Department notes that according to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), "76 million Americans contract
foodborne diseases every year, affecting more people than the
common cold." But many of the symptoms of food poisoning mimic
those of the garden-variety flu, sometimes leaving people to
wonder if the cause was the food they ate or a virus they picked
up along the way. Despite the prevalence of foodborne illnesses,
it can be hard to recognize them. Like people with the "stomach
flu," those with foodborne illness usually suffer from vomiting,
diarrhea and abdominal pain. Dorothy David, Director of
Environmental Health Services with the Health Department states,
" There's no real easy way to distinguish between many types of
foodborne illness and a flu bug, but with the flu, one might be
more apt to see generalized aches and pains and just overall not
feeling well." The telltale sign of food poisoning is usually
the quick onset of the symptoms. Foodborne illnesses are, by and
large, illness tha