The CDC Just Announced An Outbreak That Can Do Serious Harm
Health concerns are a scary reality that can strike anyone.
Survivalists have to be particularly mindful because self-reliance depends on proper health.
And the CDC just announced an outbreak that can do serious harm.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have identified a new outbreak in the United States and Canada that’s very concerning.
They’ve found an outbreak of E. coli infection cases in leafy greens across both countries.
According to a release from the CDC, the Fresh Express Sunflower Crisp salad kit is a likely source of the outbreak.
The CDC launched an investigation into the matter and put out a food safety alert.
Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin experienced eight cases, and Canada had 16 reported cases of the same strain.
Three people have been hospitalized, and one could potentially have kidney failure.
- coli are bacteria that are mostly harmless, but some can cause serious illness.
Harmful E. coli are usually a result of contaminated food or water, as is the case with the current leafy green outbreak.
Symptoms mainly include diarrhea (sometimes bloody), severe stomach cramps, and fever.
These symptoms can also lead to other infections and more serious issues, such as hemolytic uremic syndrome, which is a form of kidney failure.
The best way to avoid exposure to E. coli illness is to make sure your meat is sufficiently cooked, avoid cross-contamination, and never drink untreated water.
Also, the CDC recommends not taking antibiotics for E. coli symptoms unless a medical professional diagnoses a specific infection.
This is an important point because the overuse of antibiotics is creating a great health risk.
People using antibiotics when not needed has led to the rise in superbugs, infections that are resistant to many types of antibiotics.
The CDC recently released an annual report detailing these concerns.
Per the 2019 report, over 2.8 million antibiotic-resistant infections occur in the United States each year, resulting in over 35,000 deaths.
In the report, CDC officials state:
“Dedicated prevention and infection control efforts in the U.S. are working to reduce the number of infections and deaths caused by antibiotic-resistant germs, but the number of people facing antibiotic resistance is still too high. More action is needed to fully protect people.”
The CDC’s 2019 antibiotic-resistance threats report lists 18 different infections, and groups them in three different categories: urgent, serious, and concerning.
Five bugs made the “urgent” list, which is a serious concern.
The overuse of antibiotics needs to be curbed before the issue gets worse.
Superbugs will only get more aggressive until the trend is reversed.
That’s why it’s important not to jump the gun and take antibiotics for E. coli symptoms until you’re sure it’s the best course of action.
In addition to cooking meat thoroughly, you should wash all greens before tossing them into a salad.
Getting careless could lead to illnesses like E. coli, and that will definitely ruin your week.
