Category Archives: foodbourne outbreak

USA – Salmonella outbreak over, but CDC says coconut threat lingers

Food Safety News

Federal officials say an outbreak of Salmonella traced to dried coconut appears to be over, but they are renewing their public warning about a lingering threat.

Fourteen people across eight states and the District of Columbia were confirmed with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Typhimurium. Three people were admitted to hospitals. The strain was also laboratory confirmed in unopened packages of the coconut. 

“This outbreak appears to be over. However, recalled dried coconut products have a long shelf life and may still be in people’s homes. Consumers unaware of the recall could continue to eat these products and potentially get sick,” according to an update posted Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

USA – Pious Lion pulls kratom after illness, positive Salmonella result

Food Safety News 

 

A reported illness in North Carolina and state testing that showed Salmonella contamination spurred the Pious Lion company to recall an undisclosed volume of kratom products.

“This is a very serious issue and consumers should take immediate action if they have these products in their homes. Consumers are advised to discard these products and are warned not to consume them,” said Joe Reardon, assistant commissioner of regulatory programs for the North Carolina agriculture department.  

The Asheville, NC, company said in a news release and on its Facebook page that it does not agree with the test results from North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Rapid Response Team.

“Due to concerns about salmonella tainted kratom products, we sent samples of our 9 strains to an independent 3rd party lab for testing. The results just came back and we’re pleased to inform you that all 9 samples came back negative for salmonella,” according to the Pious Lion statement.

USA – Plain Nuts Catering & Deli tied to Salmonella Outbreak

Food Poison Journal

Approximately 70 individuals have reported illness to the Health Department.

The Newton County Health Department is continuing to investigate an outbreak of Salmonella. The initial outbreak was reported to our office on May 4th due to illness among attendees at a closed, invitation only event held in Newton County on April 28th. During the process of investigating this event, the caterer that provided food for this event, Plain Nuts Catering & Deli, was investigated per protocol. All food and drink items along with other exposure possibilities were fully investigated. A survey was developed and sent out to event attendees to gather information on exposures and subsequent illness.

Aremenia – Food safety agents confirm Salmonella as cause of Armavir mass food poisoning incident

Armenpress Salmonella

YEREVAN, MAY 18, ARMENPRESS. The investigation into the mass poisoning incident in Armenia’s Armavir province continues.

The suspected cause – food poisoning – has been confirmed through lab tests.

Salmonellosis has been discovered in all victims.

63 from the overall 88 victims of the food poisoning have already been treated and discharged.

The healthcare ministry says they confirm that the cause was food poisoning.

Earlier the state service for food safety has dispatched agents to Armavir province to probe the suspected food poisoning incident in the plant of Tierras de Armenia – a viticulture and winemaker known for its Karas wines.

Earlier doctors said they suspected the cause of the poisoning to be a lunchtime snack which all of the employees consumed in the cafeteria of the plant.

Agents have taken samples from the facility and sent them for laboratory analysis.

Food safety agents also ceased the operation of a businesswoman’s food supply business in relation to the incident as a precaution. The businesswoman, Alvina Melkonyan, supplied Tierras de Armenia with lunch-time food on the day when the incident happened.

USA – Georgia Announces Salmonella Outbreak

Food Poison Journal

The outbreak was reported to our office on May 4th.  The investigation is ongoing.

We are still investigating the outbreak including identifying the source and commonalities among those that are ill.

Approximately 70 individuals have reported illness to the Health Department.

Many individuals have sought care with their primary physicians and/or urgent care.  At this point we are aware of four individuals who were hospitalized due to their illness.

RASFF Alert – Foodborne Outbreak Suspected – STEC E.coli O26:H11 – Raw Milk Reblochon

kswfoodworld food safety poisoning

RASFF-foodborne outbreak suspected (STEC O26H11 eae+ stx2+) to be caused by raw milk reblochon from France in France

South Africa – Listeriosis under control, says health minister

Health 24 

 

The listeriosis epidemic is under control after product recalls, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said during his Budget Vote in Parliament.

