Janet Fletcher
10/26/05
If you believe you have been sickened by a restaurant meal, health authorities advise alerting the establishment and calling the health department of the county where the restaurant is located; see accompaying phone numbers.
Most common illnesses: Salmonella, staphylococcus, campylobacter, E. coli 0157:H7
General symptoms: Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea; sometimes headache, muscle cramps and abdominal cramps. Staph symptoms come on rapidly, but generally the time elapsed between ingestion and illness is 24 to 72 hours.
To file a report: Have the following information on hand to quicken the process:
— Restaurant name and location
— Date and time of your visit
— A list of things you ate at the restaurant
— When you began to feel ill and which symptoms came first
— A 24- to 48-hour history of all the food you’ve eaten, and where
— Names of people in your party, the foods they ate, and whether they were sick or not
Alameda County: (510) 567-6700, Ext. 5 to view restaurant inspection results online, go to www.acgov.org/aceh/food/index.htm.
Contra Costa County: (925) 646-5225
Marin County: (415) 499-6907; file online at www.co.marin.ca.us/ehs
Napa County: (707) 253-4471; to view inspection results online, go to co.napa.ca.us
San Francisco County: (415) 252-3800; if four or more people were sickened, call (415) 554-2830. For recent health inspection reports and scores for San Francisco County restaurants, go to www.dph.sf.ca.us/eh.
San Mateo County: (650) 363-4305; for inspection results or to file online go to smhealth.org
Santa Clara County: (408) 918-3400
Solano County: (707) 784-6765
Sonoma County: (707) 565-6565; submit by mail to Sonoma County Health Department, 475 Aviation Blvd., Suite 220, Santa Rosa, CA 95403. To view inspection results online, go to www. sonoma-county.org/health/eh/index.htm
Other information: For a list of California county health departments or to make a report for packaged foods, call the California Department of Health Services Food and Drug Hot Line at (800) 495-3232.