Prevention:

There are many ways to help prevent salmonella bacteria from making your family ill.  Most salmonella bacteria appear in animal products and can be killed by the heat from cooking.   So it's important to make sure that you do not serve raw or undercooked eggs, poultry, or meat. Microwaving is not a reliable way to kill the salmonella bacteria.

Because salmonella bacteria can contaminate even intact and disinfected grade A eggs, avoid serving poached eggs or eggs that are served sunny-side up.

Salmonella also can be spread through cross-contamination, so when you are preparing meals, keep uncooked meats away from cooked and ready-to-eat foods. In addition, thoroughly wash your hands, cutting boards, counters, and knives after handling uncooked foods.

Some foods may contain unrecognized raw-food products and should be avoided. Caesar salad dressing, the Italian dessert tiramisu, homemade ice cream, chocolate mousse, eggnog, cookie dough, and frostings can contain raw eggs. Unpasteurized milk and juices also can be contaminated with salmonella.

Fecal matter is often the source of salmonella contamination, so hand washing is extremely important, particularly after using the toilet and before preparing food.

Take care to avoid contact with the feces of family pets — especially reptiles. Wash your hands thoroughly after handling an animal and ensure that no reptiles are permitted to come into contact with an infant. Even healthy reptiles (especially turtles and iguanas) are not appropriate pets for small children and should not be in the same house as an infant.