Category Archives: Norovirus

USA – Nearly 200 people sick in norovirus outbreaks on Princess, Royal Caribbean ships

Posted on April 29, 2024 by | Leave a comment

Yahoo News

Nearly 200 people got sick in norovirus outbreaks on Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean International ships.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 94 of the 2,532 guests on Sapphire Princess reported being ill during its April 5 cruise, along with 20 crew members. The round-trip cruise, which left from Los Angeles with stops in Hawaii and the South Pacific, will end on May 7, according to CruiseMapper.

On Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas, 67 of its 1,993 guests reported being ill in addition to two crew members during a cruise that ended April 22, according to the CDC. The two-week voyage sailed from Tampa, Florida to Los Angeles with stops in countries like Colombia and Panama, according to CruiseMapper.

In both outbreaks, the guests and crew members’ main symptoms were diarrhea and vomiting.

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Posted in Food Illness, Foodborne Illness, Illness, Norovirus, Norovirus Cruise

USA – Norovirus outbreak at New York restaurant linked to infected food handlers

Posted on April 29, 2024 by | Leave a comment

Healio

Eurofins

A norovirus outbreak at a New York restaurant was traced back to sick food handlers, some of whom were unaware of the location’s paid sick leave policy, researchers reported at the CDC’s annual Epidemic Intelligence Service conference.

“In December, we received three reports of gastrointestinal illness in patrons [who] dined with a Manhattan restaurant. They were patrons [who] had been part of two different parties that dined on two different days at the same restaurant,” Leah D. Seifu, MD, MPH, Epidemic Intelligence Service with the CDC assigned to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, told Healio. “So, we, at the health department decided to investigate these reports of gastrointestinal illness.”

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Posted in food handler, Food Illness, Foodborne Illness, Hand Washing, Illness, Norovirus

RASFF Alert- Norovirus – Oysters

Posted on April 26, 2024 by | Leave a comment

RASFF

Presence of norovirus in oysters from Netherlands in Italy

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Posted in food contamination, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, 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, Norovirus, Norovirus Oysters, RASFF

Canada- Raw B.C. oysters associated with jump in Norovirus cases, health officials warn

Posted on April 22, 2024 by | Leave a comment

BC CTV News

Health officials are warning the public about an increase in norovirus cases that’s been associated with eating raw B.C. oysters.

More than 50 people suffered “acute gastrointestinal illness” this week after ingesting raw oysters, Vancouver Coastal Health said in a news release Friday.

Testing has already confirmed the presence of norovirus in some of the cases, and it’s suspected in others, according to the health authority.

A number of oyster-harvesting areas have been temporarily shut down following an investigation by government authorities and the shellfish industry. They will be reopened “when contamination is cleared,” officials said.

In the meantime, the public has been warned against eating raw oysters.

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Posted in food bourne outbreak, Food Virus, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Norovirus, Norovirus Oysters, outbreak

RASFF Alert – Norovirus – Concave Oysters

Posted on April 19, 2024 by | Leave a comment

RASFF

Norovirus in concave oysters from the Netherlands in Italy

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Posted in food contamination, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, 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, Norovirus, Norovirus Oysters, RASFF

RASFF Alert – Norovirus + Hepatitis A – Frozen Forest Fruits

Posted on April 19, 2024 by | Leave a comment

RASFF

Norovirus and Hepatitis A Virus in frozen forest fruits from italy in Croatia, Italy, Romania, San Marino, Slovenia.

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Posted in food contamination, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, 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, Food Virus, Hepatitis A, Norovirus, RASFF, Virus

Danish campaign results show Norovirus uncertainty

Posted on April 18, 2024 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

According to the Danish food agency, there is still uncertainty among chefs and kitchen workers about the management of norovirus.

A Danish Veterinary and Food Administration (Fødevarestyrelsen) control and guidance campaign targeted restaurants, kitchens, and shops that supply ready-to-eat (RTE) food. Work involved 829 visits from June to November 2023.

The agency asked kitchen managers what steps they should take to prevent outbreaks. Some said they were unsure how far they could go concerning an employee’s illness and health.

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Posted in Food Microbiology Research, Food Safety, Food Safety Management, Food Safety Regulations, food safety training, Norovirus, Research, Water Safety

Taiwan – Three test positive for norovirus after dining at sushi restaurant chain

Posted on April 18, 2024 by | Leave a comment

Focus Taiwan

Taipei, April 17 (CNA) Three of the 23 people who reported suspected food poisoning after dining at branches of the sushi restaurant chain Kura Sushi have tested positive for norovirus, the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) said Wednesday.

