Health
5 of the top sources of foodborne illness and how to prevent it
The McDonald’s E. coli outbreak — which has now sickened more than 100 people, per reports — has spotlighted the risk of foodborne illnesses.
The E. coli infections were linked to contaminated onions served on McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC), which continues to investigate the outbreak.
Many other foods could potentially transmit dangerous bacteria if stored or prepared in an unsafe manner, experts say, with an estimated 48 million people (one in six) affected each year, per the CDC.
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Fox News Digital spoke with food safety experts about some of the most prevalent foodborne illnesses and how to prevent them.
1. E. coli
E. coli — officially known as Escherichia coli — is a type of bacterium found in the environment, foods and intestines of people and animals, according to the CDC.
E. coli — officially known as Escherichia coli — is a type of bacterium found in the environment, foods and intestines of people and animals. (iStock)
The bacterium can spread via contaminated food or water or contact with animals, environments or other people, the same source stated.
Eating meat that has not been cooked sufficiently to kill E. coli can cause infection, according to Mitzi D. Baum, CEO of Stop Foodborne Illness in Chicago.
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“Among other known sources of infection is consumption of sprouts, lettuce, salami, unpasteurized milk (and milk products) and unpasteurized juice, and swimming in or drinking sewage-contaminated water,” she told Fox News Digital.
“Bacteria in the diarrheal stools of infected persons can be passed from one person to another if hygiene or handwashing habits are inadequate,” Baum added.
Symptoms and treatment
Symptoms of E. coli illness include — but are not limited to — severe stomach cramps, diarrhea (often bloody), vomiting, respiratory illness, urinary tract infections, fever and pneumonia, according to the CDC.
E. coli can become “dangerous or deadly” in very young people, older adults and those with compromised immune systems, who may develop a condition called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), according to Baum.
Symptoms of E. coli illness may include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea (often bloody), vomiting, respiratory illness, urinary tract infections, fever and pneumonia. (iStock)
Symptoms of HUS may include fever, abdominal pain, pale skin tone, fatigue, irritability, decreased urination, swelling, and small, unexplained bruises or bleeding from the nose and mouth, the expert added.
“Non-specific supportive therapy, including hydration, is important,” Baum said.
E. coli can become “dangerous or deadly” in very young people, older adults and those with compromised immune systems.
“There is no evidence that treatment with antibiotics is helpful, and taking antibiotics may increase the risk of HUS.”
Treatment often consists of supportive care, Baum said, with close monitoring of kidney (renal) functioning, hemoglobin and platelet counts.
2. Listeria
Listeria is the third-leading cause of death from foodborne illness in the country, according to the CDC.
The bacterium is known to spread easily in delis and in environments where food is prepared.
The Listeria bacterium is known to spread easily in delis and in environments where food is prepared. (iStock)
“The bacterium has been found in a variety of raw foods, such as uncooked meats and vegetables, as well as in foods that become contaminated after cooking or processing, such as soft cheeses, smoked seafood, and processed meats such as hot dogs and deli meat,” Baum said.
“Unpasteurized (raw) milk and cheeses and other foods made from unpasteurized milk are particularly likely to contain the bacterium.”
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Listeria is killed by pasteurization and cooking, Baum noted, but some ready-to-eat foods may become contaminated before packaging.
“Unlike most bacteria, Listeria can grow and multiply in some foods in the refrigerator,” she warned.
Symptoms and treatment
The most common symptoms of listeria infection include fever, fatigue and muscle aches, per the CDC.
“Someone with listeriosis usually has fever and muscle aches, which are sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms,” Baum said.
“Almost everyone diagnosed with listeriosis has an ‘invasive’ infection where the bacterium spreads beyond the GI tract.”
Listeria is the third-leading cause of death from foodborne illness in the country, according to the CDC. (BSIP/UIG Via Getty Images)
Some people also experience stiff neck, headaches, balance problems, seizures or disorientation.
Listeriosis is treated with antibiotics.
“A person in a high-risk category who experiences fever and other non-specific symptoms, such as fatigue and aches, within two months of eating contaminated food should seek medical care,” Baum advised.
3. Norovirus
Norovirus is a highly contagious virus that causes inflammation of the stomach or intestines, per the CDC.
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“Norovirus, also known as Norwalk-like virus, is a leading cause of gastroenteritis in the U.S.,” Dr. Amber Charoen, a board-certified gastroenterologist with Gastro Health in Kennewick, Washington, told Fox News Digital.
