ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, March 18, 1997 TAG: 9703180026
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: HEALTH NOTES
SOURCE: SANDRA BROWN KELLY
Several years ago when I traveled with a group to Central America, health experts warned us not to drink the water or get ice cubes, which are usually made from tap water, in our drinks. They also advised us not to eat fresh fruits or vegetables unless they were the kind that could be peeled.
We went at least two weeks without a bite of fresh greens. Finally, we ate salad at the home of an American couple in Nicaragua. They knew how to make salad greens safe. They washed them with soap and water, and then gave them an iodine bath.
The iodine bath seems extreme to people in this country, but, in fact, it is used by some school systems, health experts say. The experts also say Americans have gotten lazy and assumed that most produce at the grocery is practically ready to eat. One local grocery chain - Kroger - was concerned enough about the need for consumers to wash fresh produce that it posted signs telling people to do it.
Fruits and vegetables can be contaminated by bacteria with names we readily recognize: Shigella, Salmonella and E. coli. In the past six years, Shigella on lettuce caused outbreaks on two Texas university campuses. Cantaloupe that had not been washed properly before it was cut caused an outbreak of salmonellosis. Poorly cleaned broccoli has exposed diners to E. coli, and the resulting gastro upset that each of these bacteria causes.
The list of ways fresh foods get contaminated is extensive, as pointed out in a 1995 report by the University of Georgia with the formidable title of "Pathogenic Microorganisms Associated With Fresh Produce."
Before it's harvested, produce can be contaminated by feces, soil, irrigation water, green or inadequately composed manure, dust, animals and human handling. After harvest, feces, human handling, equipment, transport containers, wash and rinse water, and improper storage can cause contamination.
Yet the simple, thorough washing of our hands and of the fresh foods we eat would eliminate a whole lot of the illnesses, says Karen Chaples, environmental health supervisor with the Alleghany/Roanoke City Health Districts.
The current outbreak of shigellosis in this region is an excellent example of the need for such attention to sanitation. It is centered mainly at Great Beginnings day care in Vinton and at Stewartsville Elementary School in Bedford County. Some of the Stewartsville students also are enrolled at the day care.
Health workers aren't certain where the infection began, but both facilities have begun extra-careful handwashing and disinfecting procedures. Still, the cases of infection continue to grow. In February, Bedford County had 18 cases and Roanoke and Roanoke County had 16. And while health care workers believe the infection is being spread by person-to-person contact (dirty hands) and not through food, the bacteria can be carried on poorly cleaned food.
That's why you have to wash your hands and your food, and here's how to do both:
Thorough handwashing:
Remove jewelry.
Use running water and lather with an antibacterial soap.
Scrub under nails, between fingers, backs of hands and up wrists.
Count to 20 or sing your favorite song.
Rinse hands.
Lather again.
Give hands a final thorough rinse.
Dry hands with paper towel.
Turn water off with paper towel.
Washing fruits and produce:
Scrub with soap and water; this is especially good for removing pesticides from fruit.
Rinse with a mix of unscented bleach and water, one tablespoon to one gallon of water, and then rinse in clear water. Iodine and quatenary ammonia, which would have to be purchased through a commercial supplier, also are approved for removing contamination from fruits and vegetables.
You can reach Sandra Brown Kelly at 1-800-346-1234, x393, 981-3393 or at sandra@2roanoke.com
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