Better food poisoning awareness amongst docs after E. coli O157 inquiry in Wales
Looks like the E. coli O157 death of 5-year-old Mason Jones, the illnesses of 160 other Welsh schoolchildren and the subsequent inquiry headed by Prof. Hugh Pennington were not entirely in vain.
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The South Wales Echo is reporting today that the number of reported foodborne illnesses increased to 631 in June, compared to 234 in January.
The figures highlight the impact the public inquiry into the September 2005 E.coli outbreak in South Wales has had on the willingness of doctors and sufferers to report suspected food poisoning cases.
A spokeswoman for Rhondda Cynon Taf council said,
“The high-profile E.coli court case and subsequent inquiry that has generated increased awareness of food poisoning and, as a result, has driven up the number of cases that are reported to us.
“More GPs are diagnosing cases as food poisoning and not stomach bugs and reporting them to us."
Would you ask your doctor if she washed her hands?
Where was that fresh produce grown? What temperature is medium-rare? Did the cook wash his hands after going to the bathroom?
I also recognize that most people -- including me -- feel socially awkward asking such questions.So, would you ask your doctor if he has washed his hands?
That's what Carmela Fragomeni of The Hamilton Spectator in Canada asked this morning.
Hamilton resident Maria Pimentel says,
"I'm not comfortable to ask him because maybe he'd get upset."
Linda VanRysell believes doctors would always automatically be washing their hands before examining a patient, stating,
"I assume they're professional."
Dr. David Higgins, chief of staff at St. Joe's in Hamilton, said if he were to fail to wash his hands, he hopes patients would called him on it, adding,
"I should thank the person for doing it. That's the ideal culture."
