Preventing Salmonella

• One of the most effective weapons against salmonella is thorough hand washing, especially if you have small children. Children may handle pets like iguanas, turtles or other reptiles and unthinkingly put their fingers in their mouth. Carefully supervise your child if she plays with any pets, especially reptiles. When playtime is over, teach your child to use plenty of soap and warm water to scrub her hands. Wash your hands as well as your child's every time you handle dirt from the yard or garden.
  
  Raw foods, especially meat, chicken and eggs can also be sources of salmonella contamination. Immediately refrigerate these items when you arrive home from the grocery store. If you notice that any eggshells are cracked or dirty, throw them out and wash your hands afterward.
  
  When cooking with eggs, make sure that the whole egg, particularly the yolk, is properly cooked.
  
  Make sure that all products that contain eggs, such as dressings, sauces or mayonnaise are pasteurized. These items will be pasteurized if you buy them packaged in a grocery store, but check with your waiter before ordering them in a restaurant.
  
  In your home, use plenty of soap and warm water to clean any surface that raw poultry, meat or eggs have been in contact with. Avoid cross contamination by carefully scrubbing cutting boards and knives that you have used in food preparation.
  
  Heat kills the salmonella bacteria, so you will want to make sure that your food is properly cooked. Chicken becomes opaque and its juices run clear when done.
  
  

Treating Salmonella

• Despite your best efforts and precautions, you or your child may become infected with salmonella. If you or anybody in your family gets a headache, accompanied with a fever and diarrhea, visit your doctor. Your doctor or pediatrician will take a stool sample to identify whether a salmonella infection is present. He may prescribe antibiotics or a mild pain reliever to help with the symptoms and pain. In other cases, your doctor may tell you to let your body fight the infection on its own. Make sure you drink plenty of liquids--juices, water or broth--to stay well hydrated. Let your doctor know if you do not feel better after a few days, or if the symptoms worsen.