A recent spike in the number of cases of a bacteria that is the second-leading cause of bacterial foodborne illnesses has spurred the Wichita Falls-Wichita County Public Health District to issue a warning.
Leslie Gresham, epidemiology charge nurse at the district, said nine cases of the campylobacter bacteria have been reported since January, but five reported cases in April is what has caused some concern.
“We always see (campylobacter) every year,” she said, adding they had nine during the same time frame in 2012. “But we’ve seen a spike for the month of April.”
The nine cases between Jan. 1 and April 22 last year were reported before April, with no reported cases in April, May or June, Gresham said.
According to the most recent food safety progress report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released last week, there was a 14 percent increase nationwide in the number of campylobacter cases in 2012. The agency indicated there were a little more than 14 reported cases per 100,000 people in the country. For every reported case, the CDC said about 30 go undiagnosed.
Gresham said the current upward trend isn’t indicative of what recent history of the bacteria has shown.
“It had been on the decrease,” she said, adding that there was a 30 percent decrease since 1996. A baseline was set using 2006-08 figures, which shows the uptick in cases. “Since that baseline, it increased 14 percent in 2012.”
The epidemiology nurse said the bacteria is caused by not cooking food — primarily poultry — thoroughly, using unpasteurized milk or cheese made from unpasteurized milk, or drinking untreated water.
The bacteria also can be contracted by handling and eating raw or undercooked meat and poultry and cross-contamination of raw meats and fruits and vegetables.
Gresham said the bacteria incubates in the body two to five days before someone begins to see symptoms, including diarrhea — sometimes bloody — vomiting, cramping and a fever. There’s no hard-and-fast treatment for campylobacter, she said, and treating dehydration is the primary concern because of the diarrhea and vomiting.
The CDC and health district suggests the following to help avoid campylobacter:
■ Clean raw vegetables and fruits, kitchen surfaces, utensils and hands.
■ Separate raw foods from cooked foods, kitchen surfaces, utensils, dinnerware, etc.
■ Cook raw foods according to instructions.
■ Refrigerate foods, including leftover cooked foods, as soon as possible.
■ Use only pasteurized milk.
Gresham said it’s also important for those caring for someone with campylobacter to wash their hands frequently.
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