by fecal contamination of food and shared play areas.

Hepatitis A: Causes mild illness with sudden onset of fever, loss of appetite, and feeling of tiredness followed by jaundice, which is a yellowing of the eyes and skin. It is transmitted from person to person by fecal contamination of food.

Bacteria can cause food poisoning in two different ways. Some bacteria infect the intestines, causing inflammation and difficulty absorbing nutrients and water, leading to diarrhea. Other bacteria produce chemicals in foods (known as toxins) that are poisonous to the human digestive system. When eaten, these chemicals can lead to nausea and vomiting, kidney failure, and even death.

Salmonellae: Salmonellae are bacteria that may cause food poisoning; the illness itself is often referred to as Salmonella or Salmonella infection. Salmonellae cause a moderate illness with nausea, vomiting, crampy diarrhea, and headache, which may come back a few weeks later as arthritis (joint pains). In people with impaired immune systems (such as people with kidney disease or HIV/AIDS or those receiving chemotherapy for cancer), Salmonellae can cause a life-threatening illness. The illness is transmitted by undercooked foods such as eggs, poultry, dairy products, and seafood.

Campylobacter: Causes mild illness with fever, watery diarrhea, headache, and muscle aches. Campylobacter is the most commonly identified food-borne bacterial infection encountered in the world. It is transmitted by raw poultry, raw milk, and water contaminated by animal feces.

Staphylococcus aureus: Causes moderate to severe illness with rapid onset of nausea, severe vomiting, dizziness, and abdominal cramping. These bacteria produce a toxin in foods such as cream-filled cakes and pies, salads (most at risk are potato, macaroni, egg, and tuna salads, for example) and dairy products. Contaminated salads at picnics are common if the food is not chilled properly.

Bacillus cereus: Causes mild illness with rapid onset of vomiting, with or without diarrhea and abdominal cramping. It is associated with rice (mainly fried rice) and other starchy foods such as pasta or potatoes. It has been speculated that this bacteria may also be used as a potential terrorist weapon.

Escherichia coli (E coli): Causes moderate to severe illness that begins as large amounts of watery diarrhea, which then turns into bloody diarrhea. There are many different types of this bacteria. The worst strain can cause kidney failure and death (about 3%-5% of all cases). It is transmitted by eating raw or undercooked hamburger, unpasteurized milk or juices, or contaminated well water. Outbreaks of food poisoning due to E. coli have also occurred following ingestion of contaminated produce.

Shigella (traveler’s diarrhea): Causes moderate to severe illness with fever, diarrhea containing blood or mucus or both, and the constant urge to have bowel movements. It is transmitted in water polluted with human wastes.

Clostridium botulinum (botulism): Causes severe illness affecting the nervous system. Symptoms start as blurred vision. The person then develops problems talking and overall weakness. Symptoms then progress to breathing difficulty and the inability to move arms or legs. Infants and young children are particularly at risk. It is transmitted in foods such as home-packed canned goods, honey, sausages, and seafood. Because botulism can be released in the air, it is considered a potential biological weapon for terrorists.

Vibrio cholerae: Causes mild to moderate illness with crampy diarrhea, headache, nausea, vomiting, and fever with chills. It strikes mostly in the warmer months of the year and is transmitted by infected, undercooked, or raw seafood.
Parasites rarely cause food poisoning. When they do, they are usually swallowed in contaminated or untreated water and cause long-lasting but mild symptoms.

Giardia (beaver fever): Causes mild illness with watery diarrhea often lasting one to two weeks. It is transmitted by drinking contaminated water, often from lakes or streams in cooler mountainous climates. The infection can also be spread from person to person by food or other items contaminated with feces from an infected person.

Cryptosporidium: Causes moderate illness with large amounts of watery diarrhea lasting two to four days. May become a long-lasting problem in people with poor immune systems (such as people with kidney disease or HIV/AIDS or those on chemotherapy for cancer). It is transmitted by contaminated drinking water.

Toxic agents are the least common cause of food poisoning. Illness is often an isolated episode caused by poor food preparation or selection (such as picking wild mushrooms).

Mushroom toxins: Illness can range from mild to deadly depending on the type of mushroom eaten. Often there is nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Some types of mushrooms produce a nerve toxin, which causes sweating, shaking, hallucinations, and coma.

Ciguatera poisoning: Caused by eating fish that contains toxins produced by a marine algae called Gambierdiscus toxicus. It can cause moderate to severe illness with numbness of the area around the mouth and lips that can spread to the arms and legs, nausea, vomiting, muscle pain and weakness, headache, dizziness, and rapid heartbeat. The toxin may cause sensory problems in which hot things feel cold and cold things feel hot. It is transmitted by eating certain large game fish from tropical waters-most specifically barracuda, grouper, snapper, and jacks. According to the CDC, ciguatera has no cure. Symptoms may disappear in days or weeks, but may persist for years.

Scombroid: Causes mild to moderate illness with facial flushing, burning around the mouth and lips, peppery-taste sensations, a red rash on the upper body, dizziness, headache, and itchy skin. Severe symptoms may include blurry vision, respiratory distress, and swelling of the tongue and mouth. Symptoms typically last from four to six hours, and rarely more than one or two days. It is transmitted in seafood, mostly mahi-mahi and tuna, but can also be in Swiss cheese.

Pesticides: Cause mild to severe illness with weakness, blurred vision, headache, cramps, diarrhea, increased production of saliva, and shaking of the arms and legs. Toxins are transmitted by eating unwashed fruits or vegetables contaminated with pesticides.

Food Poisoning Causes

More than 250 known diseases can be transmitted through food. The CDC estimates unknown or undiscovered agents cause 81% of all food-borne illnesses and related hospitalizations. Many cases of food poisoning are not reported because people suffer mild symptoms and recover quickly. Also, doctors do not test for a cause in every suspected case because it does not change the treatment or the outcome.

The known causes of food poisoning can be divided into two categories: infectious agents and toxic agents. Infectious agents include viruses, bacteria, and parasites. Toxic agents include poisonous mushrooms, improperly prepared exotic foods (such as barracuda), or pesticides on fruits and vegetables.

Food usually becomes contaminated from poor sanitation or preparation. Food handlers who do not wash their hands after using the bathroom or have infections themselves often cause contamination. Improperly packaged food stored at the wrong temperature also promotes contamination