{"id":18017,"date":"2019-08-23T08:01:00","date_gmt":"2019-08-23T13:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/foodhandlerscards.com\/blog\/?p=18017"},"modified":"2019-08-23T08:01:00","modified_gmt":"2019-08-23T13:01:00","slug":"norovirus-foodborne-pathogen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/foodhandleru.com\/blog\/food-safety-news\/norovirus-foodborne-pathogen\/","title":{"rendered":"Norovirus Prevention"},"content":{"rendered":"

Norovirus is a highly contagious virus and the most common viral foodborne illness. According to the CDC, every year in the United States, norovirus leads to as many as 71,000 hospitalizations and 800 deaths. Likewise, each year, foodborne norovirus illness costs about $2 billion, mainly due to lost productivity and healthcare expenses.<\/p>\n

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Biological Foodborne Contamination<\/h3>\n

Food contamination refers to food that has been defiled by a harmful microorganism, toxin, substance, or object.<\/p>\n

A food contaminant is any harmful or poisonous agent (biological, chemical, or physical) – that is not naturally inherent to the food itself – in an amount that has the potential to pose a threat to human health or cause illness.<\/p>\n

Because food becomes hazardous by contamination, food contaminants are also referred to as food hazards. A hazard is any source of potential damage, harm, or adverse health effects on something or someone.<\/p>\n

Biological food hazards are biological agents that can pose a threat to human health. Biological hazards are the main causes of foodborne illness.<\/p>\n

Biological food hazards are also called foodborne pathogens – or infectious organisms that are capable of causing human disease. These pathogenic organisms include bacteria, viruses, and parasites. With the exception of certain parasites, most biological foodborne pathogens are microscopic.<\/p>\n

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How do people become infected with Norovirus?<\/h3>\n

Anyone can get norovirus. Young children, the elderly, and anyone who already has other illnesses may experience longer, more serious illness, and rarely, death.<\/p>\n

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    Only a few norovirus particles can make people sick and the infection can be acquired a few different ways:<\/p>\n

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    • Consuming water – or produce (fruit and vegetables) irrigated with water – contaminated with human or animal feces.<\/li>\n
    • Consuming shellfish (oysters, clams, mussels, scallops), crustaceans (shrimp, crabs, and lobsters), and their products – that are farmed or harvested in water contaminated with human sewage.<\/li>\n
    • Consuming food handled by a person infected with the virus – or an uninfected person transfers the virus to food with contaminated hands.<\/li>\n
    • In direct contact with an object, surface, or person that has been infected with the virus and then touches their nose, mouth, or eyes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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