At a press conference on Wednesday morning, TFDA Director-General Wu Shou-mei (吳秀梅) said the TFDA and local health bureaus have received reports of 10 suspected food poisoning cases involving 23 individuals who had meals at different branches of the sushi restaurant chain.

Of the 23, three have tested positive for norovirus, while testing of samples taken from the remaining 20 individuals is still underway, Wu said, adding that a chef tested negative for norovirus, without specifying the branch where the three dined or where the chef worked.

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

USA – FDA Advises Restaurants and Retailers Not to Serve or Sell and Consumers Not to Eat Certain Frozen, Raw, Half-shell Oysters from Republic of Korea Potentially Contaminated with Norovirus

Posted on April 17, 2024 by | Leave a comment

FDA

Oysters Farm Raised Lable from South Korea

Audience

  • Restaurants and food retailers in California that have recently purchased Lots B231126, B240103, and B240214 of frozen, raw, half-shell oysters processed by JBR (KR 15 SP) in Tongyeongsi, Republic of Korea on 11/27/2023, 1/4/2024, and 2/15/2024.
  • Consumers and retailers in California who have recently purchased lots B231126, B240103, and B240214 of frozen, raw, half-shell oysters processed by JBR (KR 15 SP) in Tongyeongsi, Republic of Korea on 11/27/2023, 1/4/2024, and 2/15/2024.

Products

Frozen, raw, half-shell oysters Lots B231126 and B240103, harvested from Designated Area No. 1 on 11/26/2023 and 1/3/2024, and Lot B240214 harvested from Designated Area No. 2 on 2/14/2024, and processed by JBR (KR 15 SP) in Tongyeongsi, Republic of Korea on 11/27/2023, 1/4/2024, and 2/15/2024. Lots B240103 and B240214 may be labeled with Amazing Sea Brand. The oysters were distributed to restaurants and retailers in California and may have been distributed to other states as well.

The photos below are included as an example of product tag and case labeling from one (1) of the three (3) lots identified above and include information specific to Lot B231126, harvested from Designated Area No. 1 on 11/26/2023 with production date 11/27/2023. The tag and label information for Lot(s) B240103 and B240214 would include similar corresponding details appropriate to each Lot.

Summary of Problem and Scope

On 4/9/2024, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) notified the FDA of an outbreak of norovirus illnesses associated with consumption of oysters from the Republic of Korea. On 4/15/2024, authorities at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries in the Republic of Korea advised the firm to voluntarily initiate a recall of the distributed lots of frozen, raw, half-shell oysters due to possible norovirus contamination. The distributed lots include frozen, raw, half-shell oysters Lots B231126 and B240103, harvested from Designated Area No. 1, and Lot B240214, harvested from Designated Area No. 2, and processed by JBR (KR 15 SP) in Tongyeongsi, Republic of Korea on 11/27/2023, 1/4/2024, and 2/15/2024, and shipped to distributors in California. The product may have been distributed to other states as well.

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

Research – Concentration of foodborne viruses eluted from fresh and frozen produce: Applicability of ultrafiltration

Posted on April 13, 2024 by | Leave a comment

Science Direct

Abstract

Foodborne illnesses involving raw and minimally processed foods are often caused by human noroviruses (HuNoV) and hepatitis A virus (HAV). Since food is contaminated usually with small numbers of virions, these must be eluted from the food surface and then concentrated for detection. The objective of this study was to optimize an ultrafiltration (UF) concentration method for HAV and HuNoVs present on various fresh and frozen produce. The detection range of the optimized method and its applicability to different food matrices was compared to the reference method ISO 15216-1:2017. Strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, lettuce, and green onion (25 g) were contaminated with HAV, HuNoV GI.7 and HuNoV GII.4 and then recovered therefrom by elution. A commercial benchtop UF device was used for the concentration step. Viral RNA was extracted and detected by RT-qPCR. From fresh strawberries, recovery of HAV loaded at 104 genome copies per sample was 30 ± 13 %, elution time had no significant impact, and UF membrane with an 80–100 kDa cut-off in combination with Tris-glycine elution buffer at pH 9.5 was found optimal. At lower copy numbers on fresh strawberry, at least 1 log lower numbers of HuNoV were detectable by the UF method (103 vs 104 GII.4 copies/sample and 101 vs 103 GI.7 copies/sample), while HAV was detected at 101 genome copies/sample by both methods. Except on raspberry, the UF method was usually equivalent to the ISO method regardless of the virus tested. The UF method makes rapid viral concentration possible, while supporting the filtration of large volume of sample. With fewer steps and shorter analysis time than the ISO method, this method could be suitable for routine analysis of viruses throughout the food production and surveillance chain.

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Posted in Food Microbiology Research, Food Virus, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis E, Norovirus, Research, Virus