Category Archives: Food Illness

Mexico Over 300 Sick Food Poisoning

Miami Herald

 

ACAPULCO, Mexico — The toll of those sickened by apparent food poisoning at a Children’s Day festival in a Mexican village has risen to 302 children and 15 adults. The health department in southern Guerrero state says 47 children and one adult remain hospitalized. The others have been released.

 

The department said Monday that all of those who fell ill ate spaghetti, beef, salsa and cake at a grade school celebration in the hamlet of Los Organos, on the outskirts of the Pacific coast resort of Acapulco. The adults who fell ill were teachers, parents and school staff.

 

State health authorities are analysing food served at the party to determine exactly what caused the food poisoning.

 

 

FSA – French Cheese – Brucellosis Warning

FSA

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is warning people who may have bought any of three particular brands of reblochon cheese in France to discard them. The French authorities have issued an alert about potential contamination with the bacteria that causes brucellosis.

The cheeses, sold under the brand names of Le Campagnard, Gaston, and Pernet Mugnier Christian, are being recalled in France following the detection of the bacteria Brucella in the unpasteurised milk used to make them.

They were sold from February to April 2012 in 450g packs. The affected cheeses were not supplied to any businesses in the UK. However, the FSA is warning people who may have travelled to France and bought the products there, not to consume them.

If you have already eaten any of these cheeses and feel unwell, you should seek medical attention, and tell your doctor what you have eaten. No other raw milk cheeses, apart from those named, are implicated in this warning.

Brucellosis is a disease that usually affects livestock, including cattle. Infection of humans occurs through contact with infected animals or consuming unpasteurised (raw) milk or dairy products.

Brucellosis in humans is very rare in the UK, with most cases acquired abroad. Symptoms in humans vary. Some people experience no symptoms, or only a mild flu-like illness, while others experience chronic fever, which can recur for several years. Symptoms can occur up to a month after exposure.

 

England and Wales Restaurant Risks Research

Cambridge Journals Online

The food service sector continues to be the most common setting for reported foodborne disease outbreaks in England and Wales. Using restaurant-associated foodborne outbreaks reported in England and Wales from 1992 to 2009, cuisine-specific risk factors were examined. Of 677 restaurant outbreaks, there were 11 795 people affected, 491 hospitalizations, and seven deaths; and Chinese, Indian, British and Italian cuisines were the most commonly implicated (26%, 16%, 13% and 10%, respectively). Salmonella spp. accounted for most outbreaks of all cuisine types, and particularly Chinese (76%, 133/175) and Italian (55%, 38/69). Poultry meat was the most frequently implicated food vehicle in outbreaks associated with Indian (30%), Chinese (21%), and British (18%) cuisines while for Italian cuisine, desserts and cakes were more frequently implicated (33%). Rice dishes were also a common outbreak food vehicle in those restaurants serving Chinese (22%) and Indian (16%) cuisine. Cross-contamination was the biggest contributory factor associated with Chinese (46%), British (33%) and Indian (30%) cuisines whereas inadequate cooking (38%) and use of raw shell eggs in lightly cooked or uncooked food (35%) were more often associated with Italian cuisine. Over the surveillance period, the proportion of Salmonella Enteritidis PT4 outbreaks in restaurants serving Chinese cuisine significantly decreased (P<0·0001) and this was mirrored by an increase in S. Enteritidis non-PT4 outbreaks (P<0·0001). Despite this change in proportion, contributory factors such as cross-contamination have continued to cause outbreaks throughout the 18 years. The results show that by stratifying the risks associated with restaurants by cuisine type, specific evidence of food control failures can be used to target foodborne illness reduction strategies.

 

US Salmonella paratyphi Outbreak

WYFF4COM

More than two dozen people have become ill in a salmonella outbreak in Western North Carolina, according to the Buncombe County Department of Health.

The Department of Health is investigating an outbreak of Salmonella Paratyphi B infection in Buncombe County.

Communicable disease nurses and environmental health specialists are conducting interviews with people who currently have or have had the infection, reviewing laboratory reports and inspecting food sources that may be linked to the outbreak.

Communicable disease experts from the North Carolina Division of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as food specialists from the N.C. Department of Agriculture, are assisting with the investigations.

