The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, April 17, 1980, Image 5

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    THE BATTALION
THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 1980
Page 5
es
Stopping food poisoning
Brazos County health department holds classes
"»! By LYNN BLANCO
JNI Battalion Staff
1116 si? .thirty minutes after Bob ate at a sea-
' ast !’» food restaurant, he began to get sick.
ms ad; At first he thought he had eaten too.
ut '« much; later it was suspected that he>
was a victim of toxic food poisoning.
sadiM no confirmed toxic food
jnjJyBoisoning cases have been reported
](.- in the Bryan-College Station area
1 i lince January, contamination by
f ^foodhandlers is the major source of
; .i l 1 food poisoning, said Jillaine Stiller,
ii( ' lab director for Brazos County
Health Department. And there are
Isappe many more unreported cases. Usual-
S, En ly people think they have eaten or
iovlijtfflpnken too much, she said.
lOanmjS Under an old city ordinance, pas-
eenin jing a tuberculosis (TB) test and
blood tests were needed to establish
if a foodhandler is healthy.
15-tt . In January, the City of Bryan pas-
“fEDSf sed an ordinance changing these re-
quirements.
amdiijjt People who work in eating or
I ttiea drinking establishments, grocery
>ts. stores or day care centers now obtain
I a health card by attending a three-
hour class given by the Brazos Coun-
| j 1 ^ ty Health Department. The course
II ’ L ' costs $5 and the health card is good
for four years.
It’s a more practical and educa-
ionally sound idea than the previous
quirements. Stiller said, adding
that TB tests and blood tests found
i Very little disease in the community.
! “For example, with the TB test
there was never a single case found
in more than three years. The blood
ill test we used was for syphilis —
/ Ui which is not a practical way to follow
syphilis in the community. You
ional could go out the next day and get
% both TB and syphilis. And we
wouldn’t know if you had TB or
n' re( l syphilis for another whole year.”
P Bob Monroe, a representative for
;ntisiii the state health department in Au-
kaif stin, said many other counties in
Texas are turning to an educational
ngk program like Bryan-College Sta-
:ars I tion’s, but he is not sure of the exact
/emis number.
)ald( S “The basis for this change is that
need the examination of the TB test and
edis Venereal disease test has nothing to
do with the transmission of these dis-
caw eases. Instruction for the foodhand-
the; lers will often be better protection
ilaw for the public when educating them
edve; (thefoodhandlers) in all diseases,” he
:oirt said.
ofM' Ann Taylor, health inspector for
stou the Brazos County Health Depart
ment, helps teach the foodhandler’s
course three times a month at the
Brazos Center.
“Education replacing the needle is
a great improvement,” she said.
The course stress two areas: how
germs grow, live and reproduce, and
how to prepare food correctly.
Emphasis is also placed on good per
sonal hygiene.
Not all bacteria are harmful, Stil
ler said. There are 62 common com-
People who work in eating or
drinking establishments, groc
ery stores or day care centers
now obtain a health card by
attending a three hour class
given by the Brazos County
Health Department. The course
costs $5 and the health card is
good for four years.
municable diseases spread by bac
teria, of which 40 percent can be
spread by food. Salmonella, clostri-
dium perfringes and staphylococcus
were stressed as causes for food-
borne illnesses in the film strips.
Bacteria grow best when there are
warm temperatures, an abundance
of moisture, plenty of time for
growth, and high-protein food on
which to grow. Bacteria can double
their population every 15-20 mi
nutes.
Major germ sources are foodhand
lers, foods of animal origin and pests
that inhabit many establishments,
especially roaches in Texas.
Some ways to prevent contamina
tion deal with educating foodhand
lers in the importance of good per
sonal cleanliness and being aware of
what causes foodborne illnesses,
Stiller said.
James Sandel, manager of 3-C
Restaurant in Bryan, agrees that this
educational program is needed.
“However, the only thing I can see
is that attending a class to get a health
card is going to be a pain in the you-
know-what for my people, but it’s
going to be a good thing.
“I think it’s bad that the TB test
and blood tests aren’t included be
cause lots of things can show up on
those tests that you wouldn’t want in
your restaurant. I think there should
be some kind of dual system — both
the course and the tests.”
Michelle Martin, a student who
works at McDonald’s restaurant,
attended the course Tuesday.
Martin said some of the informa
tion was helpful.
“But some of the things that were
discussed, I thought were Mickey
If a person does not have a
health card, the health depart
ment cites his employer with a
violation. If that business scores
less than 60 percent on its in
spection report, the business
could be shut down.
Mouse — talked about just to take up
your time.”
She also said that the price is a
little high and the only form of reim
bursement would be if she claimed it
on her income tax form.
Sandel said he would probably
reimburse his employees.
“However, I think the state ought
to foot the bill completely. We didn’t
ask for it (the change).”
Martin also had a solution for what
she saw as a waste of time the class
created:
“It might be easier to hand out an
exam (when you apply for a health
card) and those who didn’t pass it
would be required to take the class.”
About 500-525 health cards have
been issued under the new program.
And there have been some problems
with health violations.
Not having a health card is the
most common violation, said David
Jefferson, sanitarian in training for
>CAS
the Brazos County Health Depart
ment.
If a person does not have a health
card, the health department cites his
employer with a violation. If that
business scores less than 60 percent
on its inspection report, the business
could be shut down.
However he said it’s hard to catch
a business on this violation because
more of these businesses hire stu
dents and there is a high turnover
rate among student workers.
“Foodhandlers are very transient
in this town,” said Ruth Maddox,
registered sanitarian for Brazos
County. “For example, Susy Jane
may be cited for a violation in hair
restraint one visit. And she may not
be there the next time we come to
check.”
Jefferson said having only four in
spectors also created problems.
However, they try to visit each busi
ness at least once a month or more if
it has been cited for many violations.
Te
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Glasses Repaired
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Sat. 8 a.m.-l p.m.
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