Salmonella infections and E. coli infections are among the most common food-borne illnesses we come across in the news. At least, they are the most publicized forms of food poisoning. However, a news report in Consumer Reports' Safety Blog says that salmonella is only the second most common cause of food poisoning in the United States. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has released information that the leading cause of cases reported to them by a wide margin was "norovirus." This is basically a group of viruses that cause the stomach flu. The norovirus accounted for more than half of the reported outbreaks in 2006.

According to the CDC report, there were 1,270 reported food-borne illness outbreaks in 2006, which resulted in 27,634 illnesses and 11 deaths. Among these 1,270 outbreaks, 621 had a confirmed single cause and that cause was most often norovirus – about 54 percent of the outbreaks. CDC officials say that a vast majority of food-borne illnesses and outbreaks go unreported. They estimate that there are 76 million cases of food-borne illness annually in the United States, leading to 5,000 deaths.

What is the most common cause of these norovirus outbreaks? The answer is quite simple. It happens because infected food handlers do not wash their hands properly after using the bathroom. On the other hand salmonella outbreaks occur very often when foods that have been tainted with animal waste are eaten raw or without being properly cooked.

If anything, this report shows that 50 percent or half of the food-borne illness outbreaks can be prevented if our food handlers washed their hands properly. Most of us get sick because the chef at the restaurant we had dinner at showed up to work sick and did not wash his hands properly. That's unacceptable! The symptoms for norovirus infections are no less painful. The most common symptoms include nausea, abdominal pain, cramps, diarrhea, weight loss and fever.

If you believe you have been infected with a food-borne illness as a result of someone else's negligence, be it a restaurant or a cafeteria, please contact experienced California food-borne illness attorneys to find out how you can pursue your legal rights.

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