The Royal Caribbean cruise ship Vision of the Sea has reported an outbreak of norovirus that has sickened at least 105 people, according to the San Francisco Gate. The ship had 1,991 passengers on board and 772 crew members, which means 5.3% of the passengers were sickened.
The ship docked in Port Everglades, Florida on Friday March 7, 2013 and was thoroughly cleaned and sanitized before its next journey. Passengers “responded well to treatment”, according to the company.
Posted in Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Technology, Food Testing, Food Virus, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Microbiology, Norovirus, Pathogen, Virus
Tagged caribbean cruise ship, royal caribbean cruise, transportation
Noma’s reputation as one of the world’s best gourmet restaurants was blighted today after it was revealed that 67 people had become ill after eating there.
The national food authorities, Fødevarestyrelsen, inspected the restaurant on February 20 after it received reports that a number of the restaurant’s guests had become ill with Roskilde Sickness, a norovirus that causes vomiting and diarrhoea, after dining there from February 12-16.
Out of 78 guests served over the period, a total of 63 fell ill, which prompted Fødevarestyrelsen to make an inspection in which it found hygiene problems.
Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen
Tagged copenhagen post, food, food authorities, hygiene problems, restaurants, vomiting and diarrhoea
King County Public Health agency shut down an Ethiopian restaurant in Seattle’s central district on Wednesday afternoon after connecting the establishment to an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7, health agency spokeswoman Kathryn Ross has confirmed to Food Safety News.
At least two people have fallen ill in the outbreak, and Ross said the likelihood of others being sickened is uncertain.
In its closure notification, the agency cited Ambassel Ehtiopian Cuisine & Bar with five safety violations, including the outbreak.
Other violations included foods not being protected from cross-contamination, improperly sanitized equipment, and poor personal hygiene among employees due to inadequate handwashing facilities.
News reports that Alaska State health officials report a total of 24 people have fallen ill, two of whom were hospitalized, after drinking tainted raw milk from a Kenai Peninsula dairy. Among the ill is an infant who did not directly imbibe the raw milk, but got sick through a secondary transmission from an adult who had. State epidemiologists said the illnesses are the result of milk tainted with campylobacter, a bacterium commonly found in cow manure. After receiving multiple reports of sick people, state health officials traced the source of the outbreak to a cow share program at the Peninsula Dairy. State veterinarians visited the farm to take samples and said the farm owner is being cooperative with their investigation.
Hawke’s Bay’s water operators are checking the region’s supplies for contamination of Cryptosporidium.
Health authorities have issued a warning following the diagnosis of 45 people over the past two months.
Medical Officer of Health Dr Nicholas Jones said the health protection team is analysing information to establish the cause of the outbreak – and expect there is more than one source.
“We’ve been in touch with the water operators and they don’t think they’ve got problems at the moment, but obviously it’s something we’re going to be looking into in more detail,” said Dr Jones.
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is warning consumers not to eat recreationally harvested mussels, clams, or whole scallops from Marin County. Dangerous levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins have been found in mussels in this region. These naturally occurring toxins can cause illness or death. Cooking does not destroy this toxin.
This warning is in addition to the annual mussel quarantine that was extended on October 31, 2012 for Del Norte and Humboldt counties. That quarantine is still in effect.
FOSCOLLAB is a new WHO platform for food safety professionals.
FOSCOLLAB enables users to:
By integrating multiple sources of reliable data, FOSCOLLAB helps overcome the challenges of accessing these key sources in a timely manner. It allows for better risk assessment and decision-making by food safety professionals and authorities.
Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Technology, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Methods, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Recall, Research
Tagged climate, food safety professionals, global public health, internet, science, technology
Campylobacter Outbreak Associated with Consumption of Raw Milk Kenai Peninsula, January – February 2013
The purpose of this Health Advisory is to inform you of a recent and potentially ongoing outbreak of Campylobacter infections that have been associated with consuming raw milk.
What is the outbreak?
