Category Archives: Death

Japan – Japan restaurant chain ordered to pay damages over raw-meat food poisoning deaths – E.coli O-111

Posted on March 14, 2018 by | Leave a comment

The Japan Times

The Tokyo District Court on Tuesday ordered restaurant chain operator Foods Forus Co. to pay ¥169 million ($1.58 million) to the families of three victims who died from food poisoning after eating raw meat at one of its barbecue restaurants in 2011.

While the court awarded damages to the plaintiffs, it ruled that the former president of Foods Forus, which is filing for special liquidation, was not guilty of gross negligence. The plaintiffs had sought around ¥209 million in damages and medical treatment expenses from the company and the former president.

Around 180 customers developed symptoms of food poisoning after dining at six Yakiniku-zakaya Ebisu restaurants in four prefectures — Kanagawa, Toyama, Ishikawa, and Fukui — in April 2011. A strain of E. coli, O-111, was found in many of the victims.

Five died due to illness. Nine plaintiffs, including the families of three who died after eating at the outlet in Tonami, Toyama Prefecture, sued the company and the former president in October 2014.

 

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Posted in Death, E.coli O111, Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Uncategorized

South Africa – ‘No Direct Link Between Deaths and Our Products’ – Tiger Brands

Posted on March 9, 2018 by | Leave a comment

All Africa

Although Tiger Brands says it detected low levels of listeriosis at its food manufacturing plant, it denied any current direct links between the deaths of 180 people from the food-borne outbreak.

“There is no direct link to the deaths and our product at the moment,” Tiger Brands CEO Lawrence MacDougall said while addressing the media at The Forum, in Bryanston, on Monday afternoon.

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Posted in Death, Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, outbreak, south africa, Uncategorized

USA- Kentucky reports hep A death; Waffle House worker positive

Posted on March 9, 2018 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

New hepatitis A infections continue to be diagnosed in Kentucky where almost 150 people have been confirmed with the virus. Health officials reported the state’s first death in the outbreak that has killed more than 40 people nationwide.

More bad news hit the headlines in the Bluegrass State this week as the Ashland-Boyd County Health Department reported on Tuesday that customers of both Waffle House restaurant locations in Boyd County were potentially exposed to the highly contagious virus by an infected foodservice worker.

“The single employee worked at each location during the infectious period,” according to the public health alert. “The window of possible exposure was Feb. 12-28.

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Posted in Death, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Virus, Hepatitis A, Uncategorized

South Africa – Listeria outbreak largest on record WHO says as Government blames food firms

Posted on March 6, 2018 by | Leave a comment

ABC Net News

South Africa is currently in the middle of the biggest listeria outbreak ever seen, according to the UN World Health Organisation (WHO).

Key points:

  • It took South Africa more than a year to identify the cause of listeria
  • Government blames food firms for the world’s worst outbreak
  • Cold meat producers deny direct link with the outbreak

The South African listeria outbreak has killed 180 people since January 2017, with nearly 1,000 cases reported.

The country’s Government has blamed producers of cold meat products for delays in tracing the cause.

“This is the largest ever recorded outbreak of this severe form of listeriosis globally,” Peter K. Ben Embarek, who manages the WHO International Food Safety Authorities Network, said.

The Government, which has been criticised for taking too long to find the cause, on Sunday linked the outbreak to a meat product known as “polony” made by Tiger’s Enterprise Food.

It also said it was investigating a plant owned by RCL Foods that makes a similar product, whose shares also slid on Monday before recovering.

Both companies, which say they are cooperating with the authorities, suspended processed meat production at their plants after health authorities ordered a recall of cold meats associated with the outbreak from outlets at home and abroad.

Listeria causes flu-like symptoms, nausea, diarrhoea and infection of the blood stream and brain.

South Africa’s Health Ministry said the source was found after pre-school children fell ill from eating polony products traced to processed meat producers.

 

 

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Posted in Death, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, south africa, Uncategorized

Ghana – Food Poisoning Kills 4 In Volta Region

Posted on March 6, 2018 by | Leave a comment

Modern Ghana

Some four persons have died at Akakpokope, a village in the South Tongu District of the Volta Region after consuming popular delicacy, banku and okro soup.

The deceased persons are Peace Akapko, 35; Elias Akakpo, 14; Comfort Aryee, 40 and Patience Kwaovi, 10.

The victims are said to belong to two separate families who coincidentally seemed to have eaten the same meal.

