How to Prevent a Salmonella Infection
Persons most at-risk for contracting Salmonellosis include:
- Individuals sharing households with infected persons
- Owners of pet reptiles, such as an iguanas, lizards or turtles
- Individuals with compromised immune systems, such as people with AIDS, cancer patients, and transplant recipients
- Individuals with inflammatory bowel disease
- Individuals with sickle cell disease
- Individuals who have illnesses such as malaria or sickle cell anemia
- Individuals using corticosteroids
- Individuals who use antacids (Mayo Clinic, 2007, April 12)
To prevent Salmonella bacterial infection:
- Cook poultry, ground beef, and eggs thoroughly before eating. In order to insure that eggs do not contain viable Salmonella they must be cooked at least until the yoke is solid and meat and poultry must reach 160ºF or greater throughout. Pasteurized eggs are also available in some areas and for foodservice organizations (MMWR Weekly, 1996).
- Do not eat or drink foods containing raw eggs. Examples include homemade eggnog, hollandaise sauce, and undercooked French toast.
- Never drink raw (unpasteurized) milk.
- If you are served undercooked meat, poultry, or eggs in a restaurant don’t hesitate to send your food back to the kitchen for further cooking.
- Wash hands, kitchen work surfaces, and utensils with soap and water immediately after they have been in contact with foods of animal origin.
- Be particularly careful with foods prepared for infants, the elderly, and those with a compromised immune system.
- Wash hands with soap after handling reptiles, amphibians or birds, or after contact with pet feces. Infants and persons with compromised immune systems should have no direct or indirect contact with such pets.