“It can spread with as few as 10 particles through contaminated food, vomit, stool and even person-to-person contact.”
Symptoms and treatment
While it is often referred to as a “stomach flu” or “stomach bug,” norovirus is not related to influenza.
“Symptoms of norovirus vary, but those infected tend to have a mix of low-grade fever, chills, vomiting, headache, muscle aches and fatigue,” Baum said.
Norovirus is a highly contagious virus that causes inflammation of the stomach or intestines, per the CDC. (iStock)
“In addition, norovirus outbreaks typically produce nausea (more often in children), watery diarrhea (more often in adults) and stomach cramps.”
There is no specific medicine to treat norovirus, according to Baum.
“If you have norovirus illness, drink plenty of liquids to replace fluids lost from throwing up and diarrhea,” she advised.
4. Salmonella
Salmonella is a bacterium that is often linked to poultry, eggs, dairy and other foods like fresh produce, meats and nuts, according to Charoen.
Infections can be caused by consuming contaminated chicken, pork, fruits, seeded vegetables, other produce, beef and turkey, the CDC states on its website. Germs can spread to other foods through cross-contamination.
Salmonella is a bacterium that is often linked to poultry, eggs, dairy and other foods like fresh produce, meats and nuts. (iStock)
Symptoms and treatment
Most people who are infected experience diarrhea, stomach cramps and fever, according to the CDC. Headaches, vomiting and nausea can also occur.
Most patients notice symptoms within six hours to six days after getting infected, and they usually last for four to seven days.
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“Most people recover without specific treatment,” Baum said. “Antibiotics are typically used only to treat people with severe illness.”
Patients should drink extra fluids as long as diarrhea is occurring, she advised.
5. Campylobacter
Campylobacteriosis is a bacterium most often associated with eating raw or undercooked poultry or from cross-contamination of other foods by these items, according to Baum.
Campylobacteriosis is a bacterium most often associated with eating raw or undercooked poultry or from cross-contamination of other foods. (iStock)
“Many chicken flocks are infected with Campylobacter but show no signs of illness,” she noted.
“Campylobacter can easily spread from bird to bird through a common water source or through contact with infected feces.”
Symptoms and treatment
Typical symptoms of Campylobacteriosis illness include diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain and fever.
“Diarrhea caused by this infection can be either watery or bloody, depending on the area of the intestines affected, and typically begins two to five days after exposure,” said Charoen.
In addition to gastrointestinal symptoms, Campylobacter infection has also been linked to long-term issues like reactive arthritis and Guillain-Barré syndrome, which can affect the joints and nervous system, Charoen added.
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Almost all people infected with Campylobacter recover without any specific treatment, according to Baum.
“Patients should drink extra fluids as long as the diarrhea lasts,” she advised.
“In more severe cases, antibiotics such as azithromycin or erythromycin can shorten the duration of symptoms if given early in the illness.”
Typical symptoms of Campylobacteriosis illness include diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain and fever. (iStock)
Beyond the five listed above, there are other bacteria that can cause foodborne illness.
These include Staphylococcus aureus (Staph), Clostridium perfringens, toxoplasma and others.
Preventing foodborne illness
Dr. Benjamin Barlow, an emergency physician and chief medical officer of American Family Care — a provider of urgent care, accessible primary care and occupational medicine in Alabama — provided the following guidance for preventing contamination of foods.
“You can prevent foodborne illnesses by washing your hands after touching any animals or their food, or being in their environment,” Barlow, the former senior White House physician for Presidents Obama and Trump, told Fox News Digital.
“Avoid eating any undercooked food such as ground beef, poultry or eggs and raw/unpasteurized milk, including cheeses made with it,” he added.
Experts say to wash any fruits and vegetables before cooking and to keep raw meat separate from other foods. (iStock)
Before beginning food prep, wash your hands for 20 seconds with soap and water, Barlow advises.
“Also, wash your hands between touching raw meats and other food before eating,” he said. “If you can, wear gloves while preparing food.”
It’s also best practice to wash any fruits and vegetables before cooking and to keep raw meat separate from other foods.
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When cooking food, use a thermometer to make sure it reaches the safe minimum internal temperature, Barlow emphasized.
Safe temperatures are 165°F for chicken and 145°F for beef, pork and shellfish.
Safe temperatures are 165°F for chicken and 145°F for beef, pork and shellfish.
It’s also important to check expiration dates and discard expired items, experts agree.
“Make sure food is refrigerated within two hours of being cooked – this is especially important as we enter the season of holiday parties,” Barlow said.
