Category Archives: Foodborne Illness Death

Research – The number affected in the Italian Listeria outbreak climbs to 90; three dead

Posted on November 2, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

At least 90 people have been affected and three have died in a major Listeria outbreak in Italy.

The Ministry of Health (Ministero della Salute) said the most recent patient was reported in mid-September.

Deaths occurred in December 2021 and March and June 2022 in Lombardy, Piedmont, and Emilia Romagna. The patients were immunocompromised or particularly vulnerable to infection. One woman lost her baby in the outbreak.

Patients live in Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto, Emilia Romagna, Liguria, Umbria, Tuscany, Calabria, Lazio, Puglia, Valle D’Aosta and Abruzzo.

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Research – England and Wales see Listeria infection decline

Posted on October 28, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

The number of Listeria infections fell in 2020 in England and Wales, according to recently released data.

In total, 124 cases of listeriosis were reported in England and Wales in 2020, which is the lowest amount in several years. In 2019, 144 cases were recorded.

There were two outbreaks in England. One was a national epidemic with four cases associated with smoked salmon. Two people died. The other caused two illnesses from 2018 to 2020 and was linked to prepacked sandwiches served in hospitals.

Surveillance of listeriosis in England and Wales is coordinated by the Gastrointestinal Infections and Food Safety (One Health) Division at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). New cases are reported by local clinical laboratories, and health protection teams and by the referral of Listeria monocytogenes isolates to the Gastrointestinal Bacteria Reference Unit (GBRU) for whole genome sequencing (WGS).

Incidence rates were highest in people aged 80 years and older.

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Foodborne Illness, Foodborne Illness Death, Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk

USA – Big Olaf’s Ice Cream Listeria Outbreaks stands at 25 sick with 24 hospitalized with 1 death

Posted on October 18, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Food Poison Journal

Epidemiologic Data

Since the last update on July 13, 2022, two more illnesses have been reported. As of August 2, 2022, a total of 25 people infected with the outbreak strain of Listeria monocytogenes have been reported from 11 states (see map). Thirteen sick people are residents of Florida and ten reported traveling to Florida before getting sick. Illnesses started on dates ranging from January 24, 2021, to June 24, 2022 (see timeline).

Sick people range in age from less than one to 92 years, with a median age of 72, and 56% are male. Of 25 people with information available, 24 have been hospitalized. One death in a person who was not pregnant has been reported from Illinois. Five people got sick during their pregnancy, and one person’s illness resulted in a fetal loss.

The true number of sick people in an outbreak is likely higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses. This is because some people recover without medical care and are not tested for Listeria. In addition, recent illnesses may not yet be reported as it usually takes 3 to 4 weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak.

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Malawi bans sale of food in primary, secondary schools as cholera death toll hits 117

Posted on October 13, 2022 by | Leave a comment

China Org

LILONGWE, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) — Malawi has banned sale of food in primary and secondary schools ahead of the new school year, which starts Monday, as cholera outbreak continues with 117 cumulative deaths recorded as of Sunday.

Requesting parents to pack homemade food for students, the education ministry “is directing that selling of food in primary and secondary schools is banned with immediate effect until further notice,” said a statement signed by Secretary for Education Chikondano Mussa.

Universities and colleges are advised to ensure that food vendors and suppliers are oriented and adhere to the standard operating procedures issued by the ministry to all learning institutions.

Cholera has been spreading sporadically across the country since the first cases were recorded in the south-eastern border district of Machinga in March.

As of Sunday, 23 districts have reported cases with 17 districts coming on board in the past 14 days, bringing the caseload and death toll to 4,223 and 117 respectively. Enditem

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Viet Nam – Food poisoning kills 12 sailors on Chinese boat off Con Dao islands

Posted on October 3, 2022 by | Leave a comment

E. VN Express

A China registered boat with 21 crew members has been hit by food poisioning, with 12 dead and nine in critical conditon.

The nine, being treated at the Con Dao District medical center Friday afternoon, were in critical condition, doctors said.

When the crew members of the ship, Wuzhou 8 were airlifted by a rescue helicopter to Con Dao (110 km to the southwest) for emergency treatment, 10 had already died. Of the remaining 11, one died on the way to the airport and another arrived dead at the district medical center.

A Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province border guard representative said that the cargo ship was on its way from Thailand to China when the crew were hit by food poisoning, off the Con Dao islands.

Hoyer Tranpost Vietnam Co. Ltd, agent of the Wuzhou 8, sent a notice to the Department of Health of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province to request emergency arrangements for its crew members.

When Wuzhou 8 arrived in Con Dao waters, 18 crew members showed signs of food poisoning. The remaining victims looked seriously ill and in need of immediate treatment, so they were rushed to the mainland and taken to the local medical center.

“While people on the ship said they suffered food poisoning, it was not clear what they had consumed,” Loi said.

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Nestlé eyes November re-opening of E. coli-hit Buitoni plant

Posted on September 22, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Just Food

Nestlé is lining up the return of production at a Buitoni factory in France at the centre of a fatal E. coli outbreak earlier this year.

The world’s largest food maker said the site, located in Caudry in northern France, could see output resume in November, subject to the approval of local officials.

France’s national public health agency, Santé Publique France, made its first statement on rising cases of haemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) or Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) on 25 February.

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Malaysia – 900 victims of Food Poisoning were reported in the first eight months of this year in Perak

Posted on September 16, 2022 by | Leave a comment

The Sun Daily

Some 23 food poisoning cases involving 900 victims were reported in the first eight months of this year in Perak, said State Health, Science, Environment and Green Technology Committee chairman Mohd Akmal Kamarudin.

He said the Ministry of Health (MOH) is investigating the cause of the death of a food handler at a MOH training centre in Taiping three weeks ago to determine whether it was due to food poisoning or other illnesses.

According to him, so far there have been six incidents of food poisoning in schools (169 cases), public institutions (eight cases with 572 victims), factories (two cases with 66 victims), private homes (five cases with 24 victims), prison (one case with 22 victims) and external caterer (one case).

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Research – USA – Summary of Possible Multistate Enteric (Intestinal) Disease Outbreaks in 2017–2020

Posted on September 8, 2022 by | Leave a comment

CDC

This analysis includes 470 possible multistate outbreak investigations during 2017–2020.

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Research – WHO wants help to estimate foodborne disease burden

Posted on September 6, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for help as part of work to estimate the burden of foodborne disease.

WHO is seeking support from independent consultants or groups of experts with relevant experience to undertake systematic reviews and other studies on foodborne illness. The process is part of collecting and assessing available evidence.

One call is for the review and evidence synthesis of diarrheal diseases and deaths caused by 14 pathogens commonly transmitted by food. The other covers global expert elicitation for attribution of burden of disease to foodborne transmission and to specific foods.

The WHO Foodborne Disease Burden Epidemiology Reference Group (FERG) was reconvened in May 2021 to update global estimates published in 2015. This group has already met three times in July and October 2021, and April 2022. A new report is expected in 2025.

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Research – Scientists blame Listeria’s low priority for regulatory support as the likely true cause for a low-burn listeria outbreak

Posted on September 1, 2022 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

Government prosecutors wrapped conspiracy and fraud around the head of the former president of Blue Bell ice cream, but a hung jury did not buy it. That Texas jury was 10-to-2 in favor of acquittal.

But how then should be explained the illnesses and deaths associated with the 2015 listeriosis outbreak. Does science explain less human responsibility?

Nineteen expert researchers worked on that question, and they’ve produced a 22-page research paper with their answers. They point to an event beginning long before Blue Bell Creameries knew Listeria contamination was a threat.

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