Food for Thought: Could You Recognize a Foodborne Illness?

An infant presents with constipation, poor feeding, sluggish pupils, diminished suck and gag reflexes. His mother also reports that his cries are unusually soft at night, making him hard to hear. These symptoms could lead clinicians in several directions, but one question about nutrition may provide an important clue: What is the infant eating? If the answer includes formula, a possible foodborne exposure may need to be considered.

The recent widespread Cyclospora outbreak demonstrated just how varied foodborne illnesses can be and raised questions about food safety. The outbreak, linked to contaminated iceberg lettuce, was declared over by the CDC on September 11, 2026, after 12,883 illnesses were reported across 21 states, resulting in at least 570 hospitalizations and two deaths. In addition to Cyclospora, outbreaks in the United States have involved organisms including Salmonella, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), Listeria, and Clostridium botulinum, associated with foods ranging from produce and cheese to infant formula.

Why food outbreaks matter

Foodborne illness remains a significant public health concern. According to the CDC, there have been multiple outbreaks associated with food in the last few months. Symptoms can range from relatively mild gastrointestinal illness to severe complications requiring hospitalization. Young children, older adults, pregnant women, and individuals with weakened immune systems may be […]

2026-10-29T08:03:50-04:00October 29th, 2026|Nursing, Public health|0 Comments
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One Question That Can Change the Diagnosis: Why Travel History Matters

A college student presents to the emergency department with fever, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea after returning from a spring break humanitarian mission trip to Haiti. During the nursing assessment, the patient reports having brushed their teeth with water that might have been untreated and recalls receiving multiple mosquito bites. What might at first appear to be a routine case of gastroenteritis comes in this case with concern for dengue, malaria, typhoid fever, or cholera. The patient’s travel history changes not only the differential diagnosis but also the urgency of testing, treatment, and infection-control decisions.

One simple question can change a patient’s outcome: Have you traveled recently? According to the CDC, nearly half of travelers to low- and middle-income countries become ill during or after travel. Although many illnesses are mild, some require hospitalization, and others may not become apparent until weeks or even months after returning home. Some syndromes can present years after travel.

Why travel matters.

According to the WHO, international travel is on the rise. Millions of people are traveling for professional, personal, and humanitarian reasons. International travel exposes people to infectious diseases that may be uncommon in the United States. Contaminated food and water, insect bites, animal exposures, health care encounters […]

2026-08-28T09:50:45-04:00August 28th, 2026|infectious diseases, Nursing, Public health|0 Comments
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E-Bikes and Kids: Permission Is Not Preparation

When a student returns to my middle school after an e-bike or e-scooter crash, the emergency may be over, but the injury is not. I see the cast and crutches, the concussion plan, the missed classes, the headaches that linger, and parents still trying to understand how an ordinary ride changed so much. That is why “Are you ready to ride?” must mean more than having permission to leave the driveway.

I have been a nurse for more than 30 years, the last 11 of them as a school nurse. I am not usually the nurse at the crash scene. I am the nurse who sees what comes next. I see the student navigating hallways on crutches. I see the child who insists the headache is gone because they are tired of missing gym or practice. I see the parent coordinating appointments, transportation, schoolwork, and recovery while wondering when life will feel normal again.

Outside our schools, the change arrived silently. Dismissal once meant the rumble of buses, parents calling through open car windows, and the rattle of bicycle chains. Now students glide away with a quiet electric hum, heading to practice, work, friends’ homes, and the growing independence every generation of teenagers has wanted.

That freedom […]

2026-08-12T15:41:12-04:00August 12th, 2026|Nursing, Public health, school nurses|0 Comments
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Dengue Cases Are Rising: Why Every Nurse Should Be Paying Attention

A patient presents to the emergency department with fever, headache, nausea, and severe muscle pain after returning from a Caribbean cruise. A few years ago, dengue fever may not have been high on a nurse’s list of possible diagnoses. Today, it should be.

Cryoelectron microscopy renderings of mature dengue virions (DENV-1) and photo of an Aedes mosquito. (NIAID)

Dengue is the leading cause of febrile illness among travelers returning to the United States from endemic regions. According to the World Health Organization, about half of the world’s population is at risk for dengue, with an estimated 100 to 400 million infections occurring annually, although many cases likely go unreported because symptoms are mild or absent.

In a recent MMWR, 3,798 dengue cases were reported in the United States in 2024 representing a 359% increase compared to the annual average reported between 2010 and 2023. Nearly 97% of reported infections occurred in travelers, with many cases linked to destinations in the Caribbean, including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. However, locally acquired cases were also identified in Florida, California, and Texas.

Cause and Challenges

Dengue, sometimes called “breakbone fever,” is caused by one of four related viruses […]

2026-07-14T11:03:15-04:00July 14th, 2026|infectious diseases, Nursing|0 Comments
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Beyond Environmental Services: Common Cleaning Gaps in Patient Care

During rounds in an outpatient clinic, I noticed staff cleaning vaginal ultrasound probes between patients with a quaternary ammonium disinfectant wipe (a low-level disinfectant appropriate for use on devices that come in contact with intact skin).

When I asked about the process, the staff explained that because the probe was covered with a probe cover, they assumed a disinfectant wipe was sufficient. While probe covers provide an important layer of protection, they can leak or develop microscopic perforations. Because contamination can still occur, these probes should always be treated as if they have contacted mucous membranes and require a high-level disinfectant (appropriate for use on devices that come in contact with mucous membranes or non-intact skin) instead of a low-level disinfectant.

Gaps in knowledge and execution.

This type of misunderstanding is not uncommon in health care and illustrates a broader challenge: cleaning failures are often not caused by lack of effort but by gaps in knowledge and execution. Despite longstanding guidance, inconsistencies in cleaning and disinfection practices continue to be cited during regulatory and accrediting surveys.

The Spaulding classification system.

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2026-06-15T09:46:46-04:00June 9th, 2026|infection control, Nursing, patient safety, Public health|1 Comment
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Views expressed on the blog are solely those of the authors or persons quoted. They do not necessarily reflect AJN’s views or those of Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
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