Katy Perry's Food Poisoning

On Facebook, Friday, July 8:

Food poisoning & severe dehydration has forced Katy to postpone shows in Chicago & St. Paul. They are rescheduled for 8/21 in Chicago & 8/23 in St. Paul. Tickets will be honored at the new dates or refunded at the point of purchase. Katy said, "I apologize to my fans in Chicago & the Twin Cities for not being able to perform this weekend, but I am going to return in a few weeks to give them the very best show ever!"

12,024 like this [really represents fans who are concerned and care about Katy's health]

3, 042 comments [well wishers] 

When one person falls ill from eating contaminated food, many, many more are affected. In Katy's case, it was her fans, her producers, the stage crew, the concert staff, the venue staff, etc. The cost of her illness is escalated beyond the cost of doctors, lab tests and hospital care to the costs of missed performances (work), rescheduled concerts, affected travel, thousands and thousands of ticket holders, their travel plans to get to the concerts, etc. 

Food poisoning can happen to anyone. When it happens to Katy Perry, tens of thousands of people are effected. When it happens to one of us, it might only disrupt the lives of close family, friends, and co-workers. However, multiply each of those smaller instances by the thousands and thousands of cases of foodborne illness that occur annually in the United States, and you can begin to see why it is a problem -- a problem of Katy Perry-like dimensions.