How to Report Salmonella Poisoning

Salmonella is the most common food-borne illness in the United States. Symptoms can be as mild as diarrhea or an upset stomach, or severe enough to cause death, especially in infants and young children. Many cases of salmonella go unreported because of their mildness, but county health departments require doctors to report confirmed cases, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracks these cases on a national level. Salmonella used to be a primarily localized phenomenon but has become a national concern in recent years, as the modern food system has evolved to produce foods in centralized locations and distribute them to a wide range of locales.

Instructions

• 1

  Speak to your health-care provider if you believe you are experiencing symptoms of salmonella poisoning, which include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, chills and headache. If your doctor suspects salmonella, he will perform a lab test.

• 2

  Cooperate with public health officials if they call you for additional information once the laboratory confirms your diagnosis of salmonella. These questions will help them to identify the particular food that carried the illness, and match this data with reports of other confirmed cases to prevent additional cases of salmonella poisoning.

• 3

  Report confirmed cases of salmonella to your local health department if you are a health-care provider. Your local agency will track salmonella cases, looking for clusters that merit further investigation.