Category Archives: foodborne outbreak

USA – Investigations of Foodborne Illness Outbreaks

Posted on July 11, 2024 by | Leave a comment

FDA

What’s New

  • A new outbreak of Salmonella Irumu (ref #1235) linked to a not yet identified product has been added to the table. FDA has initiated traceback.
  • For the outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium illnesses (ref #1234) linked to a not yet identified product, the case count has increased from 80 to 83.
  • For the outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 illnesses (ref #1221) linked to organic walnuts, the outbreak is over, FDA’s investigation is complete, and the advisory has been updated.
Date
 Ref Pathogen
or
Cause of
Illness		 Product(s)
Linked to
Illnesses
(if any)		 Total
Case
Count		 Status Outbreak/
Event
Status
7/10/

2024

 1235 Salmonella
Irumu		 Not Yet
Identified		 26 Active Ongoing
See
Advice
6/19/

2024

 1234 Salmonella
Typhimurium		 Not Yet
Identified		 83 Active Ongoing
See
Advice
5/22/

2024

 1227 Salmonella
Africana
&
Braenderup		 Cucumbers See
Advisory		 Active Ongoing
See
Advisory
5/22/

2024

 1232 Listeria
monocytogenes		 Not Yet
Identified		 2 Active Ongoing
See
Advice

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Posted in CORE Investigation Table, FDA, food bourne outbreak, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Listeria monocytogenes, outbreak, Salmonella

USA – Owner of raw milk creamery behind fatal outbreak sentenced to probation – Listeria monocytogenes

Posted on July 10, 2024 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

A man who owned a raw milk creamery behind the deaths of two people has been sentenced to probation.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Therese Wiley Dancks in New York sentenced Johannes Vulto on July 9 to three years probation, a $100,000 fine and 240 hours of community service. Vulto and his company pleaded guilty in March to causing the introduction of adulterated food into interstate commerce, a misdemeanor, prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York said in a news release.

Vulto’s raw milk cheese was found to be the source of Listeria monocytogenes that sickened eight people, killing two of them in 2016. He could have been sentenced to up to a year in prison. According to a plea agreement, he agreed to pay a $100,000 fine.

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Posted in food bourne outbreak, food death, Food Illness, Foodborne Illness, Foodborne Illness Death, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, outbreak

USA – More than 165 infected with Salmonella in raw milk outbreak

Posted on July 10, 2024 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

More than 165 people, mostly children, have been sickened so far by raw milk products from Raw Farm LLC.

In reports obtained by Food Safety News from the California Division of Communicable Disease Control and the California Department of Health, the Salmonella outbreak has sickened 165 people across four states. Previously the department of health was reporting a dozen sick. The most recent of the reports is from February this year. The most recent illness was recorded this past month.

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Posted in food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, outbreak, Raw Milk, Salmonella

USA – CDC Outbreak Over – Outbreak Investigation of E. coli O157:H7: Bulk Organic Walnuts (April 2024)

Posted on July 10, 2024 by | Leave a comment

FDA

Current Update

July 9, 2024

The FDA and CDC, in collaboration with state and local partners,  investigated illnesses in a multistate outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections linked to organic walnuts from Gibson Farms, Inc. of Hollister, California that were distributed to multiple natural food and co-op stores in AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NM, OR, SD, TX, and WA and sold in bulk bins.

As of July 9, 2024, CDC reports that the outbreak is over. CDC reports a total of 13 cases in two states. There has been a total of seven hospitalizations and zero deaths associated with this incident. The last illness onset was April 4, 2024. FDA’s outbreak investigation is closed.

Case Count Map Provided by CDC

Case Count Map Provided by CDC

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Posted in CDC, E.coli O157, E.coli O157:H7, FDA, food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, outbreak, STEC, STEC E.coli

Canada – Ontario Warns About Product Recall Due to Listeria Contamination – Illnesses

Posted on July 10, 2024 by | Leave a comment

Ontario

“On July 8, 2024, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced a recall that affects certain Silk® and Great Value brand plant-based refrigerated beverages as they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. Consumers are asked to visit the CFIA’s website for a complete listing of all recalled products and to visit the website regularly as there may be recalls of additional products as the food safety investigation continues.

