Category Archives: food death

Nigeria – Family of four dies of alleged food poisoning

Posted on May 29, 2019 by | Leave a comment

The Nation

The Police in Ebonyi state on Monday confirmed the death of a family of four from alleged food poisoning.

They include a 100-year-old woman and three other family members.

Spokesperson of the Police in the state, Loveth Odah, confirmed the incident in Abakaliki, capital of Ebonyi state.

According to her, the corpses of the victims have been deposited in Matter Hospital located at Afikpo North local government area of the state.

“The death of the said persons was as a result of food poisoning. A family of four at Amachara village at Afikpo North LGA was discovered dead on their bed inside their room.

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Posted in food contamination, food death, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Uncategorized

Cambodia – Villagers poisoned in two separate cases over weekend

Posted on May 22, 2019 by | Leave a comment

Khmer Times

One person was killed and about 40 others were injured over the weekend after they consumed wild mushrooms and salted crabs in Preah Sihanouk and Battambang provinces.

Seng Nong, director of the Preah Sihanouk Provincial Referral Hospital, yesterday said five people working at the special economic zone were sent to hospital on Friday after they consumed mushrooms, noting that one of the victims died.

“According to them, they used mushrooms in their cooking, and after eating, they began vomiting and having difficulty breathing,” Mr Nong said. “We suspect they had been poisoned by the mushrooms because they ate nothing else but those mushrooms.”

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Posted in food contamination, food death, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Uncategorized

Research – Lab work in South Africa’s Listeria outbreak was ‘remarkable’

Posted on May 18, 2019 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

Researchers have described how a laboratory handled increased demand during the 2017-2018 listeriosis outbreak in South Africa.

Whole genome sequencing (WGS) and epidemiological data were used to determine the source of the outbreak as ready-to-eat processed meat manufactured by Enterprise Foods.

A total of 1,060 cases were reported from January 2017 to July 2018 and 216 people died.

The largest ever reported outbreak of listeriosis included an alert in mid-June 2017, a peak in mid-November 2017, and identification of the outbreak source in mid-February 2018.

“This eight-month timeline was rather remarkable, considering the large number of cases involved and the limited capacity and resources available for foodborne disease outbreak investigations in South Africa,” according to researchers.

The study is published in the Foodborne Pathogens and Disease journal

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Posted in food bourne outbreak, food death, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, foodborne disease, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, outbreak, south africa, Uncategorized

USA – Outbreak of Multidrug-Resistant Shigella sonnei Infections in a Retirement Community — Vermont, October–November 2018

Posted on May 6, 2019 by | Leave a comment

CDC

On October 22, 2018, the Vermont Department of Health (VDH) notified CDC’s Waterborne Disease Prevention Branch of an outbreak of diarrhea caused by Shigella sonnei among residents, visitors, and staff members of a retirement community in Chittenden County, the state’s most populous county. High-quality single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis predicted initial isolates were multidrug resistant (MDR), and were closely related to a concurrent multistate cluster (differing by 0–11 SNPs). In the United States, rates of MDR shigellosis are increasing (1); outbreaks of MDR shigellosis are more common among men who have sex with men and are rare in retirement community settings (2). CDC collaborated with VDH to identify additional cases, determine transmission routes, and recommend prevention and control measures.

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Posted in food contamination, food death, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Multi Drug Resistant, Shigatoxin, Shigella, Uncategorized

Canada – ‘My mom’s death was needless’: Families want answers after Salmonella outbreak at Winnipeg care home

Posted on May 2, 2019 by | Leave a comment

CBC

A Winnipeg care home where two residents recently died has confirmed it served frozen food from Thailand that was later linked to the Canada-wide outbreak of salmonella.

Golden West Centennial Lodge executive director Joyce Kristjansson told staff and families in an email on Tuesday morning it had given residents cream puffs that are now on the recall list.

Two residents at the 116-bed personal care facility in the Sturgeon Creek neighbourhood died in March, and a third was sickened. All three tested positive for salmonella.

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Posted in food contamination, food death, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Testing, Salmonella, Uncategorized

Canada – 73 with Salmonella Enteritidis in Canada linked to Profiteroles and Eclairs – 2 Dead

Posted on April 29, 2019 by | Leave a comment

Food Poison Journal

Frozen profiteroles and mini eclairs sold in grocery stores are the apparent sources of two deaths among at least 73 lab-confirmed cases of Salmonella Enteritidis infections in Canada as of April 27, 2019, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC).

