Hand Washing: Health and Hygiene

Hand Washing 101

• Health practices are identified and discussed in relation to less illness and longer life expectancy.
• Germs exist everywhere
• Germs cannot be seen with the naked eye
• Hand washing is the best way to prevent illnesses and diseases.
• There are many types of germs, including bacteria and viruses.
• Bacteria are living organisms that can survive on non-living surfaces such as door knobs.
• Viruses need a living host
• Both bacteria and viruses can cause illnesses and diseases like influenza, pneumonia, hepatitis A and B, and upper and lower respiratory tract infections.
• Antibiotics can be used to treat bacteria, but not viruses.
• Strep throat is a bacterial infection, while the flu is a viral infection.

How To Wash Your Hands

• Use warm, running water.
• Utilize liquid or pump soap if possible.
• Rub hands together vigorously for 20 seconds.
• Focus on the cuticles and underneath the fingernails.
• Rinse thoroughly and turn off the water using a paper towel.
• Dry hands with a paper towel or hand dryer.

When To Wash Your Hands

• After using the washroom.
• After playing with animals.
• After handling money
• After coughing, sneezing, blowing your nose, or touching garbage.
• After playing outside or being in a public space.
• Before preparing, touching, or eating food.

Importance of Hand Washing

• Illnesses and diseases caused by bacteria and viruses are very serious and can even cause death.
• Germs spread 4 ways: fecal-oral (Hepatitis A), direct/close contact (lice), blood contact (AIDS), respiratory/airborne (influenza).
• Hand washing should be done regularly throughout the day.
• Hand sanitizers claim to kill 99.9% of germs
• Use of hand sanitizers is excellent when on the go, but hand sanitizers should not totally replace soap and water.

Food Safety: Microorganisms

• Food safety involves practices that help prevent foodborne illnesses and keep food safe to eat.
• Around 80 million Americans suffer from foodborne illness (food poisoning) each year.
• Those most at risk are children, pregnant women, aging adults, and people with chronic illnesses.
• Foodborne illness can last from an hour to a week, and in some cases, can cause death.
• Most cases of foodborne illness trace back to harmful microorganisms, which are tiny living creatures visible only through a microscope.
• Improper food handling practices allow harmful microorganisms to grow and spread.

Harmful Microorganisms

• Most of the harmful microorganisms associated with foodborne illness are bacteria
• Bacteria can be carried by people, animals, insects, and objects.
• Some bacteria are harmless, while others can cause illness.
• The human body can handle small amounts of most harmful bacteria
• Harmful bacteria become a hazard when they multiply to dangerous levels
• Bacteria reproduce quickly in the presence of food, moisture, and warmth
• A single bacterium can multiply into thousands in just a few hours.
• Harmful bacteria cannot be detected by looking at food, as the food may look, smell, and taste normal.

Bacteria that Causes Foodborne Illness

• E. coli: found in contaminated water, raw or rare ground beef, and unpasteurized milk.
• Listeria: found in contaminated water, soil, meat and dairy products, and cold cuts, hot dogs, and sausages.
• Salmonella: found in raw or undercooked foods like eggs, poultry, and meat, as well as unpasteurized milk.
• Clostridium botulinum: found in improperly processed canned foods and vacuum-packed foods (no O2).

Proper Food Temperatures

• Temperature is one of the most important factors in food safety.
• Bacteria multiply rapidly between 4°C and 60°C.
• Most foodborne illnesses are caused by bacteria that thrive in these temperatures.
• High temperatures from 71°C to 100°C kill most harmful bacteria; these temperatures are usually reached while cooking.
• Cold refrigerator temperatures below 4°C slow down the growth of some bacteria but do not kill them.
• If food is frozen at -18°C, bacteria will stop growing; when food is thawed, the bacteria will start to grow again.
• Always cook foods to the proper temperature or until cooked through.
• Do not leave food out for more than 2 hours at room temperature; throw out food that has been sitting for 2+ hours at room temperature.
• Keep extra quantities of food either hot on the range or cold in the refrigerator.
• When reheating food that has been refrigerated, bring it to an internal temperature of 74°C or higher to kill any bacteria.

Thawing Food

• When food is thawed at room temperature, the outside may contain millions of harmful bacteria by the time the inside is thawed.
• Safest way to thaw food is in the refrigerator to thaw slowly.
• To thaw more quickly, put the package in a watertight plastic bag and submerge in cold water, changing the water every 30 minutes.
• Microwaving is also a safe method to defrost food.
• Thawed foods should always be cooked immediately.

Cleanliness in the Kitchen

• Remove dangling jewelry that may get in the way
• Wash your hands thoroughly
• Do not cough or sneeze into food
• Do not touch your face or clothes
• Keep pets out of the kitchen
• Practice cross-contamination prevention

Cross-Contamination

• Cross-contamination is when microorganisms from one food get into another, likening raw chicken leaking onto vegetables as an example.
• After handling raw meat, wash everything that came in contact with those foods, including tools, work surfaces, and hands.

Food Allergies

• Food allergies affect 2.6 million Canadians, including almost 500,000 children.
• There is currently no cure for food allergy.
• An immune system typically protects from germs and disease
• An immune system helps fight off bacteria, viruses, and other tiny organisms that can make you sick,.
• A food allergy is when one's immune system mistakenly treats something in a particular food (most often, the protein) as if it's dangerous.
• The body then reacts to the food (an allergen) by having an allergic reaction.
• An allergen is a substance that causes an allergic reaction.
• Peanuts are an example of an allergen
• Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction that can result in death
• Symptoms of anaphylaxis can include swelling of the throat and difficulty breathing.

Food Allergies: Categories

• There are two categories of food allergies: Immunoglobulin E (IgE) mediated and Non-IgE mediated
• Immunoglobulin E (IgE) mediated allergy symptoms result from the body’s immune system making antibodies called IgE. This type of food allergy can trigger anaphylaxis and life-threatening allergic reactions
• Non-IgE mediated allergies are when other parts of the body’s immune system react, causing symptoms, but does not involve the IgE antibody.

Risk Factors for Food Allergies

• Age, food allergies are more common in young children than in older children or adults, it can happen at any age.
• Family history, you’re more likely to have a food allergy if your parent or sibling has one.
• Another food allergy, if you have a food allergy, you’re at greater risk for developing another.
• Related medical conditions, your risk is increased if you have an allergic disease such as asthma, eczema, or hay fever.
• Autoinjectors contain epinephrine.

EpiPen

• Epinephrine works by narrowing the blood vessels and opens airways in the lungs
• Epinephrine raises blood pressure if blood pressure drops during reaction

Symptoms of Food Allergies

• Rash, hives
• Swollen eyes, face, lips
• Swelling of throat or tongue
• Trouble breathing, speaking, swallowing
• Wheezing, coughing
• Abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting
• Feeling faint, dizzy, lightheaded, weak
• How to avoid reactions: carry an EpiPen, avoid allergen, read food labels, ask at restaurants, do not cross contaminate
• To prevent food allergies, the Canadian Paediatric Society recommends that foods containing common allergens (i.e. peanuts) are introduced at 6 months of age
• What to do during allergic reaction: use EpiPen, call 911, tend to individual, notify adults or persons of authority