Ontarians are reminded to check their fridges for the recalled products and if any are found, they should be immediately discarded or returned to the location where they were purchased. Do not consume any recalled products. Contamination with Listeria does not change the smell, taste or appearance of food.

As of July 8, 2024, nine confirmed cases of listeriosis have been reported in Ontario as part of an ongoing investigation that is linked to the recalled products. There have been five hospitalizations associated with this outbreak investigation.

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Posted in food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, outbreak

Israel – Outbreak of Campylobacter diarrhoea bacterium: Hundreds of Israelis infected

Posted on July 9, 2024 by | Leave a comment

JPOST

The bacterium usually enters the digestive system through contaminated meat and poultry, causing intestinal inflammation with characteristic symptoms.

The Campylobacter bacterium had been spreading in Israel for several years, but there was a sharp increase in the number of infections over the past year. Data from the Health Ministry, obtained by Maariv, indicated thousands of infections in recent months, a significant increase compared to previous years.

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Posted in Campylobacter, food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, outbreak

South Korea – Popular Kimchi Dish Blamed For Norovirus Outbreak In South Korea

Posted on July 8, 2024 by | Leave a comment

NDTV

An outbreak of food poisoning linked to norovirus-contaminated kimchi has struck Namwon City, South Korea, sickening over 1,000 people, BBC reported. Local authorities reported nearly 1,000 confirmed cases by Friday, with media outlets estimating the number to be over 1,000 by Saturday afternoon.

The outbreak’s source appears to be contaminated kimchi, a staple fermented cabbage dish commonly served in South Korea. This kimchi was distributed through school meal programs, causing students and staff at 24 schools to experience symptoms like vomiting, diarrhoea, and abdominal cramps.

Norovirus is highly contagious and can spread through contact with contaminated surfaces or infected individuals. Thankfully, most people recover within a few days without requiring hospitalization. However, some cases can become severe.

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Posted in food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, Norovirus, outbreak

USA – 2 California sisters in ICU with botulism amid outbreak traced to home-canned Nopales

Posted on July 8, 2024 by | Leave a comment

NBC News

A family party near Fresno, California, resulted in 10 people being treated for botulism, a rare but serious illness caused by bacteria that affects the nervous system, public officials said Friday.

The culprit in the outbreak? Home-canned nopales, or cactus pads.

Two sisters are currently recovering in intensive care, a spokesperson for the Fresno County Department of Public Health told NBC News. One sister underwent a tracheostomy, a procedure to create a breathing tube in the neck, due to respiratory complications caused by the disease.

The eight other hospitalized individuals have been released, and there have been no new reported cases since.

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Posted in Clostridium, Clostridium botulinum, food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Food Poisoning Illness, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, outbreak, Poisoning

Italy – Norovirus outbreak hospitalises hundreds in Italian village

Posted on July 5, 2024 by | Leave a comment

DW

A norovirus outbreak hit the picturesque village of Torri del Benaco on the shores of Lake Garda, Italy, last week.

More than 300 people have sought medical treatment for the highly contagious stomach bug. The virus is known for its sudden onset of gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, stomach cramps and fever.

The rapid spread of the illness led to an immediate investigation by health authorities, who confirmed the presence of the highly contagious norovirus in stool samples of affected individuals.

It’s not yet clear what caused the sudden norovirus outbreak, but local health experts suspect the local water supply. Authorities have issued warnings for people in the area not to drink the tap water.

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Posted in Contaminated water, food bourne outbreak, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Norovirus, outbreak, Water, water microbiology, Water Safety

USA -Cucumbers sicken 449 in 31 States with two strains of Salmonella

Posted on July 4, 2024 by | Leave a comment

Food Poison Journal

CDC, public health and regulatory officials in several states, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are collecting different types of data to investigate a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Africana and Salmonella Braenderup infections. Epidemiologic, traceback and laboratory data show that cucumbers were contaminated with Salmonella and made people sick.

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Posted in CDC, FDA, food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, outbreak, Salmonella