The outbreak, which was first announced on April 5, 2019, has spread to six Canadian provinces: British Columbia (27), Alberta (12), Saskatchewan (9), Manitoba (10), Ontario (13) and Quebec (2).

The outbreak began in early November 2018 and remains ongoing, with the most recent case having been reported in late March 2019. Outbreak victims range in age between 1 and 88 years of age.

PHAC has not determined whether or not Salmonella was a contributing factor in either of the deaths. Nineteen outbreak victims have been hospitalized.

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Posted in food contamination, food death, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Salmonella, Uncategorized

Canada – Canada Salmonella Outbreak Sickens Sixty-three

Posted on April 8, 2019 by | Leave a comment

Food Poison Journal

Canadian health officials are investigating an outbreak of Salmonella in six provinces that has sickened 63 people, including 18 who have been hospitalized and two deaths.

People who became ill range in age from one to 87. Individuals became sick between November and March.

The Public Health Agency of Canada said the breakdown of known cases as of Friday includes 23 people in B.C., ten people each in Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario. There are eight cases in Saskatchewan and two in Quebec.

The agency said the source of the bacterial infection has not been identified.

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Europe – ECDC – Multi-country cluster of Listeria monocytogenes ST1247 in five EU countries

Posted on March 27, 2019 by | Leave a comment

ECDC

CDC has identified a microbiological link between an outbreak of nine Listeria monocytogenes ST1247 cases in Denmark and nine additional cases reported between 2014 and 2018 in Estonia (2 cases) Finland (2), France (1) and Sweden (4).

ECDC has identified a microbiological link between an outbreak of nine Listeria monocytogenes ST1247 cases in Denmark and nine additional cases reported between 2014 and 2018 in Estonia (2 cases) Finland (2), France (1) and Sweden (4).  In Denmark, the outbreak investigation is led by Statens Serum Institut (SSI), the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration and the DTU Food Institute.

Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) analysis performed at the national level and by ECDC found all isolates from the 18 cases within two allelic differences from each other (core genome MLST using Moura scheme, 1540 of 1748 loci detected in all 18 isolates). The latest case was reported in Denmark in February 2019 (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Distribution of Listeria monocytogenes isolates by country and time of reporting 2014-2019 (n=18)

Figure 1: Distribution of Listeria monocytogenes isolates by country and time of reporting 2014-2019 (n=18)

A large-scale study led by ECDC on whole genome sequencing shows that most listeria outbreaks such as this one remain undetected. The study, published in 2018, suggests that more than half of the severe listeriosis cases in the European Union belong to clusters, many of which are not being picked up fast enough by the current surveillance system.

Listeria monocytogenes causes listeriosis, which primarily affects pregnant women, newborns, and adults with a weakened immune system. Listeriosis is a relatively rare but potentially severe food-borne disease that has been reported in increasing numbers in the EU/EEA countries since 2008. In 2016, 2 536 cases were reported, including 247 deaths.

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Posted in food contamination, food death, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Technology, Food Testing, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, listeriosis, MLST, Uncategorized, Whole Genomic Sequencing

USA -More frozen breaded chicken nuggets recalled in connection with outbreak

Posted on March 22, 2019 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

Canadian officials have posted the 13th recall notice related to more than a dozen Salmonella outbreaks — some ongoing — in their country in the past 22 months. Investigators have traced the outbreaks to frozen breaded chicken nuggets, patties and similar products.

In the latest recall, posted March 21, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency urged consumers to check their homes for certain Janes brand “Pub Style – Chicken Nuggets – Breaded Chicken Cutlettes” and throw them away even if some have been eaten and no one appeared to have become sick. The agency reported the Sofina Foods Inc. distributed the recalled products to retailers nationwide.

The Public Health Agency of Canada continues to warn the public about the dangers of raw frozen breaded chicken products. The agency reported that as of March 1, there had been a total of 555 laboratory-confirmed outbreak victims nationwide. Of those for whom complete information is available, 92 people had to be admitted to hospitals. 

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Posted in food contamination, food death, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Salmonella, Uncategorized

Information – How Do You Know if You Have a Listeria monocytogenes Infection?

Posted on March 14, 2019 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning Bulletin

Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen that can make you seriously ill. Listeria monocytogenes infections are tricky, because the symptoms may not show up until 70 days after a person has been exposed. And the symptoms of this infection are similar to the flu, especially in pregnant women, so diagnosis can be difficult. Full article at the link above.

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Posted in food contamination, food death, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, Food Testing, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Uncategorized