More than 60 students at a boarding school in Wayanad were hospitalised after they experienced vomiting and diarrhoea after having their meals.
KSWFoodWorld
Category Archives: outbreak
India – Over 60 students hospitalised following suspected food poisoning at Wayanad school
Posted in food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Poisoning, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak
USA – Outbreak Investigation of Listeria monocytogenes: Enoki Mushrooms (November 2022)
FDA, along with CDC and state and local partners, is investigating an outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections linked to enoki mushrooms. FDA has identified enoki mushrooms distributed by Utopia Foods, Inc. of Glendale, New York and imported from China, and enoki mushrooms labeled as “Producer: Shandong Youhe Biotechnology, Co.,” with an address in China and “Distributed By: Sun Hong Foods, Inc.” as likely sources of illnesses in this outbreak. Enoki mushrooms are long thin white mushrooms, usually sold in clusters. They are especially popular in East Asian cuisine and are also known as enokitake, golden needle, futu, seafood, or lily mushrooms.
As of January 18, 2022, CDC reports three illnesses included in this outbreak. Through ongoing import and product sampling of enoki mushrooms, two strains of Listeria monocytogenes detected on enoki mushroom products have been determined through Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) to be the same strains of Listeria monocytogenes linked to illnesses in this outbreak. Both strains are included in this outbreak investigation.
On January 17, 2023, FDA reported a positive import sample of enoki mushrooms that matched both outbreak strains and resulted in a voluntary recall expansion from Utopia Foods, Inc. Additional sample collection and analysis conducted by the Maryland Department of Health have also identified both outbreak strains of Listeria monocytogenes in two product samples of enoki mushrooms. These products that tested positive are sold in a 7.05-oz (200g) clear plastic package with a brown and green label and include a label on the back of the package that states: “Producer: Shandong Youhe Biotechnology Co.,” with an address in China, and “Distributed By: Sun Hong Foods, Inc.”
On December 17, 2022, FDA issued a safety alert for enoki mushrooms labeled as “Producer: Shandong Youhe Biotechnology, Co.,” with an address in China and “Distributed By: Sun Hong Foods, Inc.,” as a result of a positive product sample collected by Missouri state partners. At that time, these products were not linked to an active outbreak. The strain of Listeria found in these products matches one of the two strains linked to illnesses in this outbreak. FDA’s safety alert has been updated with the most recent information linking these products to an ongoing outbreak investigation.
FDA’s investigation is ongoing to determine a potential source of contamination and whether any other products are contaminated or linked to illnesses. Additional information will be provided as it becomes available.
Recommendation
Consumers, restaurants, and retailers should not eat, sell, or serve recalled enoki mushrooms from Utopia Foods, Inc. and enoki mushrooms labeled as “Producer: Shandong Youhe Biotechnology, Co.,” with an address in China and “Distributed By: Sun Hong Foods, Inc.” Consumers should check the label on both the front and the back of their enoki mushroom package to view distributor information (see photos below).
Listeria is especially harmful if you are pregnant, aged 65 or older, or have a weakened immune system due to certain medical conditions or treatments. If you are in any of these groups, do not eat any raw enoki mushrooms. For enoki mushrooms that are not recalled or potentially contaminated, always cook enoki mushrooms thoroughly to kill any foodborne germs.
Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms after eating enoki mushrooms:
- People who are not pregnant usually have fever, muscle aches, and tiredness. They may also get a headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, or seizures.
- Pregnant people usually have fever, muscle aches, and tiredness. However, Listeria can cause pregnancy loss or premature birth. It can also cause serious illness or death in newborns.
Follow FDA’s safe handling and cleaning advice and use extra vigilance in cleaning and sanitizing any surfaces and containers that may have come in contact with these recalled products to reduce the risk of cross-contamination, including retailers who stored or repackaged recalled enoki mushrooms. Listeria can survive in refrigerated temperatures and can easily spread to other foods and surfaces.
Posted in FDA, 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 Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Safety Regulations, food safety training, Food Testing, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak
Ghana – Yellow Sisi waakye incident: 53 people confirmed affected
Fifty-three people are now confirmed to have been affected by the Yellow Sisi waakye suspected poisoning incident at Oyibi in Greater Accra.
A joint investigation by the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has revealed that the 53 people experienced symptoms of foodborne disease after consuming waakye or plain rice and tomato stew from a food vendor called Yellow Sisi located at Bush Canteen, a suburb of Oyibi.
The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) in a statement dated Jan 27, 2023 and released Friday night following the report by Graphic Online said it received notification through its Food Safety Alert System on Sunday, January 22, 2023 about the suspected foodborne disease outbreak.
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, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak
USA – Seattle: Officials investigate GI outbreak linked to Tamarind Tree Restaurant
Public health officials announced the investigation of an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness associated with vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, cramps, fevers, and chills at Tamarind Tree Restaurant in Seattle.
According to Public Health – Seattle & King County, 10 people from three separate meal parties have reported a gastrointestinal illness after eating food from the Tamarind Tree Restaurant.
