Loading ...Food Safety Tips for the Holiday Season
November 22nd, 2011 | 
Author: During this busy holiday season, the Department of Health and Human Services’ (DHHS) Bureau of Food Protection wants to remind everyone to follow some important food safety practices to avoid foodborne illnesses, such as Salmonella, E. coli, and Campylobacter.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) an estimated 48 million cases of illness, 128,000 hospitalizations, and 3,000 deaths occurred in 2011 in the United States due to foodborne diseases. Symptoms can vary depending on the illness, but some common symptoms are diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and nausea. It is difficult to say with certainty which microbe is causing a given illness without laboratory testing.
“Don’t let germs ruin your holiday activities by not taking proper precautions against foodborne disease,” said Dr. José Montero, Director of Public Health at DHHS. “There are simple tips for safe food preparation that we should all be following every day, not just at holidays, but large gatherings and people cooking outside their comfort zone can present an opportunity for bacteria to be introduced into our food.”
The following simple precautions should always be followed by cooks and food handlers to reduce the possibility of anyone becoming sick:
· Separate: Use a separate cutting board for cooked foods and raw foods and always wash them after use. Do no cut raw vegetables on the same cutting board as raw meat. Avoid cross contamination. Wash any utensil after preparing one food item before going on to the next item.
· Clean: Always wash hands before touching any food. Wash hands and surfaces often during food preparation and afterward.
· Cook: Make sure all meats are thoroughly cooked by using a meat thermometer: turkey, stuffing, and casseroles to 165ºF; veal, beef, and lamb roasts to 145ºF; and ham, pork, ground beef, and egg dishes to 160ºF. When reheating, leftovers should be thoroughly heated to 165ºF.
· Chill: Refrigerate or freeze leftovers within two hours. The refrigerator should be maintained at 40ºF or lower and the freezer should be at 0ºF or lower. Keep hot foods hot, 140ºF or hotter, and cold foods cold, 40ºF or below. Never defrost food at room temperature. Thaw food in the refrigerator, in a cold-water bath, or in the microwave. When using a microwave, meat must be cooked immediately after. Marinate foods in the refrigerator.
· Report: Report suspected foodborne illnesses to the NH Department of Health and Human Services by calling 603-271-4496. Often calls from concerned citizens are how outbreaks are first detected. If a public health official calls you to talk about an outbreak your cooperation is important, even if you are not ill.
For more information visit www.usda.gov, www.cdc.gov, www.befoodsafe.org, or
www.dhhs.nh.gov.
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EAS Test
Carroll County Coalition for Public Health would like to announce that on November 9 at 2:00 p.m. ET, the federal government will conduct the first nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS). The test will last up to three and a half minutes. During this period, regularly scheduled television, radio, cable, and satellite shows will be interrupted as the system is being tested. Carroll County Coalition for Public Health would like to ensure that all of their members and the larger public are aware that this event will be just a test, and not a real emergency alert.
The test is being conducted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), as part of their ongoing efforts to keep the nation safe during emergencies and strengthen our resilience against all hazards.
The national Emergency Alert System is an alert and warning system that can be activated by the president, if needed, to provide information to the American public during emergencies. NOAA’s National Weather Service, governors, and state and local emergency authorities also use parts of the system to issue more localized emergency alerts. The test is an important exercise in ensuring that the system is effective in communicating critical information to the public in the event of a real national emergency.
Similar to emergency alert system tests that are already conducted frequently on the local level, the nationwide test will involve television and radio stations across the United States, including Alaska, Hawaii, and the territories of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa.
Under the FCC’s rules, radio and television broadcasters, cable operators, satellite digital audio radio service providers, direct broadcast satellite service providers and wire line video service providers are required to receive and transmit presidential EAS messages to the public. A national test will help federal partners and EAS participants determine the reliability of the system, as well as its effectiveness in notifying the public of emergencies and potential dangers both nationally and regionally.
The test will also provide the FCC and FEMA a chance to identify improvements that need to be made to build a modernized and fully accessible Emergency Alert System.
Carroll County Coalition for Public Health along with FEMA encourages the public to use this event as a reminder that everyone should establish an emergency preparedness kit and emergency plan for themselves, their families, communities, and businesses.
Visit www.Ready.gov for more information about how to prepare for and stay informed about what to do in the event of an actual emergency.
Thank you for your assistance in spreading the word about the November 9th, 2pm ET nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System!
A video from FEMA about the test can be viewed at http://www.fema.gov/medialibrary/media_records/6407#share_player
New Hampshire Division of Public Health Launches Survey to Help Reduce the State’s Infant Mortality Rate
New Hampshire was just awarded a new grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to conduct the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), joining 39 other states in the country in a joint effort to improve the health of moms and babies.
Starting in late 2012, a randomly selected group of mothers of 2- or 3-month-old babies each year will be asked to complete a confidential questionnaire that will help public health officials and others understand what may be causing preventable deaths or diseases among infants. More mothers of low birth weight babies will be invited to participate because babies weighing less than 5.5 pounds at birth have higher rates of deaths and illnesses. Participation is completely voluntary. Survey answers will help DPHS develop a better understanding of how health care professionals and mothers can work together to improve birth outcomes.
Functional Exercise June 23, 2011
C3PH in Collaboration with the Regional Coordinating Committee are conducting a Function Exercise on June 23, 2011 from 9-1 at the Delegation Room of the Carroll County Administrative Building. The overall goal of the exercise is to create a shared memory of a successful response to a regional public health emergency among the people of Carroll County. The Multi Agency Coordinating Entity(MACE) will open in the Carroll County Emergency Operations Center to respond to a scenario that involves a public health incident. All partners will have the opportunity to test their skills in the MACE as each participant will have an opportunity to function in various positions within the MACE. All Regional Coordinating Committee members old and new, municipal leaders, Health officers, Emergency Management Directors, or any interested members of the community are invited.
If you are planning on attending, please RSVP ASAP to Mary Reed: mreed@c3ph.org
April 1st Exercise Canceled
Dear Partners in Public Health:
At the recommendation of our Exercise Facilitators, the C3PH Board is canceling the April 1, 2011 Exercise scheduled to be held at the Carroll County Administration Building, Delegation Room. Apologies for any and all inconveniences.
This Notice is to serve as a postponement of the Exercise. We will begin our pre-planning requirements and a reschedule date will be selected.
Thank you.
Ellen Laase
Board Chair