Category Archives: Poisoning

USA – Various Updates on the Berry Hepatitis A Outbreak

Posted on June 5, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning Bulletin

The hepatitis A outbreak associated with Townsend Farms berries sold at Costco has sickened at least 37 people in six states and raised a lot of questions. One of them is how does food become contaminated with hepatitis A?

Food Poisoning Bulletin

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated the Hepatitis A outbreak associated with Townsend Farms Organic Anti-Oxdant Blend frozen berry and pomegranate mix. Now 49 people are sick with acute Hepatitis A in seven states. And eleven people have been hospitalized. The numbers are most likely going to change every day.

Food Poisoning Bulletin

Harris Teeter is recalling frozen mixed berries that may be contaminated with hepatitis A. The Matthews, NC-based grocery chain said Tuesday that it is removing  Harris Teeter Organics Antioxidant Berry Blend from its stores out of an abundance of caution because its berry supplier is Townsend Farms Inc. which has been associated with an outbreak of hepatitis A that has sickened 37 people in six states. That product contained mixed berrie and pomegranate seeds.

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Posted in CDC, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Virus, Foodborne Illness, Hepatitis A, Laboratory, Microbiology, Pathogen, Poisoning, Recall

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Hepatitis Berry Outbreak Expands Again

Posted on June 4, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning Bulletin

Hawaii is now added to the list of states in the Costco Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend Frozen Berry mix hepatitis A outbreak. Other states affected include Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, and New Mexico. Thirty-two people are now sick in this outbreak. Because the product was sold at Costco, and that grocery store chain has outlets in all 50 states, it’s likely that more states will be included in this outbreak

Food Poisoning Bulletin

The CDC states that the hepatitis A strain associated with Townsend Farms Anti-oxidant Blend Frozen Berry Mix sold at Costco is rare in the United States. The strain is usually found in North Africa and the Middle East.

The berry mix contains strawberries, cherries, blueberries, raspberries, and pomegrnate seeds (also called arils). The fruit was grown in the U.S., Argentina, Chile, and Turkey. The attorney for Townsend Farms has stated that the pomegranate seeds may be the causal agent in this hepatitis A outbreak. They were sourced from Turkey, which is in the Middle East and is considered part of North Africa.

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Posted in Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Technology, Food Virus, Hepatitis A, Laboratory, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Poisoning, Recall, Virus

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USA- Hepatitis A in the News Again Worldwide

Posted on June 1, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Food Safety NewsVirusds

Patrons of the 800 Degrees Three Fires restaurant in Fort Wayne, Indiana may be at risk for hepatitis A infection, warned health officials Friday.

A worker at the restaurant tested positive for the virus, prompting the Allen County Health  Department to issue a public health advisory.

The Department is urging customers who ate or drank at the 800 Degrees Three Fires restaurant on Illinois Road between May 18 and May 26, 2013 to get the hepatitis A vaccine if they have not already had it.

Food Safety News

new outbreak of a hepatitis A strain rarely seen in the Western Hemisphere is believed to be associated with frozen mixed berries purchased from Costco is being investigated by multiple agencies, including the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.  At least 30 illnesses are involved, including  sicknesses in Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada.

According to the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment, Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend frozen berries purchased from Costco appear to be the source of this outbreak.

The outbreak strain has  been identified by CDC as hepatitis A virus (HAV) genotype 1B, a strain that circulates in North Africa and the Middle East.  It was associated with last year’s outbreak in Europe involving frozen berries and another in British Columbia involving frozen berry blend with pomegranate seeds from Egypt.

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Posted in Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Technology, Food Testing, Food Virus, Hepatitis A, outbreak, Pathogen, Poisoning, Recall, Toxin, Virus

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RASFF Alerts – Campylobacter in Dill – Listeria monocytogenes in Sushi and Mackarel – Histamine in Achovies – E.coli in Clams

Posted on May 28, 2013 by | Leave a comment

RASFF – Campylobacter (presence /25g) in fresh dill from Italy in Norway

RASFF – Listeria monocytogenes (<100 /g) in chilled sushi from Germany in the Netherlands

RASFF– Listeria monocytogenes (presence /25g) in chilled vacuum-packed smoked mackerel from Poland

RASFF -Histamine (290; 4200 mg/kg – ppm) in anchovies in olive oil from Spain in Switzerland

RASFF – Too high count of Escherichia coli (1.300 MPN/100g) in chilled clams from Portugal in Spain

RASFF – Too high count of Escherichia coli (13000 MPN/100g) in chilled clams (Venus gallina) from Italy

RASFF – Too high count of Escherichia coli (330 MPN/100g) in chilled clams (Venus gallina) from Italy

 

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Posted in Allergic Reaction, Campylobacter, E.coli, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Histamine, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Poisoning, RASFF, Recall

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RASFF Alerts – Salmonella – Paan Leaves – Poultry – Pork – Minced Meat – Fish Meal

Posted on May 28, 2013 by | Leave a comment

RASFF -Salmonella spp. in paan leaves from Thailand in the UK

RASFF – Salmonella spp. in paan leaves from Thailand in the UK

RASFF – Salmonella group C (group O:8 detected in 2 out of 5 samples /25g) in frozen poultry kebab from Poland