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“In the summer heat, food should be refrigerated after one hour.”
Anyone experiencing any gastrointestinal symptoms, such as diarrhea or vomiting, should not prepare any food to avoid passing on the bacterium or virus, the doctor added.
Dr. Megan Jack, a neurosurgeon in Cleveland, often works 60 or 70 hours a week. And she’s completely unavailable when she’s in the operating room. That makes it tough to be a caregiver for her 76-year-old mother, who lives in a separate unit on Dr. Jack’s property, 30 minutes away from the hospital.
To help care for her mother, who has Alzheimer’s disease, Dr. Jack uses an array of high-tech tools, some of which didn’t exist just a few years ago. She manages her mother’s medications with a smart pill box. She changes her television channels with an app, sends appointment reminders through a digital message board — and, with her mother’s blessing, uses cameras for communication and monitoring.
“It’s been invaluable that I can both make sure she’s safe and make sure everything is going well,” Dr. Jack said, “but also give her the independence and the freedom that she still deserves.”
America is aging rapidly. Roughly 11,000 people are turning 65 each day in the United States. And many of them — 75 percent of people over 50, according to AARP’s most recent survey, from 2024 — hope to spend their remaining years in the comfort of their homes, rather than in assisted-living or other care facilities.
One thing that could help fulfill those wishes is the budding field of “age tech,” which encompasses tools that support older adults. Industry experts say that age tech is making homes safer for older adults and is easing the minds of their caregivers, especially those who live far away or work outside the home.
Dr. Jack said that age tech had “really allowed me to integrate caregiving into my life, as opposed to caregiving taking over my life.”
The age tech boom
If older adults don’t have loved ones who are both close by and able to help, they might believe they don’t have a ton of options. They can live independently, or, if they can afford it and qualify medically, they can move to an assisted-living facility or a nursing home, without a lot of choices in between. In-home help can be expensive without Medicaid and can also be difficult to find, given the serious shortage of home care workers.
Age tech can help bridge some important gaps, said Emily Nabors, the associate director of innovation at the National Council on Aging, a nonprofit advocacy group. Already, AARP reports that 25 percent of caregivers are remotely monitoring their loved ones with apps, videos or wearables, nearly double the percentage from five years ago.
“We used to say homes are the health care settings of the future, but they really are health care settings now,” Ms. Nabors said. “Aging in place is very realistic.”
More than 700 companies are in AARP’s AgeTech Collaborative, a group that connects businesses, nonprofits and funders to help get new technologies off the ground. Altogether, the collaborative’s start-ups have raised nearly $1 billion in the past four years.
The products include smart walkers, glasses with lenses that provide real-time captions of conversations for those with hearing issues, and a concierge service that connects older people to drivers and deliveries, even if they don’t have a smartphone.
Ms. Nabors does foresee some affordability and access barriers to age tech, including the lack of high-speed internet in rural areas, but she said one vital resource would be local aging agencies, which can offer advice and, sometimes, free support.
Janet Marasa leaned on the agency near her home in Rockland County, N.Y., to get a free robotic pet for her mother, Carol DeMaio, 80, who has dementia. The pets, manufactured by a company called Joy for All, aim to offer emotional support without the upkeep.
Ms. DeMaio named the robotic dog Sabrina, after a golden retriever who died. The new Sabrina stays at the foot of her bed at night. As soon as Ms. DeMaio stirs awake, the dog reacts. “She said it gives her a reason to get up in the morning,” Ms. Marasa said.
The dog has been a boon to her, too. “It provides comfort and interaction that I can’t provide every second,” said Ms. Marasa, who lives with her mother but works full time for the county government. “It gives her something that she can feel like is totally her own.”
In Broward County, Fla., where the population of residents over 85 is expected to nearly triple over the next few decades, the local agency on aging has used state and federal money and private grants to provide technologies to nearly 4,000 of the county’s seniors at no cost.
Its offerings include a company that uses radar to sense falls and a program that allows seniors to make video calls through their televisions.
“The possibilities are endless,” Charlotte Mather-Taylor, the agency’s chief executive, said. “It’s pretty great to see all the new technology coming out so quickly, and I think that can only benefit our older population and also our caregivers.”
Here comes A.I.
Even technologies not specifically marketed as age tech can help older adults maintain their independence, said Laurie Orlov, founder of the blog Aging and Health Technology Watch. She pointed to video-calling and telehealth platforms; remotely controlled thermostats and lights; and smart speakers, doorbells and watches.
