Category Archives: Food Illness

USA – FDA Investigates Shigella Illnesses Linked to Imported Raw Oysters

FDA 

May 21, 2019

Audience

  • Consumers who recently experienced symptoms of foodborne illness after eating raw oysters
  • Restaurants that sell raw oysters in California, Nevada, New York, and Arizona

Product

  • Oysters harvested from Estero El Cardon, Baja California Sur, Mexico
  • Oysters were distributed primarily to California, Nevada, New York, and Arizona
  • Oysters were sold to wholesale distributors with direct sales to restaurants and not to grocery retail outlets.

Purpose

Consumers should not purchase oysters marketed as being harvested from Estero El Cardon, in Baja California Sur, Mexico from restaurants. Consumers who have recently experienced symptoms of foodborne illness should contact their healthcare provider and report their symptoms and receive care.

Restaurants and retailers should not serve oysters from the Estero El Cardon harvest area in Baja California Sur, Mexico. Restaurants and retailers should dispose of any products with harvest tags that indicate a growing area of Estero El Cardon by throwing them away.

Symptoms of Shigella Illness (Shigellosis)

Shigella is a bacterium that spreads from contaminated feces. It often spreads through unclean water that an infected person has been in. Food can become contaminated when handled by an infected person who did not use proper hand hygiene after going to the bathroom, or if contaminated water is used in the process of growing or preparing the food.

Symptoms of shigellosis generally develop within 8 hours or up to about 2 days. Although shigellosis is often mild and goes away by itself in a week or less, it can become very serious in some cases. Severe cases can be treated with certain antibiotics. Symptoms of shigellosis may include watery stool that may have blood, pus, or mucus in it, vomiting, cramping, and fever. Young children, the elderly, and people with a weak immune system are more likely than others to develop severe illness.

If you suspect you have symptoms of shigellosis, contact a health professional.

Argentina -Argentina reports two Clostridium botulism cases linked to hummus

Outbreak News Today

cdc clost spore

Image CDC

Two people from Villa Urquiza have contracted botulism and health officials have linked it to consumption of hummus, according to a Perfil report (computer translated).

According to the report, the packaged hummus was from a a firm that marketed -without any type of authorization- vegan products in its Buenos Aires neighborhood of Palermo.

The two female patients, aged 25 and 32, presented Thursday with symptoms compatible with botulism: blurred vision, difficulty in swallowing, muscle weakness, muscle fatigue, among others. Both are hospitalized in the intensive care unit of Sanatorium Güemes.

The Buenos Aires Ministry of Health began an epidemiological investigation and prevention and control measures were implemented. It was determined that the cases of intoxication were associated with the product: “Hummus, organic chickpea, Tsuki Macro Vegan brand”.

Philippines – Food poisoning sickens 100s at Bukidnon event

Outbreak News Today

Philippines officials are reported an outbreak of suspected food poisoning in Bukidnon province in the  Northern Mindanao region.

It is reported that 233 delegates of the 8th National Youth Convention held by the Seventh Day Adventists at the Center of Ecological Development and Recreation (CEDAR) in Impasog-ong experienced vomited and loose-bowel movements with fever.

Some patients were transported to hospitals in Malaybalay for treatment, while others were locally by the Rural Health Unit.

A Department of Health response team was sent to the area.

Cambodia – Villagers poisoned in two separate cases over weekend

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.”

USA – Kwik Trip Del Monte Vegetable Trays Linked to Salmonella Outbreak in WI and MN

Food Poisoning Bulletin

A new Kwik Trip Del Monte vegetable tray outbreak has sickened three people in Wisconsin and one person in Minnesota with Salmonella food poisoning, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health. Last year, a cyclospora outbreak that was linked to Del Monte vegetable trays, also sold at Kwik Trip and Kwik Star locations in the upper Midwest, sickened at least 250 people.

USA – Possible Hepatitis A Exposure at Roy Moore’s Fish Shack in Rockport, MA

Food Poisoning Bulletin

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health is warning consumers that if they ate cold food or uncooked food at Roy Moore’s Fish Shack in Rockport, Massachusetts between April 21 and May 12, 2019 may have been exposed to hepatitis A. A food service employee of the restaurant who worked there during those dates has been confirmed as sick with hepatitis A.

UK – Dad almost lost use of his legs after he contracted E.coli on ‘holiday from hell’

Metro

A retired fireman is learning to walk again after falling seriously ill during a nightmare holiday. Charles Jackson, 66, almost lost the use of his legs after he contracted E.coli and campylobacter during a trip to Cyprus at the start of December last year. He started to suffer with diarrhoea and fatigue a few days into his trip with wife Julie, 65. On his return to the UK, the father-of-two saw his GP after the symptoms persisted.

 

 

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

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

Mexico – Mother’s Day celebration goes south after barbacoa poisons 27

Mexico News Daily

Enjoying a bite to eat at public events is proving risky: two weeks ago more than 1,000 people came down with food poisoning after eating cake at Children’s Day celebrations, while the latest incident has been blamed on bad barbacoa.

At least 27 people became ill in San Sebastián Coatlán, Oaxaca, where the municipal government hosted a Mother’s Day celebration last Friday and served barbacoa for the event.

Health official Mario Martínez Rojas said the local IMSS clinic was overrun by the number of cases and ran out of medical supplies to care for the victims of food poisoning.

 

USA – Norovirus possibly to blame after about 60 fall ill at event

WRAL norovirus-1080x655

Health officials on the North Carolina coast say norovirus may be what caused nearly 60 people to get sick at a recent charity event.

The Dare County Department of Health and Human Services says on its webpage that there were about 250 people at the event in Manteo on May 3. The news release from the department also says that of the people who showed symptoms, three reported seeking medical attention.

Also, the department says the investigation is inconclusive given that only one sample was taken for testing and the result was negative for any specific foodborne bacteria.