Michael Danser/The Daily Campus

Eggs are cheap and easy to cook. These attributes make them an appealing choice for college students.

Wright County Egg in Iowa recalled eggs after testing revealed batches contaminated with Salmonella Earlier this August, a bacterium that can be on both the outside and the inside of eggs.

SMU Medical Director Dr. Peter F. Davis said symptoms of ingestion typically include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain and fever.

For people with weakened immune systems, including those with diabetes, Salmonella can spread from the intestines to the blood, allowing for the possibility of organ failure.
Davis suggested that students check for diarrhea with bloody stools, since people get diarrhea for many other reasons.

SMU student Mary-Ashley Seabrook said she has been meaning to cut down on the amount of eggs she eats and the Salmonella outbreak may help her achieve this goal.
“It makes you really paranoid about something as simple as eating,” Seabrook said. “It’s a universal ingredient used in everything. It’s something you eat on a daily basis and it’s hard not to eat something with an egg in it.”

Fred Leach, an SMU junior, said, “I’ll definitely think about it before I start eating it, but I’ll just have faith that SMU is getting good eggs.”

The Marketing Manager for SMU Dining Kami Gantt said the eggs SMU Dining uses are not part of the recall, and had the recall affected them, they would take measures to ensure customer safety.

“Lucky for us, most people go to [the] dining hall and don’t have to prepare their own food,” Leach said. “But dorms like Moore, which have their own kitchen, just need to be warned to keep everything clean when they cook.”

Davis explains that while the outbreak isn’t serious locally, out-of-state students may face problems.

“At this time of year, students are coming to campus from areas with outbreaks. I advise students to be aware of the symptoms and report them” Davis said.

Davis also warned that Salmonella can be transferred in instances of poor hygiene, such as fecal material on hands that has touched or prepared food.

For more information on potentially contaminated brand names and identifying dates and codes on cartons, visit: www.eggsafty.org

For  more  information on reducing risk of contracting Salmonella from eggs, visit: www.cdc.gov