RASFF– Salmonella typhimurium in frozen chicken (Gallus gallus) from Brazil in Bulgaria

RASFF – Salmonella spp. (presence /25g) in frozen pork stomachs from Slovakia, via the Czech Republic in Poland

RASFF – Salmonella Dublin (presence /25g) in chilled minced meat (pork and beef) from Sweden

RASFF – Salmonella spp. (presence /25g) in chicken meat preparations from Brazil in the Netherlands

RASFF -Salmonella spp. (presence /25g) in frozen poultry meat preparation from Brazil in the Netherlands

RASFF – Salmonella spp. (presence /25g) in frozen poultry meat preparation from Brazil in the Netherlands

RASFF – Salmonella spp. (presence /25g) in frozen poultry meat preparations from Brazil in the Netherlands

RASFF – Salmonella spp. (presence /25g) in fish meal from Mauritania in Denmark

RASFF – Salmonella spp. (presence /25g) in fish meal from Mauritania in Denmark

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Microbiology, Pathogen, Poisoning, RASFF, Recall, Salmonella

Vietnam – Food Poisoning Incident – 107 Cases – Sandwich

Posted on May 28, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Thanh Nien News

Ben Tre authorities concluded Sunday that a sandwich sold by a local bakery was responsible for the food poisoning of 107 people in the Mekong Delta province on May 23.

Cao Thi Diem Thuy, deputy director of the province’s Food Safety Agency, said Minh Tuyen Bakery has been shut down following the incident. Only four people have been discharged from hospital so far, with the other 103 still yet to recover.

All of them ate sandwiches at Minh Tuyen on the evening of May 22 and began to develop stomachache, diarrhea, vomiting, and high temperature by early the following day. More than 20 people were hospitalized immediately, while the others were taken in the next few days after self-medication failed to help.

Thuy said her agency has taken samples from the patients for testing, and the results would determine the action to be taken against the bakery

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Laboratory, Microbiology, Pathogen, Poisoning

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Malaysia – Pupils Ill from Free Milk

Posted on May 23, 2013 by | 1 comment

Borneo PostimagesCAZ9J1WP

MELAKA: Eighteen pupils of a school in Telok Mas here were rushed to a health  clinic for suspected food poisoning after having consumed milk provided free  under a school milk programme.

The pupils, from standards one and three of Sekolah Kebangsaan Bukit Lintang,  complained of stomachache and vomitted after taking the milk at about 9 am and  were taken to the Umbai Health Clinic.

 

 

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Laboratory, Microbiology, Pathogen, Poisoning

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China – 548 Students Food Poisoned

Posted on May 23, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Global Times

A total of 548 students from multiple elementary and high schools have been affected by food poisoning in Northwest China’s Qinghai Province, local authorities said Wednesday.

Dozens of students from three schools in the Hui and Tu Autonomous County of Datong started to show symptoms of food poisoning such as vomiting and diarrhea after eating lunch at their schools on Wednesday.

The source that caused the mass food poisoning has been discovered, Wang Yubo, mayor of Xining, the provincial capital, said.

Local authorities added that the remaining lunch has been sealed for tests.

An investigation into the cause of the accident is under way.

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Posted in Bacteria, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Illness, Laboratory, Microbiology, Pathogen, Poisoning, Recall

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RASFF Alerts – Hepatitis A Oysters and Berries- ASP in Scallops- Enterococci in Dessciated Coconut

Posted on May 18, 2013 by | Leave a comment

RASFF – Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning (ASP) toxins in chilled scallops from France

RASFF – Hepatitis A virus in chilled oysters from France and the Netherlands

RASFF – Hepatitis A virus in frozen berry mix from Italy, with raw material from Bulgaria in Italy

RASFF – Faecal streptococci (17000 CFU/g) in desiccated coconut from Indonesia, via Malaysia in Italy

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Posted in Algal Toxin, ASP, Bacteria, Eurofins Laboratories, Faecal Streptpcocci, Food Chemistry, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Spoilage, Food Testing, Food Virus, Hepatitis A, Microbiology, Pathogen, Poisoning, Shellfish, Toxin, Virus

W.H.O – Report on Campylobacter

Posted on May 7, 2013 by | Leave a comment

WHOCampylobacter

On 9–11 July 2012, the World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), convened an Expert Consultation on The Global View of Campylobacteriosis, in Utrecht, Netherlands.

The objectives of the Consultation were:

To review the progress made in the past 10 years in understanding and controlling Campylobacteriosis, take note of successful approaches and lessons learned, and identify challenges in controlling Campylobacter from farm to table and in reducing the human health burden and attributable health consequences;

To consider cross-cutting areas, such as food- and waterborne Campylobacteriosis and antimicrobial resistance, taking into account the context of both high-income countries and low- and middleincome countries (LMIC);

To suggest how WHO, FAO and OIE could take action to reduce Campylobacter in the food chain and the burden of foodborne Campylobacteriosis.

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Posted in Bacteria, Campylobacter, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Foodborne Illness, outbreak, Pathogen, Poisoning, Research