With the Celebrity Cruise from Tampa ending on Friday, details have emerged regarding the norovirus outbreak which has left over 90 people ill.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted that among the 2,056 passengers, 92 reported illnesses with vomiting and diarrhea. Another eight crew members are also listed as “reported being ill during the voyage.”
Multinational food-borne outbreak investigations require cross-sectoral collaboration not only at the local, regional and national level, but also across countries. This typically involves a number of organisations such as health authorities, regulatory food and veterinary authorities, central and regional laboratories as well as clinicians. Successful outbreak investigation is built on a coordinated approach at all regulatory and administrative levels. This paper presents an example of how a coordinated effort with cross-national collaboration was beneficial in solving a multinational outbreak of Salmonella Braenderup in Europe in the spring of 2021.
S. Braenderup is a serovar of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica, which causes symptoms of gastrointestinal illness including abdominal cramps, diarrhoea, nausea and fever [1]. S. Braendrup ranked 19th among Salmonella serovars reported to the European Surveillance System (TESSy) between 2015 and 2019 and around 300 cases of S. Braenderup in the EU/EEA are reported each year.
SAN DIEGO, CA — Dozens of people have gotten sick after eating raw oysters in San Diego County.
County health officials have linked 41 confirmed and probable cases of norovirus to raw oysters imported from a specific harvest location in Northwest Mexico. Norovirus is the leading cause of vomiting and diarrhea, and foodborne illness in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The cases began in mid-December when people dined on raw oysters from Sonora, Mexico, according to the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency. The oysters were only available through restaurants and wholesale locations.
Health officials have asked those who purchased “Rocky Point oysters,” packed by GOLPAC in Bahia Salina, Sonora, to not eat or serve them until the outbreak investigation is completed.
Authorities in a Spanish city have suspended the permit of a company that provided catering to several schools after a large outbreak.
The outbreak affected 149 children and five teachers from four Palma schools on the Balearic Islands this past December.
The suspected food was a rice dish. Sick people had abdominal pain, diarrhea and vomiting but symptoms were mild with no hospitalizations.
The General Directorate of Public Health temporarily suspended the activity of the company in charge of the catering service. The move follows investigations carried out into the food poisoning incident by the Food Safety Service of the Ministry of Health which found “obvious shortcomings” in food safety management.
| Date Posted |
Ref | Pathogen or Cause of Illness |
Product(s) Linked to Illnesses (if any) |
Total Case Count |
Status |
| 12/6/
2023 |
1205 | Listeria monocytogenes |
Not Yet Identified |
3 | Active |
| 11/22/
2023 |
1201 | Salmonella Newport |
Not Yet Identified |
45 | Active |
| 11/22/
2023 |
1203 | Salmonella Sundsvall and Oranienburg |
Cantaloupe | See | Active |
| 11/15/
2023 |
989 | Listeria monocytogenes |
Peaches, Plums, and Nectarines |
See | Active |
| 11/8/
2023 |
1198 | Elevated Lead & Chromium Levels |
Apple Cinnamon Puree |
See | Active |
Health officials in Chile have reported a Salmonella outbreak that has sickened more than 60 people.
So far, 66 people have been affected by the outbreak resulting from eating goat’s cheese in the Metropolitan Region.
Overall, 28 cases have been reported in the Valparaíso Region and 38 in the Metropolitan Region, including seven hospitalizations.
Epidemiological work identified a producer of cheese who informally sold contaminated products in different parts of the province via commercial premises and the area of Llay Llay. Authorities have stopped cheese production.
Recalled Food
Salmonella was identified in an unopened sample of “Busseto Foods Charcuterie Sampler Prosciutto, Sweet Soppressata, and Dry Coppa” collected by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture as a part of the investigation. Testing is being conducted to determine if the Salmonella in the sample is the outbreak strain.
On January 3, 2024, Fratelli Beretta USA, Inc., recalled approximately 11,097 pounds of Busseto Foods brand ready-to-eat charcuterie meat products.
Busseto Charcuterie Sampler
18-oz. plastic tray packages of “Busseto Foods Charcuterie Sampler Prosciutto, Sweet Soppressata, and Dry Coppa”
LOT Code L075330300 and “best by” date on April 27, 2024. This product is sold as a twin pack with two 9-oz. packages.
The products have the establishments numbers “EST. 7543B” inside the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s mark of inspection and “EST. #47967” on the package. See recall notice for more details.
These items were shipped to Sam’s Club distribution centers in Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Texas.
What You Should Do
Check your fridge for recalled products. Do not eat them. Throw them away or return them to where you bought them.
Wash surfaces and containers that may have touched the recalled product using hot soapy water or a dishwasher.
Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these severe Salmonella symptoms:
Diarrhea and a fever higher than 102°F
Diarrhea for more than 3 days that is not improving
Bloody diarrhea
So much vomiting that you cannot keep liquids down
Signs of dehydration, such as:
Not peeing much
Dry mouth and throat
Feeling dizzy when standing up
What Businesses Should Do
Do not sell or serve the recalled “Busseto Foods Charcuterie Sampler Prosciutto, Sweet Soppressata, and Dry Coppa.”
Wash and sanitize items and surfaces that may have come in contact with recalled products.
Posted in CDC, food contamination, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Quality, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Safety Management, Food Safety Regulations, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Illness, Salmonella
One person has died in the UK and 30 cases of illness confirmed following an outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O145 identified through the analysis of whole genome sequencing (WGS) data.
Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) officials are warning Minnesota consumers not to eat Busseto brand Charcuterie Sampler containing prosciutto, sweet sopressata, and dry coppa and purchased at Sam’s Club or other retailers.
One Minnesotan reported becoming ill in December after consuming a Busseto brand Charcuterie Sampler purchased at Sam’s Club. The person was not hospitalized. MDA staff collected and tested an unopened package of Busseto brand Charcuterie Sampler from the person’s home. The product tested positive for Salmonella.
Posted in Food Illness, food recall, Foodborne Illness, Illness, product recall, Recall, Salmonella
| Date Posted |
Ref | Pathogen or Cause of Illness |
Product(s) Linked to Illnesses (if any) |
Total Case Count |
Status |
| 12/6/
2023 |
1205 | Listeria monocytogenes |
Not Yet Identified |
3 | Active |
| 11/22/
2023 |
1201 | Salmonella Newport |
Not Yet Identified |
44 | Active |
| 11/22/
2023 |
1203 | Salmonella Sundsvall and Oranienburg |
Cantaloupe | See | Active |
| 11/15/
2023 |
989 | Listeria monocytogenes |
Peaches, Plums, and Nectarines |
See | Active |
| 11/8/
2023 |
1198 | Elevated Lead Levels |
Apple Cinnamon Puree |
See | Active |
FoodWorld 