Category Archives: outbreak

Research – Nearly 2,000 collective food poisoning infections declared in France in 2022

Posted on February 22, 2024 by | Leave a comment

Sante Publique

Foodborne infectious diseases, such as collective foodborne illness (TIAC), represent a health risk for the population and are often caused by the consumption of food contaminated by pathogenic bacteria (Salmonella, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, etc.). ). Each year, between 10,000 to 16,000 people are affected by TIAC in France, whether in a family environment, in commercial or collective catering. 

Each year, Public Health France publishes a report on the epidemiological evolution of TIACs based on mandatory notification data. In 2022, the number of notified TIACs is the highest recorded since the implementation of surveillance in 1987 and continuing the upward trend observed before the Covid-19 pandemic. It exceeded the increase already observed in 2019 after a decrease in 2020-2021, most certainly linked to the implementation of physical distancing measures and the application of barrier gestures during the pandemic. 

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Posted in Bacillus, Bacillus cereus, food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Poisoning, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, outbreak, Poisoning, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus

USA -FDA – Core Outbreak Table – Investigations of Foodborne Illness Outbreaks

Posted on February 22, 2024 by | Leave a comment

FDA

What’s New

  • A new outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 in raw cheddar cheese has been added to the table. A recall was initiated and an outbreak advisory was issued.
  • For the outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes (ref #1214) linked to queso fresco and cotija cheese, the outbreak advisory has been updated to include additional downstream recalls.
  • For the investigation of elevated lead levels in Cinnamon Applesauce Pouches (ref # 1198) the advisory was updated to include investigation updates.

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Posted in CORE Investigation Table, E.coli O157, E.coli O157:H7, FDA, food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, outbreak

Research – 19 sailors sick in Ciguatera outbreak

Posted on February 21, 2024 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

According to a study, an outbreak of ciguatera poisoning from contaminated fish affected 19 people on a ship in Australia.

The food poisoning outbreak was reported to the Central Queensland Public Health Unit in December 2021.

A bulk carrier sailing from Higashiharima, Japan, to Gladstone, Australia, reported an incident of sudden illness, with 19 of 20 sailors on board having a combination of gastrointestinal and neurological symptoms.

All 20 sailors consumed a self-caught barracuda and squid prepared by the ship’s cook the day before. Leftover samples of the fish and squid were sent for testing. According to the study published in the journal Communicable Diseases Intelligence, the barracuda sample contained ciguatoxins.

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Posted in Algal Toxin, Ciguatera, Ciguatera Poisoning, Dinoflagellates, food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, gastroenteritis, Gastrointestinal Infection, Illness, Marine Biotoxin, outbreak

USA – FDA reports on Salmonella outbreak linked to red onions

Posted on February 20, 2024 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

A recent report from the Food and Drug Administration has found that a sheep farm was likely a contributing factor in the contamination of onions.

The finding came when investigators searched for the cause of a 2020 outbreak of Salmonella Newport foodborne infections associated with red onions from the Southern San Joaquin Valley and Imperial Valley in California.

“The outbreak, which caused 1,127 reported domestic illnesses and 515 reported Canadian cases, is the largest Salmonella outbreak in over a decade,” according to the research report. “This outbreak is also remarkable because the food vehicle, whole red onions, is a raw agricultural commodity that had not been previously associated with a foodborne illness outbreak.”

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Posted in FDA, food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Microbiology Research, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, outbreak, Research, Salmonella, Salmonella in Onions

Austria – Dairy firm boss faces jail after deadly Listeria outbreak

Posted on February 19, 2024 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

The head of a dairy company behind a Listeria outbreak in Austria faces more than a year in prison.

The boss of Käserei Gloggnitz was sentenced to 13 months in jail this week. The 39-year-old faced several charges but denied the allegations and the verdict was reported not to be final, according to media reports.

A Listeria outbreak from 2020 to 2022 had 10 cases and caused at least three deaths.

Käserei Gloggnitz faced financial issues in 2022 which led to insolvency proceedings being opened and in 2023 the closure of the plant was ordered.

Additional allegations will be heard in mid-March at the Regional Court of Wiener Neustadt when several other witnesses will also be questioned.

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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, listeriosis, outbreak

USA – Patient count nears 90 in Salmonella outbreak linked to charcuterie meats

Posted on February 19, 2024 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

Forty more patients have been identified as part of a Salmonella outbreak linked to charcuterie meat products.

As of Feb. 15 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was reporting 87 patients across 30 states. The Salmonella I 4:I:- infections have resulted in the hospitalization of 18 patients. Illnesses started on Nov. 20, 2023. The patients range in age from less than 1 to 92 years old.

The true number of people sickened in this outbreak is likely much higher than reported so far because many people do not seek medical attention and those who do are often not tested for Salmonella infection. The CDC estimates that for every case of Salmonella infection diagnosed there are 29 cases that are not identified.

Epidemiologic and laboratory data show that charcuterie meat products from Fratelli Beretta are making people in this outbreak sick. Fratelli Beretta has recalled many brands of charcuterie meat products containing Coppa. Of 46 patients interviewed, 78 percent reported eating a variety of charcuterie meats.

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

USA – Outbreak Investigation of E. coli O157:H7: Raw Cheddar Cheese (February 2024)

Posted on February 19, 2024 by | Leave a comment

FDA

Raw Cheddar 8 oz block

Products:

RAW FARM- brand Raw Cheddar blocks and shredded cheese products:

  • Original Flavor: all sizes of blocks and shredded packages
  • Cheddar with added Jalapeño Flavor: all sizes of blocks and shredded packages

Symptoms of E. coli:

Symptoms begin anywhere from a few days after consuming contaminated food or up to nine days later. Symptoms include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea, fever, nausea, and/or vomiting.