Soya Bean Sprouts Recall Listeria monocytogenes

Listeria Blog

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) announced today that Henry’s Farm Inc. of Woodford, VA is recalling all packages of Soybean Sprouts because they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections to individuals with weakened immune systems.

No illness has been reported to date.

US – Kindergarten – E.coli Outbreak

EcoliBlog

According to Kentucky news media, as many as three Stanford Elementary School kindergarten students may have contracted E. coli according to Ronnie Deatherage, director of operations for the Lincoln County Public Schools.  State and local health officials are investigating the case and have examined the elementary school cafeteria without finding a cause. Two of the 5-year-olds became ill within the last few days, Deatheridge said. They are being treated at University of Kentucky Children’s Hospital.

CDC – Salmonella Bareilly Outbreak Report – 200 Cases

CDC

  • Based on an epidemiological link and results of laboratory testing, CDC has combined this Salmonella Bareilly investigation with an ongoing multistate outbreak investigation of Salmonella serotype Nchanga infections. The two associated PFGE patterns have been grouped together as the “outbreak strains.”
  • A total of 200 persons infected with the outbreak strains of Salmonella Bareilly or SalmonellaNchanga have been reported from 21 states and the District of Columbia.
    • 190 persons infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Bareilly have been reported from 21 states and the District of Columbia. The number of ill persons with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Bareilly identified in each state is as follows: Alabama (2), Arkansas (1), Connecticut (8), District of Columbia (2), Florida (1), Georgia (9), Illinois (15), Louisiana (3), Maryland (20), Massachusetts (24), Mississippi (2), Missouri (4), New Jersey (18), New York (33), North Carolina (3), Pennsylvania (7), Rhode Island (6), South Carolina (3), Texas (4), Virginia (9), Vermont (1), and Wisconsin (15).
    • 10 persons infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Nchanga have been reported from 5 states. The number of ill persons with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Nchanga identified in each state is as follows: Georgia (2), New Jersey (1), New York (5), Virginia (1), and Wisconsin (1).
    • 28 ill persons have been hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported.

NHS – Listeriosis Advice

NHS Below is an extract there is more information through this link.

Listeriosis is an infection that usually develops after eating food that’s been contaminated by bacteria called Listeria monocytogenes, which is commonly known as Listeria.

In most people, listeriosis is mild and causes flu-like symptoms or vomiting and diarrhoea (gastroenteritis). Read more about the symptoms of listeriosis.

Symptoms usually pass within three days without the need for treatment.

However, in rare cases, the infection can spread to other parts of your body and cause serious complications, such as meningitis (infection of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord). Doctors describe this as invasive listeriosis.

If this is the case, you’ll need to be treated with antibiotics in hospital for several weeks.

Wales – More Cryptosporidum Cases on Farm

ITV News

Four more people have been diagnosed with cryptosporidiosis linked to the outbreak at Greenmeadow Community farm in Cwmbran.

It brings the total number of cases to eight. All were either members of staff or volunteers who bottle fed unwell animals. The animals have now been removed from the farm.

Public Health Wales say extra control measures are in place to ensure that risks to farm visitors and staff are kept to a minimum.

Anyone who is unwell with gastrointestinal symptoms is advised to contact their GP or NHS Direct on 0845 46 47.

US – More Dried Fish – Clostrium botulinum Issues

Bites

LA Star Seafood Co. Inc., Los Angeles, CA is recalling Vobla Dry and Vobla Smoked because they have the potential to be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum, a bacterium which can cause life-threatening illness or death. Consumers are warned not to use the product even if it does not look or smell spoiled.
The sale of improperly eviscerated fish, 5 inches in length or greater, is prohibited because Clostridium botulinum spores are more likely to be concentrated in the viscera than any other portion of the fish. Uneviscerated fish has been linked to outbreaks of botulism poisoning which may pose a potentially life-threatening health hazard. Symptoms of botulism include blurred or double vision, general weakness, poor reflexes, difficulty swallowing and respiratory paralysis which may lead to death. People experiencing these problems should seek immediate medical attention.
The following products are recalled:
Vobla Dry, 20lb bulk boxes, not vacuum packed, no lot numbers or expiration dates.
Vobla Smoked, 20lb bulk boxes, not vacuum packed, no lot numbers or expiration dates.