Category Archives: foodbourne outbreak

USA – Pittsburgh School Closed Monday Due To Possible Norovirus Outbreak

Posted on December 13, 2021 by | Leave a comment

ibtimes

Norovirus Food Safety kswfoodworld

The illness at Pittsburgh Carmalt is “most likely” norovirus, the Pittsburgh Public Schools said on its website. The cases were reported among students, as well as staff.

Norovirus is “very contagious” and can cause the infected individuals to experience symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) noted. In fact, norovirus has also been called the “winter vomiting bug.”

“Anyone” is susceptible to getting infected and falling ill with norovirus, the agency explained. This can be through having direct contact with someone who is infected, eating contaminated food or simply by touching contaminated surfaces and then putting unwashed hands in the mouth.

The affected school will be closed Monday to make way for thorough cleaning and “prevent further student and staff infections.” The classes will resume Tuesday.

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Posted in food bourne outbreak, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Virus, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Norovirus, outbreak, Virus

USA – New Ground Beef E. coli O157:H7 Outbreak on USDA Investigation Table

Posted on December 13, 2021 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning Bulletin

A new ground beef E. coli O157:H7 outbreak on the USDA Investigation Table has been posted. Ground beef is suspected as being the source of thee pathogen. The USDA Outbreak Investigation Table has even less information that the FDA’s Table. There is no case count, and no information about whether or not traceback, sample collection, facility investigation, or lab analysis has been conducted.

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Posted in E.coli O157, E.coli O157:H7, food bourne outbreak, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, outbreak

Canada – Avocados are possible link in Canada Salmonella Outbreak

Posted on December 13, 2021 by | Leave a comment

Food Poison Journal

Food Safety News reports that in a public health notice, officials report a Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak of unknown origin is continuing to grow, with patients spread across five Canadian provinces.

As of Dec. 9, there were 16 new confirmed patients, bringing the tally to 79, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada. Four people have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

“Many of the individuals who became sick reported eating fresh avocados purchased from grocery stores or served at restaurants before their illness. Investigation findings to date have identified that these avocados have been distributed in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. More information is needed to confirm the source of the outbreak. The outbreak appears to be ongoing, as illnesses continue to be reported,” according to public health officials.

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Posted in food bourne outbreak, food contamination, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, outbreak, Salmonella, salmonellosis

UK – Emergency closure at South Shore Academy after ‘highly infectious’ norovirus outbreak

Posted on December 13, 2021 by | Leave a comment

Blackpool Gazette

A South Shore secondary school was ordered to close by Blackpool Council after a ‘highly infectious’ norovirus outbreak there.

A letter from head teacher Rebecca Warhurst read: “Due to a highly infectious sickness and diarrhoea outbreak, which is likely to be norovirus, Public Health have advised to close the school with immediate effect in order to break the infection cycle.

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Posted in food bourne outbreak, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Virus, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, outbreak, Virus

Argentina – More Salmonella cases reported in Salta, Nearly half in young children

Posted on December 13, 2021 by | Leave a comment

Outbreak News Today

kswfoodworld salmonella

In a follow-up on the Salmonella situation in Salta province, Argentina, the Ministry of Public Health reported that from the beginning of 2021 and until the end of last week, 1,283 cases of salmonellosis were confirmed in the province.

In the first months of the year, a greater number of cases comprised in the first nine epidemiological weeks was observed. Then, between weeks 10 and 38, isolated infections occurred. And, from week 32 that began on August 8 until today, 665 laboratory-confirmed cases were reported.

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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, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, outbreak, Salmonella, salmonellosis

Singapore – Downgrading of food stall, B&S Food Corner – due to food poisoning incident ​

Posted on December 13, 2021 by | Leave a comment

SFA

22 persons were reported to have gastroenteritis symptoms after consuming food prepared at B&S Food Corner on 19 May 2021. None of them were hospitalised.
A joint investigation by the Ministry of Health and the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) was conducted following the incident. Several hygiene lapses were identified during an inspection of the food stall on 21 May 2021 and SFA will be taking enforcement action against the licensee for these lapses.
SFA has adjusted the food stall’s food hygiene grade from “B” to “C” with effect from 10 December 2021, to be reviewed in 12 months. The premises will also be kept under surveillance.
Food operators are reminded to adhere to good food hygiene and safety processes. Good hygiene practices such as the washing of hands before handling food can greatly reduce the incidence of gastroenteritis when adopted by all key stakeholders, including the industry and public.
The information provided on this website should not be used as basis for any legal proceedings. Neither SFA nor any of its employees involved in the supply of the above information shall be liable for any loss or damage suffered by any member of the public by reason of any error or omission of whatever nature appearing therein or however caused.

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Posted in food bourne outbreak, food contamination, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Pathogen, Food Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, outbreak, Poisoning

Research – An outbreak of food poisoning due to Escherichia coli serotype O7:H4 carrying astA for enteroaggregative E. coli heat-stable enterotoxin1 (EAST1) – Seaweed

Posted on December 12, 2021 by | Leave a comment

Cambridge Org

In June 2020, a large-scale food poisoning outbreak involving about 3000 elementary and junior high school students occurred in Yashio, Saitama, Japan. A school lunch was the only food stuff ingested by all of the patients. Escherichia coli serotype O7:H4 carrying the astA gene for enteroaggregative E. coli (EAggEC) heat-stable enterotoxin 1 (EAST1) was detected in faecal specimens from the patients, and sample inspection revealed its presence in a seaweed salad and red seaweed (Gigartina tenella) as one of the raw materials. Analysis of the antibiotic sensitivity of the isolates revealed resistance to ampicillin and cefotaxime. All isolates were confirmed to be of the same origin by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis after digestion with the restriction enzyme XbaI, and single nucleotide polymorphism analysis using whole genome sequencing. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a large-scale food poisoning caused by E. coli O7:H4, which lacks well-characterized virulence genes other than astA.

