Category Archives: Food Illness

India – 80 In Hospital With Food Poisoning After Eating At Wedding In Nagpur Resort

NDTV

In a case of food poisoning, at least 80 persons were hospitalised as they fell ill after eating food served during a wedding ceremony at a resort on the outskirts of Nagpur city in Maharashtra, police said today.

The incident took place on December 10, following which the businessman father of the bridegroom lodged a complaint against the resort management alleging that the food served during the function was stale and emitted a foul smell, the police said.

USA/Canada – Cantaloupe Salmonella Outbreak spikes to 455 ill, with 185 hospitalized and 10 dead

Food Poison Journal

United States Outbreak

More patients have been identified in the Salmonella outbreak traced to cantaloupe. The outbreak is now spread across 42 states. Since the most recent update, on Dec. 7, another 72 patients have been confirmed, bringing the total number of sick people to 302.

Of 263 people interviewed so far, half have been hospitalized. Four people have died, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The outbreak strains of Salmonella in this outbreak are particularly virulent as the pathogen generally does not cause such a high percentage of hospitalizations.

Canadian outbreak

There is a related outbreak in Canada involving cantaloupe from the same supplier in Mexico. Recalls there also include pre-cut products.

As of Dec. 15, there have been 153 laboratory-confirmed cases of Salmonella Soahanina, Sundsvall and Oranienburg illness linked to this outbreak, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada. Of patients with the information available, 53 have been hospitalized. Six patients have died.

USA – Cantaloupe Salmonella Outbreak: 302 sick, 129 hospitalized and 4 dead in U.S.

Food Poison Journal

Since the last update on December 7, 302 people infected with one of the outbreak strains of Salmonella have been reported from 42 states. Illnesses started on dates ranging from October 16, 2023, to November 28, 2023. Of 263 people with information available, 129 (49%) have been hospitalized. Four deaths have been reported, three from Minnesota and one from Oregon.

France – Raw milk cheese sickens six children in France – STEC E.coli O26

Food Safety News

A cheese made from raw milk has been linked to half a dozen serious E. coli infections in France.

Six cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) have been reported. HUS is a severe complication associated with E. coli infections that causes kidney failure.

Following severe diarrhea, young children attending the Minimes crèche in Toulouse had to be hospitalized in November. Stool cultures revealed Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) infection. Cheese has tested positive for E. coli O26.

The crèche was closed for a few days, but has since reopened. Samples from surfaces were taken and analyzes of the meals were carried out as well as a thorough cleaning of the premises.

USA – Sushi 9 may be linked to 240 Norovirus cases

Food Poison Journal

Norovirus Food Safety kswfoodworld

WRAL News reports that as of today there are now 241 complaints from people who ate at Sushi Nine since November28, the date the first customers became ill. Since WRAL News first reported the outbreak on Nov. 30, three stool samples collected from complainants have tested positive for norovirus, a contagious virus that causes vomiting, diarrhea, nausea and stomach pain, among other symptoms.

RASFF Alert – Outbreak – E.coli – Sweden -Parsley

RASFF

Parsley suspected to be the source of an outbreak with pathogenic E. coli (ETEC/EPEC/EAEC) in Sweden

India – Food poisoning: 80 hospitalised after consuming meal during wedding at resort

Telegraph India

In a suspected case of food poisoning, at least 80 persons were hospitalised as they fell ill after consuming meals served during a wedding ceremony at a resort on the outskirts of Nagpur city in Maharashtra, police said on Thursday.

The incident took place on December 10, following which the businessman father of the bridegroom lodged a complaint against the resort management alleging that the food served during the function was stale and emitted a foul smell, the police said.

China sees drop in foodborne disease outbreaks

Xinhua

China has witnessed a notable decline in outbreaks of foodborne diseases, signaling positive progress on food-safety management, according to the country’s National Health Commission (NHC).

The achievement is attributed to the implementation of a national food-safety risk-monitoring program, Cao Xuetao, deputy head of the NHC, said on Tuesday.

Foodborne diseases, commonly known as food poisoning, represent a critical global public health concern.

In recent years, the NHC has introduced three major monitoring systems to improve awareness of food-safety risks. These systems focus on monitoring individual cases of foodborne diseases, tracking outbreaks of such diseases, and establishing a molecular traceability network to identify the sources of foodborne illnesses.

Global Times

China’s food safety governance has made positive progress with a decrease of 11 percent in the number of foodborne disease outbreaks and a 33.9 percent reduction in the number of related deaths since the beginning of the period covered by the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), officials from the National Health Commission (NHC) revealed at an event in Beijing on Tuesday during Food Safety Awareness Week.

Li said that according to the foodborne disease monitoring network, from 2010 to 2022, a total of 46,430 foodborne disease outbreaks were reported nationwide (an average of 3,572 per year, among which 1,024 cases were due to mushroom poisoning), with 330,870 cases of illness (an average of 25,452 per year) and 1,679 deaths (an average of 129 per year, among which 70 were caused by mushroom poisoning).

USA – FDA Core Outbreak Table – Investigations of Foodborne Illness Outbreaks

FDA

What’s New

  • For the outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes (ref #1205) in a not yet identified food, FDA has initiated traceback, an on-site inspection, and sample collection and analysis.
  • For the outbreak of Salmonella Newport (ref# 1201) in a not yet identified food, the case count has increased from 43 to 44 cases.
  • For the outbreak of Salmonella Sundsvall and Oranienburg (ref #1203) linked to cantaloupe, the recall was expanded to include additional retailers and wholesalers who received the recalled melons. See the Outbreak Advisory for additional information.

USA – Outbreak Investigation of Salmonella: Onions (October 2023) – CDC Outbreak is Over

FDA

Sample Product Image from the Outbreak Investigation of Salmonella Related to Onions (October 2023)

Product

Recalled Gills Onions-brand diced yellow onions, diced onions & celery, diced mirepoix, and diced red onions with use-by dates in August 2023.

The US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) investigation is complete; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) declares the outbreak over.

Stores Affected

  • Recalled Gills Onions were sold to foodservice and institutions nationwide and in Canada. The firm has directly notified foodservice customers who received recalled product.
  • Recalled product was sold to retailers in Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington.

The FDA and CDC, in collaboration with state and local partners, investigated an outbreak of Salmonella infections linked to recalled diced onions under the Gills Onions brand name.

As part of this investigation, FDA collected multiple water, environmental, and product samples from the farm that supplied the contaminated onions to Gills Onions. Six of the samples, three water and three environmental, were positive for Salmonella spp. Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) analysis confirmed that the strain of Salmonella found in isolates associated with three of the samples matched the same strain of Salmonella causing illnesses in this outbreak. Additional Salmonella isolates from the samples were detected, and CDC identified people who got sick with these strains of Salmonella. FDA and CDC partners reviewed the available data; however, there was not enough epidemiologic or traceback evidence to implicate a product or source of contamination for those illnesses.

As of December 4, 2023, CDC announced that the outbreak is over. CDC reports a total of 80 illnesses in 23 states. There has been a total of 18 hospitalizations and one death associated with this incident. The last illness onset was November 11, 2023. FDA’s investigation is complete.