“All technology can be customized to help older adults stay longer in their homes and help their family members feel good about it, or at least tolerate it,” Ms. Orlov said.
That will only become more true with the continued proliferation of artificial intelligence, Ms. Orlov added. Some older adults are already using conversational A.I. to get answers about things like the weather or their medications. (Relying too heavily on A.I. can, however, have negative consequences because chatbots often give flawed medical advice and can lead patients astray.) A.I. can also assist in pattern detection: alerting caregivers to signals that might indicate declines in someone’s cognition or mental health, such as changing their speech pattern or leaving the house less frequently.
One A.I.-powered age tech tool is ElliQ, a tabletop companion robot that looks like a sleek silver desk lamp with a screen. About a year and a half ago, Camille Wolsonovich got one for free, thanks to a local nonprofit, for her 90-year-old father, Bill Castellano. He lives alone in a senior community.
Ms. Wolsonovich, who runs a consulting business, relies on ElliQ to lead her father in exercises and remind him to take his pills and drink water. The robot also asks her father about his sleep and mood via automated check-ins.
“Everything’s just another layer that gives us more confidence, from a caregiving standpoint, that he’s good,” Ms. Wolsonovich said. “I don’t have to necessarily track everything all the time and be overbearing.”
As for Mr. Castellano? He plays trivia digitally and converses daily with ElliQ. The robot, which has a friendly female voice, asks questions, cracks jokes and remembers his likes, dislikes and friends. “She’s great company,” he said. “Everybody around me wants one.”
What about ethical concerns?
Clara Berridge studies the ethics of age tech at the University of Washington.
She has many privacy concerns, namely that most direct-to-consumer products aren’t subject to medical privacy laws, despite being privy to sensitive health information. Though she hopes the federal government will eventually step in to regulate these products, as it has in other countries, the onus remains on the consumer for now.
And even if an age tech product isn’t selling mom’s personal data to the lowest bidder, Dr. Berridge said there’s still the question of whether certain tools are ethical.
“It’s really important for caregivers to recognize that using these new technologies that give them more information about someone can represent greater intrusion into someone’s life,” she said.
What may be well-intentioned monitoring could reveal information that an older adult would rather keep private, such as issues with incontinence, or the comings and goings of a romantic partner.
“It can lead to somebody feeling infantilized,” Dr. Berridge said. “Like there’s not a place to hide within your own home.”
Her research shows that adult children often underestimate how much their parents can understand about technology and how much they want to be involved in tech-related decisions.
She encouraged caregivers to have transparent conversations about privacy implications and to avoid ultimatums or the idea that any decision must be permanent. She said caregivers should put themselves in their parents’ shoes: Is this something they’d want their own children monitoring?
Dr. Berridge is working on an advanced directive for technology, which outlines older people’s wishes for how technology is used in their care. Ultimately, she hopes that questions about age tech will become a standard part of planning for the future.
“If you’re at the start of what, for many people, ends up being a long road of supporting someone potentially through the end of their life,” she said, “seeking to understand each other’s concerns and priorities better is time very well spent.”
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A distraught mother who thought she was having a heart attack was instead hospitalized with broken heart syndrome — otherwise known as takotsubo syndrome (TTS) — less than a year after her veteran son tragically took his own life.
Dawn Turner, 57, of the U.K., lost her son in August of last year.
Just last month, the mom of three awoke with “unbearable” chest pains, she said — and called an ambulance, worried she was going into cardiac arrest. But when she arrived at the hospital, doctors told her she was suffering from the effects of grief caused by a broken heart, as news agency SWNS reported.
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TTS is a temporary, reversible heart condition often triggered by extreme emotional or physical stress, such as grief, fear or severe illness, according to experts.
Symptoms usually mimic a heart attack, with sudden and severe chest pain and shortness of breath the most common — and it primarily affects women over the age of 50.
A mom whose soldier son took his own life feared she was suffering cardiac arrest — only to be told by hospital doctors that she was feeling the effects of grief caused by a broken heart. Dawn Turner, mother of deceased soldier Rob Homans, is pictured above, April 2026. (SWNS)
Turner, of Eckington in Worcester, said, “I was [sitting] downstairs earlier that night and thought I had a bit of indigestion. I went to bed and just couldn’t get comfortable — I was breaking out in a sweat and had heart palpitations.
“Then, around midnight, I had pain down my arm and in my jaw. I was still putting it down to indigestion… My partner Paul asked me if I was all right, and I said, ‘I think I’m having a heart attack.’”
