» E.coli again...BEEF

[fuzzynavel]

E.coli again...BEEF

2 dead

two dozen sick

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/03/health/03beef.html

[Malkavian]

2 dead? Eh, no big deal.

[fuzzynavel]

What is your threshold number as to when this story becomes important?

[Malkavian]

I'd start worrying a little bit if it is 1,000+ dead people, 10,000+ sick/injured. There are 300+ million people out there, gotta keep this in perspective.

[fuzzynavel]

It always increases after a few days from the first report.

Do you not see that there are 3-4+ of these incidents per year with different foods?

It's not ONE event, if you add up all the sick and dead people per year.

And that is just the people seeking treatment, more get sick but do not seek help.

[Malkavian]

It's just E. Coli... they are everywhere - there's trillions of them eating your dinner in your gut right now. And quite possibly, trying to have sex with you (well, not you personally - cells that line your gut mostly). No big deal. On occasion, nasty strains flare up, that's why you need to cook your food properly, and wash your hands. But by and large, just count on the good/neutral bugs to crowd out the bad ones.

[fuzzynavel]

"While thorough cooking can kill E. coli O157:H7, it is dangerous
even in microscopic doses and can be spread from utensils or
cooking surfaces to other foods."

The point of posting this is so that more people are aware of what product
has this strain, so they don't eat said product or spread it around their kitchen.

A RECALL, if you will.

There is nothing about the perspective that needs to change,
no panic ensued.

It is simply a notice, or heads up to be careful. <_<