FS-1034 | January 2016
How to Report a Foodborne Illness in Maryland
By Shauna C. Henley, PhD., and Lisa McCoy, MS, RDN
1 in 6 Americans Will Acquire a Foodborne Illness Each Year1
Foodborne illness is a disease that is either infectious or toxic in nature, and occurs through the ingestion of contaminated food.2
A foodborne disease outbreak happens when:
- Two or more people get the same illness from the same contaminated food or drink3
- One case of botulism, cholera, mushroom poisoning, trichinosis, or fish poisoning such as ciguatera poisoning, scombroid poisoning, paralytic shellfish poisoning, and other neurotoxic shellfish poisoning.4
There are Three Important Reasons to Report Foodborne Illness
- Contact your local health department if you believe you or someone you know became ill from eating a certain food.
- Reporting illnesses to your local health department helps them identify potential foodborne disease outbreaks.
- Public health officials investigate outbreaks to control them, so more people do not get sick in the outbreak and to learn how to prevent similar outbreaks from happening.5
When to Consult Your Doctor¹
Symptoms include:
- Fever over 101.5°F (measured orally)
- Blood in stool
- Prolonged vomiting that prevents keeping liquids down
- Signs of dehydration, including a decrease in urination, dry mouth and throat, and feeling dizzy when standing up
- Diarrhea illness that lasts more than 3 days
- If it is an emergency, call 911
How is Foodborne Illness Diagnosed?⁶
Your health care provider may ask for:
- Symptoms
- Food and drink eaten the past few days
- Physical examination
- Sample of vomit (if available)
- Stool culture (if available)
Common Symptoms of Foodborne Illness
- Diarrhea
- Bloody Stool
- Vomiting
- Abdominal Pain
- Nausea
- Chills
- Fever
- Muscle Aches
Local Health Departments
- Allegany County: 301-759-5112
- Anne Arundel County: 410-222-7256
- Baltimore City: 410-396-4436
- Baltimore County: 410-887-2724
- Calvert County: 410-535-5400
- Caroline County: 410-479-8000
- Carroll County: 410-876-4900
- Cecil County: 410-996-5100
- Charles County: 301-609-6810
- Dorchester County: 410-228-3223
- Frederick County: 301-600-3342
- Garrett County: 301-334-7777
- Harford County: 410-838-1774
- Howard County: 410-313-1412
- Kent County: 410-778-1350
- Montgomery County: 240-777-1755
- Prince George's County: 301-583-3750
- Queen Anne’s County: 410-758-0720
- St. Mary’s County: 301-475-4316
- Somerset County: 443-523-1740
- Talbot County: 410-819-5600
- Washington County: 240-313-3210
- Wicomico County: 410-543-6943
- Worcester County: 410-632-1100
Tips for if You Think You Are Sick⁶
- Seek immediate medical attention: consult your health care provider.
- Contact your local health department.
- Practice good hygiene:
- Wash hands with soap and clean, running water, or
- Clean hands with a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.7
- Prevent dehydration.
- Request laboratory testing. Knowing which pathogen is making you sick will help to get the right care.
- Record foods eaten the past 7 days. The last thing you ate is most likely NOT what made you sick.
- Save your receipts. Save all relevant food and drink receipts for the time period you think the illness took place.
- Save suspected food products. Label food items so no one else eats them.
- Handle suspected food as little as possible and keep them sealed and cold/frozen, so they can be tested if necessary.
- Reach out to your community or the media. Social media may let you know if others in your community have a similar illness.
Local Health Departments Monitor Foodborne Illness in Maryland
In Maryland, local health departments receive and investigate routine disease surveillance reports and foodborne illness outbreak reports.
- The state health department analyzes investigates cases and outbreaks of foodborne illness.
- Then the reports go to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).8
- Many surveillance systems are used in Maryland to provide information about the amount of foodborne disease.
- These surveillance systems provide data to CDC for addition in national-level monitoring.
Table 1. Most Common Causes of Foodborne Illness Outbreaks in Maryland, 2005-2014.