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Posted in Death, Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Uncategorized

South Africa – Listeriosis Outbreak Death Toll Exceeds 100

Posted on February 9, 2018 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety Magazine Listeria kswfoodworld food safety food poisoning

The death toll in South Africa’s precedent-setting Listeria outbreak continues to climb. The number of lives lost has reached 107, nearly half of which were newborns younger than 1 month of age, according to The National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD). Also, a total of 852 people have fallen ill.

This outbreak–which began in January 2017–is the largest documented Listeria outbreak in world history. There is still no known source that is causing these deaths and illnesses. Since victims come from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds, it has been difficult to pinpoint one single food source that all of them consumed leading up to their illness. Some food experts say the culprit in this outbreak is probably something that South African consumers eat or drink very regularly.

Listeriosis is most commonly associated with ready-to-eat deli meats, raw/unpasteurized dairy products, raw sprouts and some smoked seafoods.

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Posted in Death, Food Safety Alert, Listeria monocytogenes, listeriosis, Uncategorized

South Africa – Death toll rises to 41 from Listeriosis outbreak in S. Africa

Posted on December 19, 2017 by | Leave a comment

Xinhuanet Listeria kswfoodworld food safety food poisoning

CAPE TOWN, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) — The death toll from an outbreak of listeriosis has risen to 41 in South Africa, health authorities said on Monday.

Five more deaths were reported recently, all in the drought-stricken Western Cape Province, according to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD).

The victims included three adults and two newborns, the institute said.

Early this month, the NICD first reported 36 deaths out of the 557 laboratory confirmed cases since the beginning of this year.

The country normally records 60 to 80 cases a year.

In the Western Cape Province alone, 71 cases had been detected by November this year, the NICD said.

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Posted in Death, Food Poisoning, Listeria monocytogenes, Uncategorized

Australia/Bali – Two Die from Scomboid Poisoning and Secondary Illness

Posted on February 5, 2014 by | Leave a comment

The Australian File:Coryphaena hippurus.png

NOELENE Bischoff and her teenage daughter Yvana died after eating toxic fish while on holidays in Bali, preliminary autopsy results reveal.

But the Sunshine Coast pair may have survived the rare poisoning, called Scombroid Syndrome Toxicity, had they not both been asthma sufferers which accelerated and intensified their reaction.

A spokesman for the Queensland Coroner Terry Ryan told The Australian the Bischoff family met with forensic pathologists in Brisbane yesterday and had been told the possible causes of death. However, autopsy testing has not been finalised.

Bischoff, 54, and her 14-year-old daughter died violently and mysteriously in Bali last month, hours after enjoying a final meal at the Padang Bai Beach resort restaurant.

They had eaten grilled mahi mahi fish, vegetarian pizza and chicken curry, before succumbing to vomiting and breathlessness.

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Posted in Allergic Reaction, Death, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Histamine, Hygiene, Illness, Microbiology, Poisoning, Scombroid, Toxin

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USA – Outbreak Updates – Cyclospora – Foster Farms – Hepatitis

Posted on October 31, 2013 by | Leave a comment

CDC Final Report Hepatitis A  – Townsend Farmscdc

This  particular outbreak appears to be over. However, Viral Hepatitis is still an  important cause of human illness in the United States. More information about Viral Hepatitis,  and steps people can take to reduce their risk of infection, can be found on the CDC Viral Hepatitis website.

CDC Final Report Cyclospora

These outbreaks appear to be over. More information about Cyclospora can be found on CDC’s Cyclospora pages.

CDC Report on More Foster Farms Salmonella Cases

As of October 29,  2013, a total of 362 persons infected with seven outbreak strains of Salmonella Heidelberg have been reported from 21 states and Puerto Rico.

38% of ill persons have been hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported.

Most ill persons (74%) have been reported from California.

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Posted in CDC, Cyclospora, Death, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Virus, Foodborne Illness, Hepatitis A, Hygiene, Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Protozoan, Recall, Research, Salmonella, Toxin, Virus

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Italy – One Dead and Three Ill from Ricotta – Listeria monocytogenes

Posted on October 28, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Italian Daily Mail

Listeria bacterium in a ricotta product in Italy has caused the death of  an elderly man aged 74 of Poggio Mirteto, while three other people were severely intoxicated, including a man of 45 years of Casperia. The four people’s place of residence, Lower Sabina, and they consumed the product at the beginning of the month, cheese and dairy products by a famous dairy company which has not yet been named.

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Posted in Death, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Laboratory, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen

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