Category Archives: outbreak

RASFF Alert – Potential Tuberculosis Outbreak in Dairy Cattle – Risks Linked to Consuming Unpasteurized Milk

RASFF

Potential Tuberculosis Outbreak in Dairy Cattle – Risks Linked to Consuming Unpasteurized Milk from France in Spain

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

FDA

What’s New

  • For the outbreak of Salmonella Sundsvall and Oranienburg (ref #1203) linked to cantaloupe, the recall was expanded to include additional retailers and wholesalers who received the recalled melons. See the Outbreak Advisory for additional information.
  • For the outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes (ref #989) linked to peaches, plums, and nectarines, the advisory was updated to include the full list of retailers who received the recalled product.
  • For the investigation of elevated lead levels in Cinnamon Applesauce Pouches (ref # 1198) the advisory was updated to include additional adverse event reports and Investigation updates.
  • For the outbreak of Salmonella Thompson (ref #1190) in onions, the investigation is complete and the outbreak has ended. See the Outbreak Advisory for additional information.
  • For the outbreak of E. coli O121 (ref #1195) in a not identified food, the investigation is complete and the outbreak has ended.
Date
Ref Pathogen
or
Cause of
Illness
Product(s)
Linked to
Illnesses

(if any)
Total
Case
Count

Status
12/6/

2023

1205 Listeria
monocytogenes
Not Yet
Identified
3 Active
11/22/

2023

1201 Salmonella
Newport
Not Yet
Identified
44 Active
11/22/

2023

1203 Salmonella
Sundsvall and
Oranienburg
Cantaloupe See

Advisory

Active
11/15/

2023

989 Listeria
monocytogenes
Peaches, Plums,
and Nectarines
See

Advisory

Active
11/8/

2023

1198 Elevated Lead
Levels
Apple
Cinnamon
Puree
See

Advisory

Active

Salmonella outbreak over in Norway, but source not found

Food Safety News

An outbreak of Salmonella has ended in Norway without officials finding the source.

An investigation into the outbreak of Salmonella Napoli has been completed as no cases have been detected since the end of September.

The Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI) had reported seven outbreak cases.

USA – FDA releases retailer lists for stone fruit linked to deadly Listeria outbreak

Food Safety News

Retailer lists are now available for peaches, nectarines and plums linked to a Listeria outbreak that has killed one person and sickened others.

Samples from sick people were collected from Aug. 22, 2018, to Aug. 16, this year. The outbreak is considered ongoing by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The sick people are spread across seven states and all of them have required hospitalization.

Whole genome sequencing has allowed public health officials to match patients across several years, all with the outbreak strait of Listeria monocytogenes. The Food and Drug Administration has also found the pathogen on samples of peaches from the producer.

USA/Canada – Cantaloupe Salmonella Outbreak spikes to 455 ill, with 185 hospitalized and 10 dead

Food Poison Journal

United States Outbreak

More patients have been identified in the Salmonella outbreak traced to cantaloupe. The outbreak is now spread across 42 states. Since the most recent update, on Dec. 7, another 72 patients have been confirmed, bringing the total number of sick people to 302.

Of 263 people interviewed so far, half have been hospitalized. Four people have died, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The outbreak strains of Salmonella in this outbreak are particularly virulent as the pathogen generally does not cause such a high percentage of hospitalizations.

Canadian outbreak

There is a related outbreak in Canada involving cantaloupe from the same supplier in Mexico. Recalls there also include pre-cut products.

As of Dec. 15, there have been 153 laboratory-confirmed cases of Salmonella Soahanina, Sundsvall and Oranienburg illness linked to this outbreak, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada. Of patients with the information available, 53 have been hospitalized. Six patients have died.

USA – Cantaloupe Salmonella Outbreak: 302 sick, 129 hospitalized and 4 dead in U.S.

Food Poison Journal

Since the last update on December 7, 302 people infected with one of the outbreak strains of Salmonella have been reported from 42 states. Illnesses started on dates ranging from October 16, 2023, to November 28, 2023. Of 263 people with information available, 129 (49%) have been hospitalized. Four deaths have been reported, three from Minnesota and one from Oregon.

France – Raw milk cheese sickens six children in France – STEC E.coli O26

Food Safety News

A cheese made from raw milk has been linked to half a dozen serious E. coli infections in France.

Six cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) have been reported. HUS is a severe complication associated with E. coli infections that causes kidney failure.

Following severe diarrhea, young children attending the Minimes crèche in Toulouse had to be hospitalized in November. Stool cultures revealed Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) infection. Cheese has tested positive for E. coli O26.

The crèche was closed for a few days, but has since reopened. Samples from surfaces were taken and analyzes of the meals were carried out as well as a thorough cleaning of the premises.

USA – Sushi 9 may be linked to 240 Norovirus cases

Food Poison Journal

Norovirus Food Safety kswfoodworld

WRAL News reports that as of today there are now 241 complaints from people who ate at Sushi Nine since November28, the date the first customers became ill. Since WRAL News first reported the outbreak on Nov. 30, three stool samples collected from complainants have tested positive for norovirus, a contagious virus that causes vomiting, diarrhea, nausea and stomach pain, among other symptoms.

RASFF Alert – Outbreak – E.coli – Sweden -Parsley

RASFF

Parsley suspected to be the source of an outbreak with pathogenic E. coli (ETEC/EPEC/EAEC) in Sweden

China sees drop in foodborne disease outbreaks

Xinhua

China has witnessed a notable decline in outbreaks of foodborne diseases, signaling positive progress on food-safety management, according to the country’s National Health Commission (NHC).

The achievement is attributed to the implementation of a national food-safety risk-monitoring program, Cao Xuetao, deputy head of the NHC, said on Tuesday.

Foodborne diseases, commonly known as food poisoning, represent a critical global public health concern.

In recent years, the NHC has introduced three major monitoring systems to improve awareness of food-safety risks. These systems focus on monitoring individual cases of foodborne diseases, tracking outbreaks of such diseases, and establishing a molecular traceability network to identify the sources of foodborne illnesses.

Global Times

China’s food safety governance has made positive progress with a decrease of 11 percent in the number of foodborne disease outbreaks and a 33.9 percent reduction in the number of related deaths since the beginning of the period covered by the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), officials from the National Health Commission (NHC) revealed at an event in Beijing on Tuesday during Food Safety Awareness Week.

Li said that according to the foodborne disease monitoring network, from 2010 to 2022, a total of 46,430 foodborne disease outbreaks were reported nationwide (an average of 3,572 per year, among which 1,024 cases were due to mushroom poisoning), with 330,870 cases of illness (an average of 25,452 per year) and 1,679 deaths (an average of 129 per year, among which 70 were caused by mushroom poisoning).