Cape Town – The listeriosis epidemic is under control now that meat products from Enterprise and Rainbow Chicken have been recalled, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi told Parliament on Tuesday.

“Since the recall, we have had fewer than five cases a week in the past five weeks compared to 40 a week before the recall,” Motsoaledi said during his R205bn Budget Vote in Parliament

Health 24

Health24 spoke to Dr Juno Thomas, the Head of the Centre for Enteric Diseases at the NICD, about the severity of the situation. She asserted that while the death toll has risen, it is important to look at the cases as they continue to decline: from 90 cases to 40 cases a week.

She also explained that Listeria affects people with weaker immune systems, making babies and the elderly more vulnerable to the illness. According to Dr Thomas, pregnant women with Listeriosis pass the illness on to the baby through the placenta, “hence the severity in the baby”.

Regarding the second highest group, Dr Thomas attributes this to two factors. “Firstly, women in that group are of childbearing age, and secondly this age group has the highest statistics for HIV, making them a risk factor.”

NICD – Listeria Outbreak Statistics

USA – Salmonella-Contaminated Eggs Sicken 35 People Across Nine States

Food Logistics 275px-Boiled_eggs_in_saucepan_by_Sarah_McCulloch

A salmonella outbreak attached to more than 200 million eggs has sickened 35 people, spreading across nine states.

NBC reports that 35 people across nine states have been sickened by a salmonella outbreak tied to a recall of more than 200 million eggs.

The eggs have been traced to egg-based producer Rose Acre Farms in Hyde County, North Carolina. Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that 23 people were sickened by the eggs, but since then the number has jumped to 35.

The 12 people that fell ill recently were in five different states along the East Coast.

According to NBC, the eggs were sold under different brands in a variety of retailers and restaurants. According to the CDC, 11 people have been hospitalized but no deaths have been reported.

USA – Why Are There So Many HUS Complications in the E. coli O157:H7 Romaine Outbreak? An Attorney Answers

Food Poisoning Bulletin 

The hospitalization rate and hemolytic uremic syndrome case count in the deadly E. coli O157:H7 HUS outbreak that is linked to romaine lettuce has been very high. Typically, in an E. coli outbreak, about 30% of patients are hospitalized, and about 5 to 10% develop hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).

But in this outbreak, the hospitalization rate is almost 50%, and 13% of those patients have developed HUS. Why is the hospitalization rate and the HUS rate so high in this particular outbreak?

Typically, the group most susceptible to developing HUS is children under the age of 5. The patient age range in this outbreak is from 1 to 88. There could be quite a few children sick, which may explain the high HUS rate.

Another explanation for the high HUS rate and the high hospitalization rate is the type of toxins the E. coli bacteria are producing. Shiga toxin-producing E. coli bacteria make two types of those toxins: Stx1 and Stx2. Unfortunately, the bacteria in this outbreak are making Stx2, which causes more damage to the body.

Another factor could be that the lettuce was contaminated with an unusually high number of bacteria. It takes just 10 E. coli bacteria to make someone sick. More bacteria can release more toxins and cause more damage.”

USA – More Ill with Salmonella Linked to Rose Acre Farms’ Eggs

Food Poison Journal 

Consumers, restaurants, and retailers should not eat, serve, or sell recalled eggs produced by Rose Acre Farms’ Hyde County farm. Throw them away or return them to the place of purchase for a refund.

  • These eggs were sold under multiple brand names, including Coburn Farms, Country Daybreak, Food Lion, Glenview, Great Value, Nelms, Publix, Sunshine Farms, and Sunups.
  • Check egg cartons for the following numbers: P-1065 (the plant number) and another set of numbers between 011 and 102 (the Julian date), or, for Publix and Sunups egg cartons, plant number P-1359D and Julian date 048A or 049A with Best By dates of APR 02 and APR 03.
  • Visit the FDA website for a list of recalled products.
  • Wash and sanitize drawers or shelves in refrigerators where recalled eggs were stored. Follow these five steps to clean your refrigerator.