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Attack of the Killer Tomatoes
Last week was tough for tomato lovers. At least 228 people in 23 states got sick from eating tomatoes or foods made from them. The tomatoes were contaminated by bacteria that belong to a group called salmonella. When people eat food that is contaminated by salmonella they might have stomach cramps, vomiting, a fever, or diarrhea. Most people recover on their own, but some might need antibiotics and a stay in a hospital.
Nobody knows yet how the salmonella got on the tomatoes, but the government's Food and Drug Administration is trying to find out. Meanwhile, many supermarkets have removed tomatoes from their shelves. So have restaurants like McDonalds and Taco Bell. The good news is that not all tomato products are dangerous. Bacteria can't survive cooking, so only tomatoes that are raw or ones that have not been cooked long enough run the risk of carrying salmonella.
Salmonella can make you sick, but not all bacteria are bad. In fact, you have trillions of bacteria living in your body. These healthy bacteria can help keep bad bacteria from living in your body. Bacteria you get from eating products like yogurt help you digest food. There are even good bacteria in our mouths that eat the stuff that gives us bad breath. Thanks good bacteria!
I'm Ben and that's what happened in our nation this week.
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