Cairns’ poison reports double
POO-contaminated food, undercooked meats and dodgy seafood are making hundreds of Cairns residents sick each year.
A special Cairns Post investigation reveals food poisoning rates have doubled over the past five years, with 4866 locals diagnosed with gastro diseases in that time.
Last year saw more than 838 easily preventable cases of gastrointestinal disease including 425 reports of campylobacter, 151 of cryptosporidiosis and 195 cases of salmonella, Queensland Health notifiable disease data shows.
Most of these illnesses are caused by faeces-laden food or water, incorrectly prepared meats, bad seafood and questionable leftovers.
Food poisoning costs the Australian economy $1.2 billion a year.
Disease expert Dr Vincent Ho urged locals to make simple changes in the kitchen to keep these diseases at bay.
“Anyone can get these types of infections but some people are more susceptible to them including the elderly, those with poor immune systems and those who are very sick,” the University of Western Sydney academic said.
“In general campylobacter and salmonella can come from contact with different food but cryptosporidiosis is a bit different as it can be found in natural water sources like recreational water parks, rivers and areas where faecal matter is in the water. ” Dr Ho suggested some simple steps to avoid food poisoning:
■ Separate raw red meats, poultry and eggs from other foods;
■ Wash fruits and vegies before eating;
■ Use a separate cloth to dry dishes;
■ Avoid meats;
■ Use different chopping boards for meats and other foods; and ■ Wash hands thoroughly. Cairns Tropical Public Health Services acting director Dr Madhumati Chatterji said: “Our Environmental Health Officers have visited high-use aquatic facilities and found them operating to accepted guidelines. For those with gastroenteritis caused by cryptosporidiosis we recommend abstaining from swimming for two weeks after they are no longer symptomatic to avoid exposing others.” eating undercooked