Food Borne Diseases

For every one food borne illness that is reported, there are 350 people who suffer nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea that do not report their illness. In the Sun Country Health Region, this averages out to 290 people per week who suffer from food borne illness.

The vast majority of food borne illnesses are self inflicted (at home). On the other hand, many stomach illnesses that people think are caused by bad food are actually caused by Entero- or Noro-viruses that spread from person-to-person.

These are not food borne illnesses at all. The first step in identifying a food borne illness is seeing your doctor while you are experiencing symptoms. Contact your Public Health Inspector for more information on how to identify the source of a food borne illness.

Food Safety Classes
Provincial regulations require that all licensed restaurants must have at least one staff member per shift who has taken a food handler course. PHI's conduct numerous one-day courses throughout the year and in various locations in the service area. Between 200 and 300 people receive the course each year.