As many as 109 students of a private ashram school, including 63 girls, were rushed to a government hospital in Thane district after showing symptoms of food poisoning on Wednesday, an official said.
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Category Archives: Foodborne Illness
India – 109 students fall ill at school in Thane district; food poisoning suspected
Posted in Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Foodborne Illness, Illness, Poisoning
Over 100 Cruise Passengers Ill on Cunard Operated Ship – Norovirus ?
An outbreak has struck Queen Victoria, a Cunard Line ship, affecting over 100 passengers and crew members during its current 111-night voyage from Hamburg to Sydney. Health officials are investigating the cause, with symptoms of diarrhea and vomiting.
While the causative agents of the outbreak remain unidentified, norovirus is a common illness on cruise ships, as well as workplaces, schools, and other crowded areas. Characterized by gastrointestinal symptoms, norovirus is highly contagious and can spread quickly in enclosed environments like ships.
USA – Conoco View Dairy Raw Milk Campylobacter Outbreak in PA
A Conoco View Dairy raw milk Campylobacter outbreak in Pennsylvania has sickened at least 11 people, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. Officials are warning consumers to immediately discard all of this milk.
The Department ran tests after 11 reports of illness in December 2023 and January 2024 were received. Campylobacter contamination was confirmed in the dairy’s products.
The press release states that, “While the source of the bacteria is clear, every specific production date could not be pinpointed. All products, including those in consumers’ freezers, should be discarded.”
Posted in Campylobacter, food bourne outbreak, 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, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, outbreak, Raw Milk
USA – Outbreak Investigation of Listeria monocytogenes: Peaches, Plums, & Nectarines (November 2023)- Is Over
January 30, 2024
The FDA and CDC, in collaboration with state and local partners, investigated an outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections linked to recalled peaches, plums, and nectarines (stone fruit).
As part of this investigation, FDA initiated an inspection and collected environmental samples from the facility that packed the recalled stone fruit. Two environmental sub-samples collected from the facility were positive for Listeria monocytogenes. Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) analysis confirmed that the strain of Listeria found in the positive sub-samples matched the same strain of Listeria making people sick in this outbreak.
As of January 30, 2024, CDC announced that the outbreak is over. CDC reports a total of 11 illnesses in seven states. There has been a total of 10 hospitalizations and one death attributed to listeriosis. The last specimen collection date was August 16, 2023. FDA’s investigation is complete.
USA – Nearly 600 with Salmonella, 225 hospitalized and 15 deaths linked to Cantaloupe
In the United States a total of 407 people infected with one of the outbreak strains of Salmonella were reported from 44 states: Of 362 people with information available, 158 (44%) were hospitalized. Six deaths were reported.
In Canada a total, 190 laboratory-confirmed cases of Salmonella Soahanina, Sundsvall, Oranienburg, and Newport illness were linked to this outbreak. Sixty-eight (68) individuals were hospitalized, and nine deaths were reported.
France – Norovirus suspected in large Airbus outbreak
Norovirus has been determined to be the suspected cause of a large outbreak at Airbus in France in late 2023, according to public health officials.
The Loire-Atlantique regional health agency (ARS) believes norovirus was behind almost 700 people falling sick at the Airbus Atlantic Christmas lunch in mid-December. Findings are based on the clinical symptoms in patients and the time it took for them to appear.
Sick people reported suffering from nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea after the event in Montoir at the company’s restaurant. Testing of food leftovers was negative for norovirus. No detail was given on whether patients or food handlers had been tested.
The varied menu is said to have included a cheese plate, a starter with scallops, a foie gras terrine, beef in sauce, and a lobster dish.
Posted in food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Norovirus, outbreak, Research
USA – FDA – Core Outbreak Table – Investigations of Foodborne Illness Outbreaks
What’s New
- An outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes (ref #1214) in a not yet identified food has been added to the table. FDA’s investigation is ongoing.
- For the outbreak of Salmonella Newport (ref #1201) in an unidentified food, the outbreak has ended and FDA’s investigation has closed.
- For the outbreak of Salmonella Sundsvall and Oranienburg (ref #1203) linked to cantaloupe, the advisory was updated on January 19, 2024. The outbreak has ended, and FDA’s investigation is closed.
- For the investigation of elevated lead levels in Cinnamon Applesauce Pouches (ref # 1198) the complaints/adverse event reports in the advisory were updated. Refer to the advisory for additional information.
| Date Posted |
Ref | Pathogen or Cause of Illness |
Product(s) Linked to Illnesses (if any) |
Total Case Count |
Status |
| 1/24/
2024 |
1214 | Listeria monocytogenes |
Not Yet Identified |
26 | Active |
| 12/6/
2023 |
1205 | Listeria monocytogenes |
Not Yet Identified |
3 | Active |
| 11/15/
2023 |
989 | Listeria monocytogenes |
Peaches, Plums, and Nectarines |
See Advisory |
Active |
| 11/8/
2023 |
1198 | Elevated Lead Levels |
Apple Cinnamon Puree |
See Advisory |
Active |
Research – An outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium associated with the consumption of raw liver at an Eid al-Adha celebration in Wales (UK), July 2021
Abstract
In July 2021, Public Health Wales received two notifications of salmonella gastroenteritis. Both cases has attended the same barbecue to celebrate Eid al–Adha, two days earlier. Additional cases attending the same barbecue were found and an outbreak investigation was initiated. The barbecue was attended by a North African community’s social network. On same day, smaller lunches were held in three homes in the social network. Many people attended both a lunch and the barbecue. Cases were defined as someone with an epidemiological link to the barbecue and/or lunches with diarrhoea and/or vomiting with date of onset following these events. We undertook a cohort study of 36 people attending the barbecue and/or lunch, and a nested case-control study using Firth logistic regression. A communication campaign, sensitive towards different cultural practices, was developed in collaboration with the affected community. Consumption of a traditional raw liver dish, ‘marrara’, at the barbecue was the likely vehicle for infection (Firth logistic regression, aOR: 49.99, 95%CI 1.71–1461.54, p = 0.02). Meat and offal came from two local butchers (same supplier) and samples yielded identical whole genome sequences as cases. Future outbreak investigations should be relevant to the community affected by considering dishes beyond those found in routine questionnaires.
Sweden – Cryptosporidium outbreak (Sweden December 2023–)
Since 15 December 2023, 68 people from 14 regions have been reported infected with Cryptosporidium in Sweden. Most of the disease cases are from Halland and Jönköping. Of the disease cases, 72 percent are women, the average age is 41 years and 79 percent are in the age group 21-60 years. Based on the available data, the latest case of the disease contracted on January 3 (see figure). Typing of a selection of samples shows that 13 out of 18 belong to the same type of Cryptosporidium, which indicates that the disease cases have a common source of infection.
Affected infection control units, the Swedish Food Agency and the Public Health Agency are investigating the outbreak to identify the source of infection, which is suspected to be fresh food. Information about what the outbreak cases have eaten before becoming ill is done via interviews and the collection of questionnaires. The answers are then compared to what people in a healthy comparison group indicate that they have eaten to assess whether there are foods that the outbreak cases have eaten to a greater extent than the comparison group.
USA -CDC – Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Cantaloupes is Over.
Fast Facts
- Illnesses: 407
- Hospitalizations: 158
- Deaths: 6
- States: 44
- Recall: Yes
- Investigation status: Closed (first posted on November 17, 2023)
All recalls that resulted from this investigation are listed on FDA’s cantaloupe recall website. Recalled cantaloupes are no longer available for sale and the use-by dates have passed.
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