| Organism | Onset Time After Ingesting | Symptoms & Signs | Duration | Food Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bacillus cereus | 10-16 hrs. | Abdominal cramps, watery diarrhea, nausea | 24-48 hrs. | Meats, stews, gravies, vanilla sauce |
| Campylobacter jejuni | 2-5 days | Diarrhea, cramps, fever, and vomiting; diarrhea may be bloody | 2-10 days | Raw and undercooked poultry, unpasteurized milk, contaminated water |
| Clostridium perfringens | 8-16 hrs. | Intense abdominal cramps, watery diarrhea | Usually 24 hrs. | Meats, poultry, gravy, dried or precooked foods, time and/or temperature-abused foods |
| Cyclospora cayetanensis | 1-14 days, usually at least 1 week | Diarrhea (usually watery), loss of appetite, substantial loss of weight, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, fatigue | May be remitting and relapsing over weeks to months | Various types of fresh produce (imported berries, lettuce, basil) |
| Shiga Toxin producing E. coli (including E. coli O157:H7) | 1-8 days | Severe (often bloody) diarrhea, abdominal pain and vomiting. Usually, little or no fever is present. More common in children 4 years or younger. Can lead to kidney failure | 5-10 days | Undercooked beef (especially hamburger), unpasteurized milk and juice, raw fruits and vegetables (e.g. sprouts), and contaminated water |
| Entamoeba histolytica | 2-4 weeks, but invasive intestinal disease may occur days to years after initial infection | Mild to severe diarrhea that contains mucus and blood, and a swollen abdomen. Sometimes the illness becomes long-lasting or permanent, with weight loss and tiredness. In rare cases, it can spread to other parts of the body. If it goes to the liver, it can also cause fever, pain, and tenderness in the upper right part of the abdomen, and nausea. | Few days to several weeks | Water used to water crops, water used to wash produce, swimming pools, and water used for other recreational activities |
| Listeria monocytogenes | 9-48 hrs. for gastrointestinal symptoms, 2-6 weeks for invasive disease | Fever, muscle aches, and nausea or diarrhea. Pregnant women may have mild flulike illness, and infection can lead to premature delivery or stillbirth. The elderly or immunocompromised patients may develop bacteremia or meningitis | Variable | Unpasteurized milk, soft cheeses made with unpasteurized milk, ready-to-eat deli meats |
| Norovirus | 12-48 hrs. | Nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramping, diarrhea, fever, headache. Diarrhea is more prevalent in adults, vomiting more common in children | 12-60 hrs. | Raw produce, contaminated drinking water, uncooked foods and cooked foods that are not reheated after contact with an infected food handler; shellfish from contaminated waters |
| Salmonella | 6-48 hrs. | Diarrhea, fever, abdominal cramps, vomiting | 4-7 days | Eggs, poultry, meat, unpasteurized milk or juice, cheese, contaminated raw fruits and vegetables |
| Scombrotoxin | Minutes to a few hours | Tingling or burning in or around the mouth or throat, rash or hives, drop in blood pressure, headache, dizziness, itching of the skin, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, asthmatic-like constriction of air passage, heart palpitation, and respiratory distress | Several hours to several days | When certain fish aren’t properly refrigerated before being processed or cooked. Examples of fish: tuna, mahi-mahi, bluefish, sardines, mackerel, amberjack, anchovies, and others. |
| Shigella | 4-7 days | Abdominal cramps, fever, and diarrhea. Stools may contain blood and mucus | 24-48 hrs. | Raw produce, contaminated drinking water, uncooked foods and cooked foods that are not reheated after contact with an infected food handler |
| Staphylococcus aureus | 1-6 hrs. | Sudden onset of severe nausea and vomiting. Abdominal cramps. Diarrhea and fever may be present | 24-48 hrs. | Unrefrigerated or improperly refrigerated meats, potato and egg salads, cream pastries |
| Trichinella Species | 1-4 weeks | Mild or not obvious, but include diarrhea, abdominal discomfort, and possible nausea, vomiting. Muscle pain, fever, weakness, and facial swelling around the eyes. | Few weeks; however, some patients remain asymptomatic for years. | Under cooked meat, especially from wild game such as bear and wild boar. Domestic pigs |
| Vibrio parahaemolyticus | 4-96 hrs. | Watery (occasionally bloody) diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever | 2-5 days | Undercooked or raw seafood, such as shellfish |
| Vibrio vulnificus | 1-7 days | Watery (occasionally bloody) diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever Vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, bloodborne infection. Fever, bleeding within the skin, ulcers requiring surgical removal. Can be fatal to persons with liver disease or weakened immune systems | 2-8 days | Undercooked or raw seafood, such as shellfish (especially oysters) |
| Yersinia species | 1-14 days or longer | High fever, stomach pain, diarrhea, and sometimes vomiting. Diarrhea maybe bloody. Some people will get arthritis-like symptoms, such as joint pains and rashes. Serious complications may affect the heart. | Few days to 3 weeks Chronic eterocolitis can last several months | Pork, chitterlings or chitlins, unpasteurized “raw” milk, beef, lamb, oysters, fish, crabs, soil, water. Yersinia enterocolitica has been associated with pigs |
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Foodborne Germs and Illnesses. http://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/foodbornegerms. html
- World Health Organization. Food safety and foodborne illness. Fact Sheet N 237. March 2007. https://foodhygiene2010.files.wordpress.co m/2010/06/who-food_safety_fact-sheet.pdf
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Foodborne Outbreak Tracking and Reporting. August 2015. http://www/cdc/gov/foodsafety/fdoss/overvi ew/index.html
- American Public Health Administration. Control of Communicable Diseases Manual, “Definitions.” David L. Heymann, ed. http://www.dsd.state.md.us/comar/comarht ml/10/10.06.01.02.htm
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Report Food Poisoning. 2015. http://www.foodsafety.gov/report/poisoning/
- Stop Foodborne Illness. http://www.stopfoodborneillness.org
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Handwashing: Clean Hands Save Lives. October 2015. http://www.cdc.gov/handwashing
- Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Emerging Infections Program. October 2015. http://phpa.dhmh.maryland.gov/OIDEOR/EI P/SitePages/Home.asp
SHAUNA C. HENLEY, PH.D.
shenley@umd.edu
LISA MCCOY, MS.RDN
lmccoy@umd.edu
This publication, How to Report a Foodborne Illness in Maryland (FS-1034), is a part of a collection produced by the University of Maryland Extension within the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
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When citing this publication, please use the suggested format:
Henley, S. & McCoy, L. (2016). How to Report a Foodborne Illness in Maryland (FS-1035). University of Maryland Extension. go.umd.edu/FS-1034