Environmental Health investigators visited the restaurant on January 24, 2023. They observed improper food handling practices, including blocked access to handwashing facilities, improper storage of wiping cloths, risk of cross contamination, and lack of maintenance, cleaning, and sanitizing of food equipment and physical facilities.
Posted in EHO, food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, gastroenteritis, GI, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak
Malta – Nearly 800 reported cases of food poisoning in 2022
Just over 780 people were reported to have suffered from food poisoning last year, nearly 300 more than the numbers reported in pre-pandemic years, according to official statistics.
In 2022, a total of 781 food poisoning cases were reported to the health authorities, a major increase from the 486 registered in 2019.
The figure last year includes 357 people impacted by 71 outbreaks, up from the 232 people involved in 63 outbreaks of food poisoning in 2019.
The most common food-borne bacteria are Salmonella and Campylobacter, according to the list provided showing the food and water-borne diseases reported by the local health authorities.
Posted in Campylobacter, Decontamination Microbial, food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Poisoning, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak, Poisoning, Salmonella
USA – $14 million settlement reached in Famous Anthony’s Hepatitis A outbreak
A $14 million settlement has been reached in lawsuits filed by more than 40 people who claimed they or their loved ones were exposed to a deadly viral outbreak while dining at two Famous Anthony’s restaurants.
Details of the agreement — reached on behalf of four patrons who died and others who were sickened when an employee unknowingly spread hepatitis A — became public during a hearing late Thursday in Roanoke’s federal court
Posted in food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Virus, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Hepatitis A, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak, Virus
USA – Woman’s estate wins big award from Big Olaf in wrongful Listeria death lawsuit – $4 Million
SARASOTA — The estate of a 79-year-old Illinois woman who died after eating listeria-tainted ice cream from a Sarasota creamery was awarded $4 million by a U.S. District Court judge in Tampa this week.
The ruling came Tuesday in the wrongful death suit filed last year by Bill Marler, a nationally known foodborne illness attorney who represented the estate of Mary Billman. Marler was retained following Billman’s death on Jan. 29, 2022, and the listeria outbreak identified by federal and state regulators last summer that gained national attention.
Posted in Death, food bourne outbreak, food death, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Foodborne Illness, Foodborne Illness Death, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak
Research – French Salmonella outbreak study reveals dual contamination
Two Salmonella outbreaks were linked to dried sausages produced around the same time by one company in France, according to a study.
The outbreaks affected 44 people who consumed dried pork sausages contaminated by two different types of Salmonella.
Salmonella Bovismorbificans infected a total of 33 people from September to November 2020 and 11 patients with monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium from October to December 2020.
Epidemiological investigations by Santé publique France linked the outbreaks to dried pork sausages from the manufacturer France Salaison produced between September and November 2020. Three recalls of dried pork products were issued in November, affecting eight supermarkets.
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, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak, Salmonella
Research UK – FSA annual reports shows rise in incidents and recalls
The number of food incidents, recalls and cases of four pathogens went up over a 12-month period, according to the latest published data.
The Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) annual report and accounts covers performance and activities in 2021/22 across England, Wales and Northern Ireland at a cost of £130.5 million ($160.2 million).
In 2021, cases of Campylobacter and Listeria reported in the UK returned to pre-COVID-19 levels but Salmonella and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) O157 stayed lower than pre-pandemic figures. Data for all four pathogens showed an increase compared to more than 49,000 Campylobacter, 566 E. coli, 4,442 Salmonella and 136 Listeria cases in 2020.
A series of related Salmonella outbreaks in 2020 and 2021 were linked to breaded chicken products from Poland and affected more than 1,000 people.
Nine emerging risks were identified including Listeria in enoki mushrooms from Asia which had a 90 percent non-compliance rate.
Food, animal feed and environmental contamination incidents went up by almost 20 percent to 2,336. Pathogenic microorganisms were the leading cause of incidents, allergens were second and pesticide residues third, driven by the Europe-wide incident relating to non-permitted ethylene oxide in sesame products and items containing locust bean gum.
Notifications published in 2021/22 rose to 150 from 136 in the previous period. This included 84 allergy alerts and 66 product recall information notices.
Foodborne disease made up 17 percent of FSA spend on research and evidence programs. PATH-SAFE, a £19 million ($23.5 million) project was started to look at novel methods to improve foodborne disease and antimicrobial resistance surveillance.
Posted in Campylobacter, Decontamination Microbial, E.coli, food bourne outbreak, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Listeria monocytogenes, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak, Salmonella, Salmonella in Chicken
USA – FDA Core Investigation Update
There are no new outbreaks this week but two are still active.
| 12/28/2022 | 1137 | Salmonella Typhimurium |
Alfalfa Sprouts | See Outbreak Advisory |
| 11/9/2022 | 1127 | Listeria monocytogenes |
Enoki Mushrooms |
See Outbreak Advisory |
Posted in Decontamination Microbial, FDA, food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak, Salmonella
FoodWorld 