E-Coli: How To Protect Yourself

COLUMBUS, Ohio—Being careful means not being lazy.
“A lot more people get sick at home from what they do to themselves than they do from a restaurant,“ said Bryan Lipps, corporate chef for Hoggy’s.
After 13 years in the business, Lipps knows how to grill a burger.
The Ohio Department of Public Health reported that raw or undercooked ground beef is the usual carrier for the E. coli that is contaminating some Central Ohio meals—the O157-H7 strain.
“It’s more susceptible because of the processing and because of the multiple sources, rather just from one cow,“ Lipps said.
To protect yourself, experts recommend knowing the source of the ground beef.
To stave off a secondary case, where you cross-contaminate your own food, wash your hands.
Lipps also said not to be lazy or too proud of what you may consider grilling skills, using your meat thermometer to ensure you’ve cooked off most bad bacteria.
State and local health departments also still have a long way to go when it comes to identifying a possible source of the linked cases.
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