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She said she couldn’t catch her breath — “and my heart felt as though it was missing a beat and then [started] thudding again. For those moments, I truly believed I was having a heart attack.”
“Your heart is all over the place — there’s an extra beat,” Turner was told.
She said her partner called emergency services, and an ambulance arrived within five minutes.
“They came in and linked me up to an ECG. They said, ‘Your heart is all over the place — there’s an extra beat, and it’s all over the place,’” she said, as SWNS reported.
Turner was rushed to the hospital by ambulance.
Turner is shown with her son in full dress uniform. He worked as an artilleryman and spent 10 years in the U.K.’s Royal Horse Artillery after joining in 2006. He was battling mental health challenges after his military service, and ultimately took his own life. (SWNS)
In emergency care, Turner was also given blood tests.
She added, “They came back and said I didn’t have the enzymes produced from a heart attack in my blood. But they said there [was] something going on.”
After undergoing more tests and seeing a cardiologist, Turner was told she had takotsubo syndrome.
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“I told [the doctor] that my heart feels broken. I told her about [my son] Rob, and she said it’s exactly that. She said it’s a real thing, and that I’d been under so much stress. The body can only take so much, and the grief and the stress can be quite physical.”
Turner’s son committed suicide in August 2025 after struggling to get help with his mental health.
He spent 10 years in the Royal Horse Artillery after joining in 2006, when he worked as an artilleryman.
Turner’s son did two tours of duty in Afghanistan, she said. After he returned to civilian life, he began suffering from a number of health conditions. She’s shown above with a flower-draped memorial to her son. (SWNS)
He did two tours of duty in Afghanistan, she said, and returned to civilian life in 2016 before suffering several worsening health conditions.
Turner, who is also the CEO of a veterans charity called Stepway, “When he left the army, he got married, and they settled down in London. He walked straight into a job as a delivery driver. But then his health took a downward spiral, and he started having digestive troubles.”
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He was eventually told he had PTSD — but those symptoms may be similar to those of mild traumatic brain injury, Turner said.
“He was deaf in one ear from using the guns,” she said. “He realized he was putting so much pressure on his marriage, so he moved back up with me. He started to build himself up — then COVID hit.”
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Turner said there were unfortunate delays as her son tried to get access to various services and facilities.
“When people lose loved ones, you’re obviously distraught, but you eventually find closure,” she said, per SWNS. “I found peace when I lost my sister in 2015. But with Rob, I can’t find closure because there’s no justice there.”
“I had never really understood that a person could become so overwhelmed by stress and grief that it physically affects the heart,” said the grieving mom. “Broken heart syndrome can look and feel like a heart attack.” (iStock)
Turner is now on the mend and hopes to be fully recovered in a couple of weeks, SWNS reported.
“Until that moment, I had never really understood that a person could become so overwhelmed by stress and grief that it physically affects the heart,” she shared. “Broken heart syndrome can look and feel like a heart attack. It was a warning sign for me, and for anyone. It can change the shape of one of your heart chambers … it can cause some serious damage.”
She added, “The cardiologist told me that thankfully, my heart itself is healthy and there was no damage, but that it will take around two weeks to a month for my heart to reboot itself.”
“Maybe the extra [heart]beat is for Rob. You are carrying on living for him,” her partner told her.
Turner was told she needed to rest, seek counseling and make lifestyle changes to reduce stress.
“Things have settled down, and I’m taking things easy — I’m pacing myself now, and I feel a lot better. Paul said, ‘Maybe the extra beat is for Rob. You are carrying on living for him.’”
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Turner said, “That broke me and healed me a little bit all at once.”
Fox News Digital previously reported that broken heart syndrome, which causes the heart to temporarily weaken, has been linked to the brain’s reaction to stress, as studies have found.
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In an article published in the European Heart Journal in March 2019, Swiss researchers said they found that the syndrome is linked to the way the brain communicates with the heart.
Broken heart syndrome, which causes the heart to temporarily weaken, has been linked to the brain’s reaction to stress, studies have found. (iStock)
Caused by intense emotional events, TTS is a rare, temporary condition that weakens the left ventricle and disrupts its normal pumping function.
The syndrome causes the heart’s main pumping chamber to change shape and get larger. The heart muscle becomes weaker, and its pumping action loses strength.
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Symptoms include sudden, intense chest pain, pressure or heaviness in the chest, along with shortness of breath.
It is treated with beta blockers and blood-thinning medicine to reduce risks of clots and other flareups.
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