Why Health Experts Aren't Warning about Coronavirus in Food
2020-04-09
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1Chicken with salmonella bacteria can make you sick.
2Other foods with E. coli bacteria or noroviruses can also make you sick.
3So why are health officials not warning people about eating food contaminated with the new coronavirus?
4The answer has to do with the way different organisms make people sick.
5The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says viruses and germs attach to tissues to cause illnesses.
6Respiratory viruses like COVID-19 usually attach to cells in places like people's lungs.
7But germs like norovirus and salmonella can survive the acid found in stomachs.
8They then multiply after attaching to cells inside the organ.
9The CDC and other experts note that they are still studying the new coronavirus.
10They say there is no evidence yet that COVID-19 sickens people through their stomachs.
11However, the virus has been found in the waste of infected people.
12The germs also spread differently.
13Viruses like the flu and COVID-19 spread mainly through person-to-person contact and air droplets from coughing or sneezing.
14Germs that make people sick through food cause illnesses like diarrhea.
15In some cases, germs found in human waste can travel from people's hands to whatever else they touch.
16Experts say that is why it is so important for food workers to stay home when they are sick with digestive illnesses.
17Otherwise, they could end up sickening lots of people.
18Experts say the biggest risk related to food and COVID-19 is contact with other people and workers in food stores.
19Stores are now limiting the number of people they let in.
20They are asking customers to practice social distancing and using tape to mark how far apart people should stand.
21The new coronavirus can survive on some surfaces.
22Experts say to keep your hands to yourself as much as possible and to not touch your face when shopping.
23The CDC suggests washing your hands after unpacking your groceries at home.
24It may also be harder for viruses to survive on food itself.
25Alison Stout is an expert in infectious diseases and public health at Cornell University.
26She told the Associated Press that "the chances of anything surviving or coming out of [food] are small."
27The CDC notes that it is not known whether the germs found in human waste can actually sicken someone.
28Stout said the coronavirus being found in human waste is not likely a sign of its ability to survive in the digestive system.
29I'm Jonathan Evans.
1Chicken with salmonella bacteria can make you sick. Other foods with E. coli bacteria or noroviruses can also make you sick. So why are health officials not warning people about eating food contaminated with the new coronavirus? 2The answer has to do with the way different organisms make people sick. 3The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says viruses and germs attach to tissues to cause illnesses. Respiratory viruses like COVID-19 usually attach to cells in places like people's lungs. But germs like norovirus and salmonella can survive the acid found in stomachs. They then multiply after attaching to cells inside the organ. 4The CDC and other experts note that they are still studying the new coronavirus. They say there is no evidence yet that COVID-19 sickens people through their stomachs. However, the virus has been found in the waste of infected people. 5The germs also spread differently. 6Viruses like the flu and COVID-19 spread mainly through person-to-person contact and air droplets from coughing or sneezing. Germs that make people sick through food cause illnesses like diarrhea. In some cases, germs found in human waste can travel from people's hands to whatever else they touch. 7Experts say that is why it is so important for food workers to stay home when they are sick with digestive illnesses. Otherwise, they could end up sickening lots of people. 8Experts say the biggest risk related to food and COVID-19 is contact with other people and workers in food stores. Stores are now limiting the number of people they let in. They are asking customers to practice social distancing and using tape to mark how far apart people should stand. 9The new coronavirus can survive on some surfaces. Experts say to keep your hands to yourself as much as possible and to not touch your face when shopping. The CDC suggests washing your hands after unpacking your groceries at home. 10It may also be harder for viruses to survive on food itself. 11Alison Stout is an expert in infectious diseases and public health at Cornell University. She told the Associated Press that "the chances of anything surviving or coming out of [food] are small." 12The CDC notes that it is not known whether the germs found in human waste can actually sicken someone. Stout said the coronavirus being found in human waste is not likely a sign of its ability to survive in the digestive system. 13I'm Jonathan Evans. 14Candice Choi reported this story for the Associated Press. Jonathan Evans adapted this story for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. 15________________________________________________________________ 16Words in This Story 17diarrhea - n. an illness that causes you to pass waste from your body very frequently and in liquid rather than solid form 18digestive - adj. relating to or functioning in the body's process of changing food into simpler forms that can be taken up and used 19respiratory - adj. relating to the act or process of breathing 20salmonella - n. a kind of bacteria that is sometimes in food and that makes people sick