The severity or presence of certain symptoms may depend on the type of pathogenic E. coli causing the infection. Some infections can cause severe bloody diarrhea and lead to life-threatening conditions, such as a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), or the development of high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease, and neurologic problems.

Stores Affected

  • Sold at retailers nationwide.

Ill people have reported purchasing RAW FARM-brand Raw Cheddar cheese at Sprouts Farmers Market and Bristol Farms. There may be other retailers who are selling the RAW FARM- brand Raw Cheddar cheese and we will update the advisory as more information becomes available.

Status

  • Ongoing; updates will be provided as they become available.

Recommendations:

  • Do not eat, sell, or serve RAW FARM-brand Raw Cheddar cheese products.
  • Check your refrigerators and freezers for the RAW FARM-brand Raw Cheddar cheese (blocks or shredded) and throw them away. If you froze a product without the original packaging and can’t identify the brand, throw it away.
  • Consumers, restaurants, and retailers who purchased or received RAW FARM-brand Raw Cheddar cheese, including wholesale products, should carefully clean and sanitize any surfaces or containers that it touched. Follow FDA’s safe handling and cleaning advice to reduce the risk of cross-contamination.
  • Retailers that purchased this product and repackaged it for individual sale should remove the product from the market.
  • Due to the range in severity of illness, people should consult their health care provider if they suspect that they have developed symptoms that resemble an E. coli infection.

Case Counts

Total Illnesses: 10
Hospitalizations: 4
Deaths: 0
Last Sample Collection Dates: January 29, 2024
States with Cases: CA, CO, TX, UT
Product Distribution: Nationwide

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Posted in E.coli O157, E.coli O157:H7, FDA, food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, food recall, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, outbreak, product recall, Raw Milk, raw milk cheese, Recall, STEC, STEC E.coli

Food Poisoning Tragedy at Funeral in Eastern Uganda: A Call for Food Safety and Public Health Reform

Posted on February 19, 2024 by | Leave a comment

BNN

In the quiet village of Bukasami, located in the heart of Jinja district, Eastern Uganda, a somber gathering to bid farewell to Ahamad Magumba, a respected county khadhi, took an unforeseen and tragic turn. On February 13, what was meant to be a ceremony of remembrance quickly spiraled into a public health emergency. Three attendees lost their lives, and an additional 100 were hospitalized with symptoms pointing unmistakably to food poisoning.

The laboratory findings, including the detection of a high number of colony-forming units of C. perfringens in the consumed food, further cement the diagnosis. This bacterium, often found in improperly stored or cooked food, can lead to devastating outbreaks, as witnessed in Bukasami village.

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

Research – Finland – Foodborne and waterborne outbreks in Finland in 2020–2022

Posted on February 16, 2024 by | Leave a comment

Ruokavirasto

Abstract
In 2020–2022, a total of 139 foodborne or household waterborne outbreaks were included
in the register of foodborne and waterborne outbreaks maintained by the Finnish Food
Authority. Of these, 135 (97%) were foodborne. A total of four household waterborne
outbreaks were reported over this same period. A total of 2 543 people were reported to
have fallen ill due food and 58 by household water.
As previously in the 2000s, norovirus was the most common reported cause of foodborne
outbreaks in 2020–2022. The norovirus caused 34 (25%) foodborne outbreaks. The largest
foodborne outbreak in 2020–2022 was caused by Salmonella Typhimurium in 2021, when
728 people became ill because of lunch meals in day-care centres. The causative agent
remained unknown in 33 (24%) foodborne outbreaks.
The most reported foods vectors were vegetables and vegetable products. These caused
16 outbreaks (12%). The second most common food vectors were fish and fish products,
including shellfish and mussels (12 outbreaks, 9%). However, in most of the outbreaks,
the food vector remained unidentified, or several foods were suspected as vectors (87
outbreaks, 64%).

The participation of an infected kitchen worker in food preparation and inadequate hand
hygiene resulted in 17% of foodborne outbreaks (23 outbreaks). In nearly all these cases the
causative agent was norovirus. The use of contaminated ingredients was linked to 18 (13%)
outbreaks. In 16 (12%) of outbreaks, there were inadequacies and errors in temperatures and
storage of food. The most reported location where foodborne outbreaks happened were
restaurants, cafés or hotels (64 outbreaks, 47%) The second most common were homes (16
outbreaks, 12%). A total of 16 national outbreaks or outbreaks with multiple locations were
also reported. Noroviruses caused two outbreaks identified as household waterborne and
campylobacters one outbreak. The causative agent remained unknown in one case. The
largest household waterborne outbreak was caused by campylobacter in 2020. A total of 43
people fell ill.
In 2020–2022, three swimming waterborne outbreaks, which caused 210 people to fall ill,
were reported in Finland. Either norovirus was diagnosed in swimmers, or their symptoms
suggested an infection caused by the norovirus. Norovirus was detected in the swimming
water only in one of the outbreaks. In all outbreaks, the quantities of indicator bacteria were
low. No clear cause of swimming water contamination was identified in any of the cases.

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

Japan – 163 get norovirus after eating sashimi and sushi rolls at Tokyo restaurant

Posted on February 15, 2024 by | Leave a comment

Japan Today

A norovirus outbreak sickened 163 customers at Kisoji, a traditional Japanese restaurant chain in Tokyo, between Jan 30 and Feb 3.

According to health officials in Adachi Ward, the customers were aged between 6 and 88 and dined at Kisoji’s Nishiarai branch, TV Asahi reported. Some complained of diarrhea, while others vomited after eating the sashimi set menus and ehomaki sushi rolls. Three diners were admitted to the hospital for severe symptoms.

After the hospital determined the patients were suffering from norovirus, the public health center suspended operations at the Nishiarai restaurant from Feb 6 to 10.

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