Anyone can get sick from eating contaminated food. According to CDC estimates, 48 million people get sick from a foodborne illness each year.
A commonly held belief is that washing chicken makes it safer to eat. However, the opposite is true. Washing chicken doesn’t get rid of germs. Instead, it can spread germs to your sink and contaminate fruits and vegetables that are later rinsed in the space. The only way to kill germs in chicken is to cook it to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
This video from the CDC shows how germs spread when chicken is washed. The CDC also has more information about preventing foodborne illness from chicken.
