Category Archives: outbreak

Malaysia – 900 victims of Food Poisoning were reported in the first eight months of this year in Perak

Posted on September 16, 2022 by KSW | Leave a comment

Some 23 food poisoning cases involving 900 victims were reported in the first eight months of this year in Perak, said State Health, Science, Environment and Green Technology Committee chairman Mohd Akmal Kamarudin.

He said the Ministry of Health (MOH) is investigating the cause of the death of a food handler at a MOH training centre in Taiping three weeks ago to determine whether it was due to food poisoning or other illnesses.

According to him, so far there have been six incidents of food poisoning in schools (169 cases), public institutions (eight cases with 572 victims), factories (two cases with 66 victims), private homes (five cases with 24 victims), prison (one case with 22 victims) and external caterer (one case).

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Posted in food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Poisoning, Food Poisoning Death, Foodborne Illness, Foodborne Illness Death, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak, Poisoning

USA – Food Poisoning Outbreak in McHenry County, IL at D. C. Cobb’s

Posted on September 16, 2022 by KSW | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning Bulletin

A food poisoning outbreak in McHenry County, Illinois at D. C. Cobb’s restaurant has sickened at least 13 people, according to the McHenry County Health Department. That restaurant is located at 1204 North Green Street in McHenry.

Food Poisoning Outbreak in McHenry County, IL at D. C. Cobb’s

September 15, 2022 by News Desk Leave a Comment

The outbreak was identified when public health officials reviewed complaints of people who got sick after eating at that establishment. An investigation into the pathogen that caused these illnesses, and the possible source of the pathogen has been launched.

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Posted in food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak, Pathogen, pathogenic

Syria – Cholera outbreak

Posted on September 15, 2022 by KSW | Leave a comment

Jpost

Food Illness

A cholera outbreak in several regions of Syria presents “a serious threat to people in Syria and the region”, the United Nations representative in the country said, calling for an urgent response to contain its spread.

The outbreak is believed to be linked to irrigation of crops using contaminated water and people drinking unsafe water from the Euphrates river which bisects Syria from the north to the east, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Imran Riza said in a statement.

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Posted in Contaminated water, food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak, Vibrio, Vibrio cholera, Water, water microbiology, Water Safety

Research – Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infection – Annual Epidemiological Report for 2020

Posted on September 13, 2022 by KSW | Leave a comment

ECDC

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For 2020, 28 EU/EEA countries reported 4 824 confirmed cases of Shiga toxin -producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infection. The overall notification rate was 1.6 cases per 100 000 population. The highest notification rates were reported in Ireland, Malta, Denmark, and Norway. The EU/EEA notification rate decreased notably in 2020 compared with 2016-2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The highest rate of confirmed cases was observed in 0–4-year-old children, with 8.6 cases per 100 000 population for males and 7.5 cases per 100 000 population for females.

Click to access STEC-infection-AER-2020-JD-FINAL.pdf

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Posted in food bourne outbreak, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, foodborne outbreak, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak, Research, STEC, STEC E.coli

Canada – Non-travel related Cyclospora infections under investigation – September 9, 2022

Posted on September 12, 2022 by KSW | Leave a comment

Public Health Notice

Each spring and summer, Canada sees an increase in non-travel related Cyclospora illnesses reported to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). PHAC is working with its public health and food safety partners to identify possible ways infections are occurring in Canada. Previous Cyclospora illnesses have been linked to various types of imported fresh produce, including pre-packaged salad mix, basil, cilantro, berries, lettuce, and snow and snap peas.

Learn more about the causes, symptoms and risks of infection, as well as how to prevent and treat an illness.

At a glance
Investigation status	Ongoing
Case count	310
Provinces/Territories	Alberta (1) British Columbia (3) Newfoundland and Labrador (3) Ontario (252) Quebec (51)
Hospitalizations	13
Deaths	0
Gender	150 Males 159 Females Gender is unknown for 1 case
Age Range in Years	1-90
Recall	No
Public Health Notice	No

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Posted in Cyclospora, Cyclosporiasis, food bourne outbreak, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak

USA – E. coli at San Diego State University

Posted on September 12, 2022 by KSW | Leave a comment

Food Poison Journal

On Sept. 6, Student Health Services notified the SDSU community of two cases of Shiga Toxin-Producing E. coli (STEC) in the student community in one residential and one non-residential student. These students began experiencing symptoms on Aug. 27 and 29, respectively.

At this time, a specific food source has not been identified for either of these cases. SDSU’s Environmental Health and Safety team is working closely with the County of San Diego Health & Human Services Agency to investigate these cases and to identify and confirm the potential source. Additional information will be shared with the community as it becomes available.

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak, STEC, STEC E.coli

USA – Illinois county reports outbreak of infections from Campylobacter

Posted on September 9, 2022 by KSW | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

The McHenry County Department of Health in Illinois is reporting a significant increase in infections from Campylobacter.

Health officials have identified eight cases of campylobacteriosis with illness onsets between Aug. 17 and Aug. 30. That is four times more cases compared to the previous two weeks and 3.33 times more cases in August compared to July.

“No common source of infection has been identified at this time,” according to the health department.

Campylobacter bacteria is the most common cause of bacterial diarrhea in the United States, according to the county health officials. People can become ill with campylobacteriosis by eating contaminated food, drinking contaminated water or having contact with infected animals.

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Posted in Campylobacter, campylobacter coli, Campylobacter jejuni, food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak

UK – Reading Festival: Investigation into food poisoning outbreak

Posted on September 9, 2022 by KSW | Leave a comment

BBC

An outbreak of food poisoning, after a number of festival-goers fell ill at Reading Festival, is being scrutinized.

Reading Borough Council said it was investigating following reports “relating to suspected food poisoning” at the festival.

Posting on the Reading Festival Community Facebook group, several festival-goers said they were suddenly struck down over the weekend with symptoms including diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach aches and a fever.

Some said they were forced to leave the festival as they were so unwell.

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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, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak, Poisoning

Research – Incidence of Food Poisoning Outbreaks in Pahang, Malaysia, for Six-Year, from 2013 to 2018

Posted on September 8, 2022 by KSW | Leave a comment

Pertanika

The Food Safety and Quality Division (FSQD) in Malaysia is the competent authority tasked with ensuring food safety throughout the food supply chain within the country. Despite implementing various regulations toward improving food hygiene standards in Malaysia, outbreaks of food poisoning cases continued to occur in Malaysia. This cross-sectional study was designed to explore the occurrence of food poisoning incidents in Malaysia, within the Pahang state, from 2013 to 2018 via both reported passive case detection (PCD) and active case detection (ACD) food poisoning incidents. Upon detecting all the food poisoning cases using both PCD and ACD, the people identified to have suffered from food poisoning underwent a structured interview for investigators to elicit all relevant information about the food poisoning incident. Results showed that in Pahang, the number of reported episodes fluctuated from 2013 until 2018, with an average of 21 food poisoning episodes occurring yearly, reaching a maximum in August and a minimum in May. Furthermore, Kuantan, being the state capital, had reported an exceptionally high total number of reported incidents of food poisoning with a total of 48 episodes over six years from 2013 to 2018, while Kuala Lipis had only one incident reported during the same period (which was reported in 2016). Finally, this study concluded that adequate measures must always be taken to minimise the occurrence of food poisoning, especially when preparing foods in large quantities.