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Elliot Olsen has more than two decades of experience representing people harmed by foodborne illness, and he has regained millions of dollars in compensation. He can help guide you through the process of reporting foodborne illness. If you or a family member has become sick because you ate contaminated food and believe negligence is responsible, please call him at 612-337-6126, or complete the following:
Reporting foodborne illness to the proper authorities is not the first thing on your mind when you’re sick to your stomach, but it’s very important to keeping yourself and others healthy.
Seeing your health-care provider is the first step in reporting foodborne illness.
If you’re suffering from symptoms of foodborne illness (see below), the first thing you should do is see your health-care provider. They will begin the necessary tests for proper diagnosis.
Provide all the information you can to your physician, such as what you have eaten, where you ate and how long before the symptoms appeared. This is all important to correctly identify which foodborne illness you may have contracted. If it truly is a foodborne illness, your health-care provider will contact local health authorities.
Reporting your illness to the local health department helps officials identify potential foodborne illness outbreaks. Public health officials learn about possible problems in food preparation, production, and distribution that can cause illness during investigations of foodborne illness outbreaks.
Reporting foodborne illness: Symptoms
Anyone is susceptible to a foodborne illness, but those with the highest risk include the elderly, pregnant women, and young children. In addition, people with suppressed immune systems – such as those with cancer, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, kidney disease, and transplant patients – are also at high risk of complications.
The incubation period – the time between the consumption of contaminated food to the onset of symptoms – can be anywhere from hours to days to even months, and depends on the germ. For instance, Bacillus cereus can produce symptoms in 6-24 hours, while Listeria monocytogenes (Listeriosis) can take up to two months before it presents.
Symptoms of foodborne illness are numerous and can vary depending on the source of contamination. The most common symptoms are:
- nausea and indigestion
- vomiting
- loss of appetite
- diarrhea
- bloating and gas
- abdominal pain and cramps
- fever
- headaches
- muscle aches.
Symptoms, however, can worsen after a few days to include:
- fever
- chills and sweating
- fatigue
- dehydration.
