FIXING CHITTERLINGS? PROTECT CHILDREN 

For many Southern families, eating chitterlings during holiday meals is a tradition, but Public Health officials are concerned that steps be taken during preparation to insure that children do not become ill as a result of contact with bacteria found in raw chitterlings.

Dr. Anne Peterson, an epidemiologist with the Georgia Department of Human Resources, Division of Public Health, said there is a marked increase during November and December in cases of severe diarrhea caused by Yersinia enterocoloticus (YE), which is found in the intestines of pigs. Most of the cases, she said, are in African-American babies or children under age five, who have been in a kitchen where raw chitterlings, also known as chitlins, were being prepared.

"Eating cooked chitterlings is safe," Dr. Peterson said. "The problem is that cleaning raw chitterlings takes a long time. All that time, the bacteria that causes this diarrhea can grow and spread; it even grows on food in the refrigerator."

In interviews with dozens of African-American women, she found that most of the older women use traditional methods and very careful hygiene, but many younger women have not learned these careful traditional practices. "It's clear from these interviews and from tests I conducted in my own kitchen that even when people are very careful, it is still easy to spread the germs around the kitchen and then to your child or to something the child will handle," Dr. Peterson said. 

She recently completed a study of how YE is transmitted and how people in the community have successfully reduced the risk to their children.

The solution, Dr. Peterson said, was learned from the women who were interviewed. "Many of these experienced cooks boil the chitterlings for just five minutes before cleaning them. This kills the bacteria. While the chitterlings are boiling, clean the kitchen and your hands with hot water and bleach powder, then clean the chitterlings as usual. Finally, cook and season according to your traditional recipe. This advice came from some of the women I interviewed. Preboiling cuts the cleaning process in half. Also, everyone who tasted them agreed that preboiled chitterlings taste just as good."

Charlotte Bedell, the Southwest Health District's chief nutritionist and director of the Office of Nutrition Services, said brochures and fliers will be available in county health departments during the holiday season.

"We've been aware of this problem, and now we're pleased to say that we have much more information about how to avoid the disease. We know no one wants a child to get sick during the holidays," she said.

Mrs. Bedell said anyone wishing information regarding this illness and the safe preparation of chitterlings may contact their local health department.

The Southwest Health District includes Baker, Calhoun, Colquitt, Decatur, Dougherty, Early, Grady, Lee, Miller, Mitchell, Seminole, Terrell, Thomas and Worth counties.