IowaSic hotline opened with goal of limiting food poisoning cases

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) has launched an initiative to ease the impact of food poisoning cases.

The effort involves a hotline Iowans can call to report a possible foodborne illness. I-D-P-H Medical Director Dr. Patricia Quinlisk says specialists can then begin an investigation into the cause and source of the illness.  “The sooner we find out that people are getting ill, especially if they’re getting ill from something that’s public — in other words, a restaurant or an item being sold at your local store, the faster we can go in, intervene, and make sure any future food that’s sold will be safe,” Quinlisk said.

The IowaSic (pronounced Iowa Sick) hotline is 1-844-469-2742 (1-844-IOWA-SIC).

Quinlisk notes such a hotline would’ve been helpful in 2013 when a Cyclospora outbreak sickened at least 127 people in Iowa, Nebraska and a few other Midwest states. That outbreak was eventually traced to produce grown and packaged in Mexico and distributed to a national restaurant chain.

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About Dave Vickers

Dave has been News Director since 1983 and has been Station General Manager since 1999. Dave has also served on the Board of Directors of the Iowa Broadcast News Association and the Iowa Broadcast Association and has served on the Iowa Freedom of Information Council.
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