“SNL” alum and Bergen County resident Tracy Morgan says food poisoning was to blame after he fell ill as he sat courtside during a New York Knicks game Monday night.
Morgan, who recently returned to Saturday Night Live’s 50th anniversary special, was watching the face-off between the Knicks and Miami Heat in Madison Square Garden when he reportedly became sick, vomiting and suffering a nosebleed, according to multiple media reports.
Photos of Morgan vomiting and being taken away with a blood-filled towel over his face during the third quarter were posted on social media.
The diehard Knicks fan, who is often in attendance to cheer on the NBA team, gave an update from a hospital bed Tuesday morning, saying doctors told him he was dealing with a bout of food poisoning. The comedian took the incident in stride, quipping, “The Knicks are now 1-0 when I throw up on the court so maybe I’ll have to break it out again in the playoffs.”
Morgan, who starred in “30 Rock,” has had several health struggles on and off screen throughout his career. In 1996, he was diagnosed with diabetes that later required a kidney transplant. In 2014, Morgan was left with a traumatic brain injury and spent two weeks in a coma following a deadly multi-vehicle collision on the New Jersey Turnpike.
Morgan chalks his latest incident up to food poisoning, but what are the signs of symptoms? How do you get it and how long does it last? Here’s what to know.
How do you get food poisoning?
Food poisoning occurs when you ingest contaminated food, such as a toxic organism, like bacterium, fungus, parasite or virus, according to Dr. Christine Lee, a gastroenterologist who spoke to the Cleveland Clinic.
There are more than 250 specific types of food poisoning, although some of the common causes are:
- Salmonella (raw eggs/undercooked poultry)
- E. Coli (undercooked meat and raw vegetables)
- Listeria (bacteria in soft cheeses, deli meats, hot dogs, raw sprouts)
- Norovirus (undercooked shellfish, leafy greens, fresh fruits)
- Hepatitis A (viral, contagious infection through shellfish, fresh produce or water contaminated by feces.)
- Staphylococcus (staph infection from meats, poultry, milk, dairy, salads)
- Campylobacter (can linger for weeks, caused by undercooked poultry, meat or eggs, poorly processed meats, veggies, raw milk or water)
- Shigella (found in undercooked veggies, shellfish and cream- or mayo-based salads. Can cause blood in diarrhea)
Food poisoning symptoms
When you eat or drink something toxic, your body reacts by trying to “purge” the toxin, according to Lee. You may try to expel the toxin through vomiting, diarrhea, or both, and you may have a fever. Other symptoms include stomach pain and cramping, headache and weakness.
In Hepatitis A, it can take anywhere from 15 to up to 50 days after ingesting contaminated food or water before symptoms appear, according to the FDA.
How long does food poisoning last?
Food poisoning will set in within a few hours of eating contaminated food, Lee said. How long it lasts depends on the strain of germs ingested, how much you were exposed to and how strong your immune system is to fight it off, Lee said.
Most of the time, food poisoning will pass within 12 to 48 hours for healthy people, Lee said, but it could be up to 10 days or longer, depending on the pathogen ingested.
Lori Comstock is a New Jersey-based journalist with the Mid-Atlantic Connect Team.
