County of San Diego health officials reported three more cases of salmonella linked to unpasteurized or “raw” milk products from a producer in Fresno on Wednesday, bringing the total number of local cases to 12.
Three of the 12 people were hospitalized, according to the county Health and Human Services Agency.
The cases began in late September with products from Raw Farm LLC, with the most recent person falling ill on Oct. 17, the HHSA said.
Four more people have reported being sickened by an E. coli outbreak linked to Miguel’s Cocina in the 4S Ranch community of San Diego within the past two days, bringing the total to 17 cases, county health officials said Thursday.
Seven people had to be hospitalized, including four children, according to the county’s Health and Human Services Agency.
“The joint public health and environmental health investigation is ongoing,” HHSA spokesperson Fernanda Lopez said.
Those who fell ill, or their families, reported eating at Miguel’s 4S Ranch location from Oct. 6 to Oct. 18 and developed symptoms from Oct. 13 to Oct. 19, according to the HHSA.
County health officials are still investigating the specific food items that were the source of the Shiga-toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) at the restaurant. Miguel’s voluntarily closed its doors on Tuesday and has been working closely with the County to identify the outbreak.
Two people infected with the outbreak strain of Listeria were reported from two states: one from New York and one from Pennsylvania. Sick people’s samples were collected in May and June 2023. Both sick people were hospitalized, and neither died.
The true number of sick people in this outbreak is likely higher than the number reported, and this outbreak may not have been limited to the states with known illnesses. This is because some people recover without medical care and are not tested for Listeria.
One sick person ate “Soft Serve on The Go” ice cream cups, and the other person likely ate the same ice cream cup at a long-term care facility they lived.
The outbreak strain of Listeria was found in “Soft Serve On The Go” ice cream cups, “Ice Cream House” mini dessert cigar novelty ice cream, and several environmental samples taken from two of The Ice Cream House stores.
Idaho – Public health officials in Ada County, ID, are investigating an outbreak of infections from Campylobacter linked to the consumption of unpasteurized, raw milk.
Utah –
Investigators have identified Utah Natural Meat and Milk as the source of unpasteurized raw milk that has sickened people in the state.
At least 14 people have contracted infections from Campylobacter, according to the Utah Department of Health and Human Services. One patient who was hospitalized has been released. Patients range in age from 2 to 73 years old.
California – Three more people in San Diego have been confirmed to have Salmonella infections linked to raw, unpasteurized milk from Raw Farm LLC dairy in California. Another seven people are now sick in Orange County.
County of San Diego health officials are reporting three additional cases of Salmonella illness linked to unpasteurized or “raw” milk from a producer in Fresno, CA.
This brings the total number of local cases to 12, including three people who were hospitalized. The cases began in late September and the most recent person became ill on Oct. 17.
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued a recall of Raw Farm milk and heavy cream Oct. 24, and a PDF that contains the specific product identification numbers with “best by” dates between Oct. 11 and Nov. 6. Additional raw milk products were not recalled.
The County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency urges anyone who may have recently purchased Raw Farm LLC raw milk to not consume it and discard the product.
The illnesses have been caused by Salmonella bacteria, which is commonly found in human and animal intestines. The 12 San Diego County residents who became ill have reported consuming Raw Farm LLC raw milk the week before they became ill. Cases in other parts of the state are being tracked by CDPH and other local health departments.
The OC Health Care Agency (HCA) has identified seven cases of Salmonella illness in Orange County (OC) residents following consumption of unpasteurized or “raw” milk from Raw Farm LLC, which recently issued a recall of its raw whole milk and raw heavy creams products.
The HCA urges those who may have purchased raw whole milk or raw heavy cream products from Raw Farm LLC to not consume the products and discard them immediately. Anyone who becomes ill after consuming raw milk or products made from raw milk, particularly products from Raw Farm LLC, should seek medical care immediately.
All confirmed cases had illness onset within the past 30 days, with affected individuals ranging in age from one to 20 years old. The HCA continues to investigate the situation in coordination with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). The HCA is also reaching out to stores in the county who may be selling these products to assure that they are aware of the recall.
