Florida National University Healthcare Issues Evidence Based Backing Response

The Threat of Food Poisoning

Food Poisoning as a Public Health Issue

Food poisoning has a substantial footprint among several public health issues that affect our communities today. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 48 million individuals are affected by food poisoning, leading to 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths every year (CDC, 2020). Those numbers can be even higher as many people that suffer from food poisoning do not seek medical attention, or sometimes health care providers do not collect specimens for further diagnosis, or even findings in laboratories are not transferred to public health officials (Mead et al., 1999). One of the factors that account for such numbers is the ongoing changes in the food supply chain (Mead et al., 1999). Food poisoning happens when individuals consume contaminated food, and researchers have identified more than 250 different foodborne diseases caused by parasites, bacteria, toxins, viruses, and allergens (CDC, 2020). Foodborne outbreaks can be challenging to deal with and can have devastating consequences for public health.

Social Media in Public Health Promoting

Many policies and regulations have been established for participants in the food supply chain. Besides that, Social media can also have a meaningful impact on how the food supply chain takes care of the final products distributed to consumers (Ventola, 2014). Social media has become a significant global phenomenon for information dissemination and exchange. Health can be effectively promoted in media as public education, social marketing, and media advocacy (Mason, Gardner, Outlaw, & O’Grady, 2016). Social media can be a considerable tool for CDC and other healthcare institutions to reach more individuals with better educational strategies that enhance awareness about handling and preparing food to avoid food poisoning (CDC, 2020). Media advocacy can also be useful to pursue new or more appropriate guidelines, regulations, and improved practices for any parties involved in the food supply chain towards consumer protection (Mason, Gardner, Outlaw, & O’Grady, 2016). Social media can also serve as a powerful aid in the CDC’s efforts to prioritize the prevention and early detection of food poisoning outbreaks (Ventola, 2014).

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Foodborne germs and illnesses. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/foodborne-germs.htm…

Ventola, L. (2014, July). Social media and health care professionals: Benefits, risks, and best practices. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC41035…

Mason, D. J., Gardner, D. B., Outlaw, F. H., & O’Grady, E. (2016). Policy & politics in nursing and health care. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier.

Mead, P. S., Slutsker, L., Dietz, V., McCaig, L. F., Bresee, J. S., Shapiro, C….Tauxe, R. V. (1999). Food-related illness and death in the United States. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 5(5), 607-625. https://dx.doi.org/10.3201/eid0505.990502.