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Posted in E.coli O7:H4, 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 Poisoning, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Toxin, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, outbreak, STEC, STEC E.coli

Canada – Public Health Notice: Outbreak of Salmonella infections – Update

Posted on December 10, 2021 by | Leave a comment

PHAC

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) is collaborating with provincial public health partners, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Health Canada to investigate an outbreak of Salmonella infections involving five provinces: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario. The illnesses reported in Ontario were related to travel to Alberta and British Columbia.

The source of the outbreak has not been confirmed and the investigation is ongoing. Many of the individuals who became sick reported eating fresh avocados purchased from grocery stores or served at restaurants before their illness. Investigation findings to date have identified that these avocados have been distributed in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. More information is needed to confirm the source of the outbreak. The outbreak appears to be ongoing, as illnesses continue to be reported.

The Public Health Agency of Canada is issuing this public health notice to inform residents and businesses in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba of the investigation findings to date so that they can make informed decisions. At this time, there is no evidence to suggest that residents in other provinces and territories are affected by this outbreak. This notice also includes important safe food handling information for Canadians and businesses that may help prevent further Salmonella infections.

This public health notice will be updated as the investigation evolves.

Investigation summary

As of December 9, there have been 79 laboratory-confirmed cases of Salmonella Enteritidis illness investigated in: British Columbia (34), Alberta (28), Saskatchewan (4), Manitoba (11) and Ontario (2). The illnesses reported in Ontario are related to travel to Alberta and British Columbia. Individuals became sick between early September 2021 and mid-November 2021. Four individuals have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. Individuals who became ill are between 5 and 89 years of age. The majority of cases (63%) are female.

CFIA is conducting a food safety investigation. If specific contaminated food products are identified, they will take the necessary steps to protect the public, including requesting a recall of product as required. Currently there are no Food Recall Warnings associated with this outbreak.

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Posted in food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, outbreak, Research, Salmonella

Research -EU One Health report: drop in reported zoonotic diseases in humans and foodborne outbreaks in 2020

Posted on December 10, 2021 by | Leave a comment

EFSA

Campylobacteriosis was the most reported zoonosis in the EU in 2020, with 120,946 cases compared to more than 220,000 the previous year. It was followed by salmonellosis, which affected 52,702 people compared to 88,000 in 2019. The number of reported foodborne outbreaks also fell by 47%. These findings are based on the annual EU One Health zoonosis report, by EFSA and ECDC.

Experts acknowledged the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe in the remarkable drop in reported zoonotic diseases in humans – ranging from 7% to 53% depending on the reported disease in question – and foodborne outbreaks.

Possible factors behind the large decrease in cases include changes in health seeking behaviour, restrictions on travel and on events, the closing of restaurants, quarantine, lockdown, and other mitigation measures such as the use of masks, physical distancing and hand sanitisation.  

The next most commonly reported diseases were yersiniosis (5,668) and infections caused by Shigatoxin-producing E.coli (4,446). Listeriosis was the fifth most reported zoonosis (1,876 cases), mainly affecting people over the age of 64.

Listeriosis and West Nile virus infections were the diseases with the highest case fatality and hospitalisation rates – with most locally acquired human infections of West Nile virus reported in Greece, Spain and Italy.

The report also monitors foodborne outbreaks in the EU, events during which at least two people contract the same illness from the same contaminated food. A total of 3,086 foodborne outbreaks were reported in 2020. Salmonella remained the most frequently detected agent and caused about 23% outbreaks. The most common sources of salmonellosis outbreaks were eggs, egg products and pig meat.

The report also includes data on Mycobacterium bovis/caprae, Brucella, Trichinella, Echinococcus, Toxoplasma gondii, rabies, Q fever and tularaemia.

EFSA is publishing two interactive communication tools on foodborne outbreaks – a story map and a dashboard. The story map provides general information on foodborne outbreaks, their causative agents and implicated food vehicles. The dashboard allows people to search and query the large amount of data on foodborne outbreaks collected by EFSA from EU Member States and other reporting countries since 2015.

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Posted in Brucella melitensis, Brucellosis, Campylobacter, Campylobacter jejuni, E.coli, food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, listeriosis, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, outbreak, Research, Salmonella, salmonellosis, Shigatoxin, Toxoplasma gondii, Toxoplasmosis

USA – FDA – New Era of Smarter Food Safety: FDA’s Foodborne Outbreak Response Improvement Plan

Posted on December 10, 2021 by | Leave a comment

FDA

New Era of Smarter Food Safety - FDA's Foodborne Outbreak Response Improvement Plan Cover

Tackling foodborne outbreaks faster and revealing the root cause are essential for the prevention of future outbreaks. We have a plan to do that.

Foodborne disease remains a significant public health problem in the United States. The FDA’s Foodborne Outbreak Response Improvement Plan (FORIP), described in this document, is an important step that the FDA is taking to enhance the speed, effectiveness, coordination, and communication of outbreak investigations. (Unless stated otherwise, this report focuses exclusively on the response to human food and not animal food.)

Our ultimate goal is to bend the curve of foodborne illness in this country.

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Posted in FDA, food bourne outbreak, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Safety, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, outbreak, Research