Monthly Archives: January 2017

Outbreak News Today

In a follow-up on the multi-province E.coli O121 outbreak in Canada, The Public Health Agency of Canada has reported an additional two cases–one each from British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador.

To date, 14 cases of E.coli O121 with a matching genetic fingerprint have been reported in three provinces: British Columbia (5), Saskatchewan (4), and Newfoundland and Labrador (5). The illness onset dates range from November 2016 to January 2017.

Five individuals have been hospitalized. These individuals have recovered or are recovering. The investigation into the source of the outbreak is ongoing.

Food Safety News

Thomas and Nancy Lundeen may never look at Groundhog’s Day the same again. They’ve got until then to respond to an FDA warning letter about Listeria in their cookie dough and production plant — give or take a day depending on how long it took an overnight service to deliver the letter.

Poultry Med

PHE

Outbreak News Today

Today, the Alliance to Prevent Legionnaires’ Disease joined forces with public health and environmental advocate Erin Brockovich and the president of Allergy & Asthma Network (AAN) Tonya Winders to call on lawmakers and health officials to work towards real, effective solutions to New York’s escalating Legionella and Legionnaires’ disease crisis. Misguided regulations for combating the disease were implemented after the 2015 South Bronx outbreak, and unfortunately—though predictably—instances of Legionnaires’ have continued to climb across the state since the regulations went into effect.

Out Break News Today

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today drew the public’s attention to increased activity of norovirus in Hong Kong and overseas and neighboring areas in recent months, and hence reminded travellers during the Lunar New Year to maintain strict personal, hand, food and environmental hygiene.

“Locally, the CHP’s laboratory surveillance has revealed high norovirus activity since the autumn months,” a spokesman for the CHP said.

The norovirus-positive percentage among fecal specimens was 16.57 per cent and 13.70 per cent in November and December 2016 respectively. Among 14 institutional acute gastroenteritis outbreaks affecting 123 persons in the past four weeks as of January 24, 2017, two outbreaks involving 25 persons were norovirus-related.

Eurosurveillance

CDC Photo

Since early November 2016, the number of laboratory-confirmed norovirus infections reported in Germany has been increasing steeply. Here, we report the detection and genetic characterisation of an emerging norovirus recombinant, GII.P16-GII.2. This strain was frequently identified as the cause of sporadic cases as well as outbreaks in nine federal states of Germany. Our findings suggest that the emergence of GII.P16-GII.2 contributed to rising case numbers of norovirus gastroenteritis in Germany

RASFF – aflatoxins (B1 = 7; Tot. = 20 µg/kg – ppb) in dried figs from Turkey in France

RASFF-aflatoxins (B1 = 22.4; Tot. = 26.6 µg/kg – ppb) in hazelnut kernels from Georgia in Bulgaria

RASFF-aflatoxins (B1 = 17.4; Tot. = 19.6 µg/kg – ppb) in raw pistachios inshell from the United States, via Georgia in Bulgaria

RASFF-aflatoxins (B1 = 130; Tot. = 150 µg/kg – ppb) in pistachios from Turkey in the Netherlands

RASFF-aflatoxins (B1 = 27; Tot. = 30 µg/kg – ppb) in pistachios from the United States in the Netherlands

RASFF-aflatoxins (B1 = 24; Tot. = 24 µg/kg – ppb) in peanuts in shell from Israel in Spain

RASFF-aflatoxins (B1 = 3 µg/kg – ppb) in peanuts in shell from China in Bulgaria

RASFF-aflatoxins (B1 = 11.6; Tot. = 12.2 µg/kg – ppb) in chili powder from India in the UK

RASFF-aflatoxins (B1 = 21; Tot. = 26 µg/kg – ppb) in nutmeg from Indonesia in the Netherlands

RASFF-aflatoxins (B1 = 15; Tot. = 22 µg/kg – ppb) in nutmeg from Indonesia in the Netherlands

RASFF -Salmonella (in 1 out of 5 samples /25g) in betel leaves from India in the UK

RASFF-Salmonella (1 out of 5 samples /25g) in betel leaves from India in the UK

RASFF-Salmonella (presence /25g) in soup with sausage from Poland in Poland

RASFF-Salmonella (presence /25g) in dried mushrooms from Italy in Germany

RASFF – Salmonella (presence /25g) in betel leaves from India in the UK

RASFF-Salmonella Cardoner (in 1 out of 5 samples /25g), Salmonella diarizonae (in 2 out of 5 samples /25g), Salmonella Johannesburg (in 1 out of 5 samples /25g), Salmonella poona (in 1 out of 5 samples /25g) and Salmonella Salamae (in 1 out of 5 samples /25g) in whitish sesame seeds from Sudan in Greece

RASFF- deoxynivalenol (DON) (3358 µg/kg – ppb) in wheat from the Czech Republic in Germany

RASFF – ochratoxin A (42 µg/kg – ppb) in cayenne pepper powder (Capsicum annum) from India in the Netherlands