Food Safety for People With AIDS, Part 2

by USDA

(Page 2 of 2)

Properly cooking food is another important guard against food poisoning. Heat kills bacteria. Most cookbooks give appropriate cooking times and temperature for different foods. A meat thermometer should be used to ensure complete cooking. Cook red meat until it is well done and poultry until the juices run clear. Thoroughly reheat leftovers (165 deg F).

Never eat raw eggs or foods that contain them. Pasteurized eggs should be used in place of shell eggs when making homemade ice cream, eggnog and mayonnaise. If you can't obtain pasteurized eggs, then you must omit the egg ingredient when making homemade ice cream. When cooking eggs, make sure that the yolk and white are firm, not runny. Here are cooking times and temperatures:

• Scrambled-1 minute at medium stove top setting (250 deg F for electric frying pans).
• Sunnyside-7 minutes at medium setting (250 deg F) or cook covered 4 minutes at 250 deg F.
• Fried, over easy-3 minutes at medium setting (250 deg F) on one side, then turn and fry for another minute on the other side.
• Poached-5 minutes in boiling water.
• Boiled-7 minutes in boiling water.

Microwave cooking requires special precautions. Most microwave recipes include a "standing time" after the cooking period to ensure that a proper temperature is reached throughout the food. Also, many microwave dishes must be removed from the oven and stirred from time to time-again, ensuring thorough cooking. It is particularly important to heat pre-cooked foods or leftovers thoroughly, whether in a microwave or conventional oven.

Eating Out

Restaurants, like grocery stores, are required to follow sanitation guideline established by state and local health departments to ensure cleanliness and good hygiene. Persons with AIDS need to avoid the same foods in restaurants that they would at home. Always order food well-done; if it served medium to rare, send it back. A good way to determine doneness is to cut into the center of a steak, hamburger, or other piece of meat. If it is the least bit pink or bloody, it needs more cooking. Fish should be flaky, not rubbery, when cut.

Order fried eggs cooked on both sides instead of sunny side up, and avoid scrambled eggs that look runny. Caesar salad should also be avoided since it contains raw eggs. If unsure about the ingredients in a particular dish, ask before ordering.

Raw seafood poses a serious risk of food poisoning for persons with AIDS. Raw shellfish, like raw meat and poultry, should be assumed to harbor harmful bacteria. Oysters on the half shell, raw clams, sushi and sashimi should not be eaten. Lightly steamed seafood, such as mussels and snails, should be avoided.

Traveling Abroad

Not all countries have the same high standards of hygiene and sanitation as the United States, so persons with AIDS should take additional precautions when traveling abroad.

Boil all water before drinking. Drink only beverages made with boiled water or canned or carbonated bottled drinks. Ice, too, should be made only from boiled water. Avoid uncooked vegetables and salads. All fruit should be peeled. Eat cooked foods while they are still hot.

A good rule of thumb is "Boil it, cook it, peel it, or forget it."

While food poisoning can usually be treated with rest and plenty fluids until solid food can be eaten again, persons with AIDS or HIV infection may experience prolonged and more serious symptoms requiring a doctor's care.

If a consumer or doctor believes that an attack of food poisoning was related to a particular food or restaurant, the local health department or the Food and Drug Administration should be contacted. Reporting the incident to health officials can help others avoid serious illness. The telephone number for FDA's Emergency Operations Branch is 301-443-1240 (this number is staffed 24 hours a day).

These food safety guidelines for persons with AIDS and HIV infection are no different than those recommended for anyone. But, in the case of persons with AIDS or HIV infection, contaminated food can have more serious consequences.

There are other high-risk groups — such as cancer patients, diabetics, transplant recipients, infants, pregnant women, and the elderly — who should also give special attention to those guidelines. For individuals in these high-risk groups, maintaining a nutritious diet is of great importance. Cooking and eating defensively need not interfere with a nutritious diet. But not being aware of the hazards and not taking appropriate steps to reduce the risk food poisoning can be life-threatening.

About the Author

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