More than 150 persons have been affected with gastroenteritis and sought medical attention in the Turks and Caicos Islands since the end of April 2012, according to health officials investigating the mysterious sickness that has affected about 12 hotels on the island of Providenciales.
The officials also reported they recently have discovered one case of norovirus, but they noted that this virus cannot be confirmed as the cause of the current outbreak of diarrhea and vomiting.
SHIJIAZHUANG – Nearly 100 people fell sick due to eating suspected contaminated chicken in North China’s Hebei province, local authorities said Sunday.
A total of 97 people in Quyang county of Baoding city have been hospitalized since Friday. Among them, two people have checked out of the hospital, one is critically ill and the others are in stable condition, officials with the county government said.
A preliminary investigation shows that the illness is caused by a certain braised chicken produced by the local Dalong braised chicken store.
The store has been closed down and the owner of the store is under police control. A further investigation into the incident is underway.
Jensen Farms, the southeastern Colorado cantaloupe growers who were the source of a deadly listeria outbreak last year, filed for bankruptcy Friday.
Lawsuits from the outbreak, which caused at least 32 deaths and dozens of hospitalizations, are prominent in the filing. Attorneys for Jensen Farms and for wrongful-death plaintiffs welcomed the step.
Jensen Farms did not comment.
Three tots confirmed to have the bug were yesterday treated in hospital, with one released.
Infection experts are trying to track down the source of the sickness and diarrhoea viral outbreak which hit the under-twos section at Rose Lodge Nursery in Aboyne, Aberdeenshire.
NHS Grampian said health protection teams found “reasonable” food hygiene and infection control at the unit.
A spokeswoman added: “Control measures are in place. An inspection has been carried out and an incident team convened.” The nursery, which has 40 pupils, first reported the virus on Sunday.
Experts say E.coli poses the biggest risk to under-fives.
Owner Julie Grant said: “We have taken the advice to close our Baby Room until further notice.
“The nursery remains open to unaffected families of children over two years old.
“We have a high standard of hygiene and rigorous infection control procedures. Our thoughts are with the children and families affected.”
| Taste of Roux brand vegetarian soups | Taste of Roux, LLC,
Valley Village, CA |
Possible
Clostridium botulinum contamination |
NORTHEAST OHIO — Listeria, a potentially deadly food-borne bacteria, was found in high levels of fluids dripping from garbage trucks onto neighbourhood streets, a Channel 3 News investigation found.
The bacteria has a mortality rate of 20 percent and, according to microbiologist Roger Pryor, of Accra Labs in Twinsburg, it poses an especially significant threat to the elderly, children and to pregnant women.
Channel 3 news collected samples of fluids spilling from garbage trucks in Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, Maple Heights and Brooklyn and had them tested.
In addition to listeria, Accra Labs found very high levels of bacteria and low levels of salmonella.
Cleveland City Councilman Mike Polensek says homeowners in the Collinwood neighbourhood he represents often complain about the filthy stains left behind by city trash haulers.
“It becomes a major problem because you don’t know what’s in it,” said Polensek.
Some experts say a single drop of listeria is enough to make you sick. Children playing ball in the streets can easily come in contact with the contaminated fluid.
Indonesianfoodmart.com of Rockville, MD, is recalling all packages of “Tempeh Starter Yeast” because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhoea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.
The recalled ” Tempeh Starter Yeast “and “Super Starter Yeast” were distributed nationwide and internationally through direct mail orders. The product was also distributed to the following areas: Australia, Canada, Slovenia, New Zealand, Brunei, Darussalam, Poland and Croatia.
The product comes in sealed, clear plastic packages marked with a small computer printed label. The following sizes were sold: 30gm, 50gm, 250 gm, and 1000 gm
Several illnesses have been reported to date that may be in connection with this problem
Posted in Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, FDA, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Technology, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Microbiology, Pathogen, Recall, Salmonella
Tagged experience fever, food, health, medicine, restaurants, weakened immune systems
RASFF – Salmonella Agona – Soya Bean Meal from Italy
RASFF – Aflatoxins – Halva and Pistachios from Turkey
RASFF – Salmonella Derby – Bulls Pizzle from Germany
RASFF – Listeria monocytogenese – Smoked Salmon from Poland
RASFF – Histamine – Sardines in Oil, Sardines in Tomato from Morroco
RASFF – Salmonella Infantis- Frozen Chicken from Poland
Several Listeriosis outbreaks have been linked to the consumption of fresh or processed produce in recent years. One major determinant of the Listeriosis risk is the ability of a food to support growth of Listeria monocytogenes during storage. However, data regarding the ability to support growth of L. monocytogenes are scarce or no existing for many produce commodities. Here we synthesize the available data regarding growth behaviour of L. monocytogenes on produce, compare the growth data with Listeriosis outbreak data, and evaluate the adequacy of the data for predictive modelling. Growth rates and maximum L. monocytogenes population densities differed markedly among produce commodities, and post-harvest processing had a considerable effect on growth dynamics for certain commodities such as tomatoes. However, data scarcity prevented reliable estimation of growth rates for many commodities. Produce outbreaks seemed frequently associated with processed produce and often involved storage under suboptimal conditions (e.g., at room temperature for several hours or for several months in the refrigerator) or environmental cross-contamination after processing. However, no clear associations between high growth rates of L. monocytogenes on fresh produce and outbreaks were detected. In conclusion, produce commodities differ in the supported growth rate of L. monocytogenes, the maximum attainable L. monocytogenes population density, and possibly in the impact of post-harvest processing, but data are currently insufficient to predict growth behaviour, and the Listeriosis risk appears to be also governed by additional factors.
Scores of passengers on board a luxury cruise liner have had their £2,000 holidays ruined by a sickness outbreak. Around 170 passengers on the Boudicca were hit by the suspected norovirus during its 13-night trip to the Canary Islands. The virus, which causes vomiting and diarrhoea, is highly contagious and those infected were quarantined during the doomed voyage.
The ship, carrying around 828 passengers and 348 crew, was greeted by NHS staff and ambulance crews when it docked in Greenock, Scotland last night.
One passenger told the Daily Mirror: ‘We started calling the ship HMS Holby City.
‘There were two nurses wandering around all the time visiting people, most of them elderly.
‘Half the facilities were shut down and we were even told not to swap quiz sheets to stop the bug spreading.
‘Passengers were offered £150 discounts on their next cruise. We don’t know anyone who accepted.