Campylobacter infection is reportable by state regulations to the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services’ Section of Epidemiology (SOE). Since late January, 2013, four people with confirmed Campylobacterinfection and at least one person with probable infection reported consuming raw (unpasteurized) milk in the few days preceding illness. One infant with close contact to a confirmed case-patient is also suspected of having Campylobacter infection. All six reside on the Kenai Peninsula. The Campylobacter isolated from the four lab-confirmed cases are a match by molecular techniques (pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, or PFGE). This strain of Campylobacter has not been previously identified in Alaska.
What is Campylobacter and how do people become infected?
Campylobacter are bacteria that can cause diarrhea (sometimes bloody), abdominal cramping/pain, nausea, vomiting, and fever within 2 to 5 days after exposure. The illness typically lasts from several days to over a week, with variable severity. Some people, especially young children or individuals with compromised immune systems, can develop severe or even life-threatening illness. Infrequently, Campylobacter infection leads to long-term consequences. Some people with Campylobacter infection develop arthritis, and rarely, some develop a life-threatening disease called Guillain-Barré syndrome that inflames the nerves of the body beginning several weeks after the onset of diarrhea.
Outbreaks of Campylobacter are often associated with consumption of unpasteurized milk —one such outbreak, traced to a Mat-Su Valley farm, resulted in 18 illnesses in Alaska in 2011. Other sources ofCampylobacter infection include consumption of undercooked meat, consumption of food or water cross-contaminated by raw meat, or contact with feces from infected animals. Human to human transmission can also occur.
RASFF– E.coli O157 in Frozen Hamburgers in Sweden raw material source in the Netherlands
RASFF – Salmonella in Paan Leaves in the UK sourced in India
RASFF – E.coli in Fresh Basail leaves in Norway sourced in Vietnam
RASFF – Histamine in Chilled Tuna Products in Italy sourced in Spain
RASFF – Norovirus in Oysters in the Netherlands sourced in France
RASFF – E.coli in Boneless Beef in the Netherlands sourced in Brasil
Posted in E.coli, E.coli O157, EHEC, Eurofins Laboratories, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Microbiology, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Technology, Foodborne Illness, Histamine, Hygiene, Microbiology, Norovirus, Pathogen, RASFF, Recall, Salmonella, Virus
Tagged food, material source, norovirus, rasff, tuna products
GUWAHATI: At least 400 people, including children, were taken ill after food poisoning in North Dimoria block of Kamrup (Metro) district on Friday.
Children of Durung ME School, Koraiguri LP School and Koikari LP School went to their respective institutions for Saraswati Puja on Friday. They fell ill after they consumed grams and khichri. On Saturday morning, the patients were admitted to the 30-bed Khetri Hospital and Sonapur Primary Healthcare Centre from where the critical ones were referred to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital(GMCH).
Principal of GMCH Kabul Saikia, said: “More than 400 people fell ill after consuming grams and khichri. The figure may increase. In our hospital, about 23 patients were admitted till 7.30 pm and more patients are on their way. Among the 23 patients, 15 are adults. It is difficult to tell the exact figure now.”
“We have opened one relief camp at Khetri and five doctors have been sent to the site. The critical patients are being brought here for treatment. The patients complained of vomiting, fever, dizziness, diarrhoea and abdominal pain,” he added.
He said: “We are making all arrangements to provide best possible treatment.”
Bhojan Das, the father of Vikram who has been admitted to GMCH, said: “My son who studies in Durong ME School went to his institution on Friday and ate grams and khichri. From early morning, he complained of vomiting and abdominal pain and his body turned pale. Noticing this, we took him to the nearby clinic from where he was referred to GMCH.”
According to the report made available by the GMCH superintendent, Ramen Talukdar around 8.30 pm: “More than 100 patients have been admitted to the hospital and 300 are on their way. As there is limited capacity of beds in our hospital, around 50 patients have been sent to Mohendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital .
Ambulance have been called in from Morigaon, Guwahati and Jagiroad. Moreover, five buses have been engaged to bring patients to the hospital.”
FoodWorld 