Preventing Yersiniosis

Minimizing Your Risk

Wash your hands

• After handling raw chitterlings, clean hands and fingernails scrupulously with soap and water.
  • Especially before touching infants or their toys, bottles, or pacifiers.
  • Someone other than the food handler should care for children while chitterlings are being prepared.
• Wash hands after using the bathroom and changing diapers, and before handling or eating any food.
  
• Make sure that persons with diarrhea, especially children, wash their hands carefully and frequently with soap to reduce the risk of spreading the infection.
• Always wash hands after contact with farm animals, pets, animal feces, and animal environments.
  

Keep your food preparation areas clean

• Keep raw pork and other meat separate from produce and other foods when shopping for and storing groceries.
• Wash hands, cutting boards, countertops, cutlery, and utensils after handling uncooked pork.
  
• Wash raw fruits and vegetables before eating.
  
• Someone other than the food handler should care for children while chitterlings are being prepared.
  

Cook and store your food at the appropriate temperatures

• Avoid eating raw or undercooked pork.
  
• Thoroughly cook raw meat and poultry to destroy the bacteria.
  
• Meat, poultry, pork, and hamburgers should be cooked until they are no longer pink in the middle.
  
• Defrost food in the refrigerator, in cold water, or in the microwave. Food should be stored in a refrigerator that is 40°F or cooler or a freezer that is 0°F or cooler.
  

Be careful when dealing with animals

• Always wash hands after contact with farm animals, pets, animal feces, and animal environments.
  

Do you suspect that you have a foodborne or waterborne illness? Visit reporting suspected foodborne/waterborne illnesses.