Utah Natural Meat and Milk has been identified as the source of the Campylobacter outbreak in that state that has sickened at least 14 people, according to news reports. The Utah Department of Health and Human Services and the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food said that the pathogen came from that dairy that is located in West Jordan. According to the Salt Lake County Health Department, one patient was hospitalized but is recovering at home. The patient age range is from 2 to 73 years.
From 1 January–24 October 2023, 335 laboratory-confirmed Salmonella Enteritidis ST11 cases belonging to three distinct microbiological clusters have been reported in 14 EU/EEA countries, the United Kingdom and the United States, affecting all age groups. Most interviewed cases reported consumption of chicken meat, including chicken kebabs. Nine cases in three countries were hospitalised and one case in Austria died, highlighting the potential for severe and fatal infections from this outbreak. Following the food exposure information and the national investigations in 2023, the food safety authorities in Austria, Denmark and Italy investigated 10 food products (six contaminated by Salmonella Enteritidis ST11 cluster 1 and/or cluster 2), seven final producers in Poland and one in Austria. Traceability information revealed that three Salmonella-contaminated kebabs shared a number of Polish food business operators. The trading link of the suspected kebab suggests one or more common source(s)/point(s) of contamination in Austria, Denmark, and Italy. Following the collection of genomic information, the cluster analysis revealed the presence of the outbreak strains in the food chain in multiple European countries. Most positive foods sampled in 2022–2023 with shared epidemiological data originated from Poland. Given the information collected, contaminated chicken kebab and chicken meat are the plausible vehicles of the human infections reported in these three clusters. In the absence of conclusive microbiological evidence and comprehensive traceability, the role of the identified final producers, their meat suppliers, and the possible involvement of other food business operators as sources of the infections could not be confirmed or excluded. Further investigations are needed to identify the root cause of the contamination and the source of infections, which is crucial for prompt implementation of targeted effective control and corrective measures. As the source(s) have not been identified, new cases are likely to occur in this prolonged multi-country outbreak.
Posted in Death, food bourne outbreak, food death, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Foodborne Illness, Foodborne Illness Death, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak, Polish Chicken Salmonella, Salmonella, Salmonella Poland
The Norwegian Food Safety Authority has been notified by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health about a national outbreak of the gastrointestinal bacterium Salmonella Napoli. So far, infection has been detected in seven people. The source of infection is not known.
An outbreak investigation has been initiated in collaboration between the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, the Veterinary Institute and municipal chief medical officers. It is currently unknown what the source of infection is, but it is common for gastrointestinal bacteria to become infected through food. According to the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, the most common symptoms are diarrhoea, headache, abdominal pain, nausea and possibly fever.
– The Norwegian Food Safety Authority collects information from the sick persons about what they have eaten and what they have been in contact with. It may also be relevant to take samples of food and food packaging, says Anne Mæland, senior advisor in the biological food safety section of the Norwegian Food Safety Authority.
Outbreak investigation takes time and the work is complicated. It is not always possible to find the source of infection in such outbreaks. If a common source of infection from food, animals or the environment is identified, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority will follow up the tracing work along the food chain.
Posted in food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak, Salmonella
A Salmonella outbreak in Finland, which affected more than 60 people, has been linked to sprouts.
The National Institute of Health and Welfare (THL) reported that 62 people in different parts of the country became ill from Salmonella Enteritidis in August and October.
In September, it was reported that authorities were investigating an increase in Salmonella Enteritidis infections.
In interviews by local authorities, 23 of 24 people said that they had eaten sprouts before getting sick.
THL surveyed salmonellosis patients in Finland to find out the extent and source of the epidemic. This survey was answered by 16 cases part of the Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak and 11 other controls infected with Salmonella.
People who became infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Enteritidis had eaten sprouts more often than people who were not part of the outbreak.
Patients had eaten two different sprout products in the seven days before becoming ill. Both products had the same unnamed producer.
FoodWorld 