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100 schoolchildren sick with Salmonella in Japan

The Tokyo Reporter says nearly 100 children at 4 kindergartens in Okazaki City fell ill after eating boxed meals tainted with Salmonella, prepared by a company with a history of providing tainted meals.

A total of 87 kindergartners, aged 3 to 6, reported symptoms like fever and vomiting after consuming the tainted bento meals between 21 and 28 Sep 2017, according to officials of Okazaki, reports TBS News on 29 Sep 2017. Salmonella was detected in many of the affected children, 10 of whom were hospitalized, but none are in life-threatening condition, authorities said.

Radio NZ 

Image CDC

Farm workers contract salmonella gastroenteritis

Nelson Marlborough Health is investigating two cases of salmonella gastroenteritis among farm workers in the Murchison area.

Campylobacter outbreak linked to puppies rises by 16 cases, antibiotic resistance noted

Outbreak News Today

In a follow-up on the multistate outbreak of Campylobacter infections linked to puppies sold through Petland, a national pet store chain, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is reporting an additional 16 cases, bringing the outbreak total to 55 in a dozen states-Florida, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Thirteen people required hospitalization for their illness and no deaths have been reported.

A breakdown of the cases reveals:

• 14 people are Petland employees from 5 states.
• 35 people either recently purchased a puppy at Petland, visited a Petland, or visited or live in a home with a puppy sold through Petland before illness began.
• 1 person had sexual contact with a person with a confirmed illness linked to Petland.
• 4 people were exposed to puppies from various sources.
• 1 person had unknown puppy exposure.

Petland is cooperating with public health and animal health officials to address this outbreak.

Outbreak News Today

Alabama: Mobile County sees 7th Vibrio case in patient with necrotizing fasciitis

The seventh case of Vibrio involving a Mobile County resident during 2017 has been reported to the Mobile County Health Department. The individual was in the Dog River area. The patient is recovering in a local hospital from the serious bacterial skin infection necrotizing fasciitis.

Of the more than 70 species of Vibrio that exist, the exact species in this case has not yet been identified. Test results do confirm it is non cholera.

BBC News

Bags for life can pose food poisoning risk – Food Standards Agency

Bags for life pose a food poisoning risk if they are used to carry raw foods such as meat and fish, a consumer watchdog is warning.

The Food Standards Agency says even if there is no leakage, packaging can harbour traces of harmful bacteria that can cause stomach bugs.

Shoppers should have separate bags for raw foods, ready-to-eat foods and household items such as detergent.

Reusable bags could be colour coded or labelled to avoid any mix-up, it says.

If there has been visible spillage, soiling or damage, plastic bags for life should be replaced, while fabric ones could be washed or cleaned.

“Even if there are no obvious spillages or staining after several uses, we would recommend that cotton/fabric bags for life be machine-washed regularly if they have been used for carrying raw items,” the FSA website recommends in an updated post.

Hepatitis A Cases at Two Restaurants in Grosse Pointe, MI

Food Poisoning Bulletin 

Cases of hepatitis A have been reported at two restaurants in Michigan, according to news sources. The Wayne County Department of Health, Veterans and Community Wellness is investigating illnesses at Uncle Paul’s Pizza at 21215 Mack Avenue in Grosse Pointe Woods, and Cabbage Patch Cafe & Catering at 15110 Kercheval Avenue in Grosse Pointe Park. Some news outlets state that there are two people sick; others say “multiple cases.”

Food Safety News

Sandwiches recalled for Listeria from Target, Walgreens, others

Fresh, ready-to-eat egg salad and ham salad sandwiches, as well as a seafood stuffing mix, are under recall from several retailers and a vending machine company because federal inspectors found Listeria monocytogenes in the Greencore USA LLC facility where the products were made.

Greencore is recalling sandwiches distributed between Sept. 24 and 27 to American Food and Vending, Hannaford Brothers, Target and Turkey Hill locations in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire and New York.

Food Safety News 

With more than 1,000 victims confirmed since May 1, the so-called seasonal outbreak of cyclospora in the United States has slowed down, but officials say more people are expected to get sick — and they have not identified the source of the parasite.

Investigators at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have identified victims in 40 states, but they are not sure if there is one big outbreak or multiple outbreaks, according to the agency’s most recent update.

Capricorn Review

23 learners in total hospitalised with food poisoning after eating muffins.

Muffins seemingly caused a crisis at Langalibalele Secondary School in Mapela village as 50 learners got food poisoning and 20 had to be hospitalised on Friday, 22 September.
Nick Dollman, Media Liaison Officer of Netcare 911, said the learners reportedly ate the muffins and felt ill thereafter. They reportedly had stomach cramps and vomited.
Three more learners were hospitalised the following day bringing the number hospitalised to 23, said Sam Makondo, Spokesperson of the Department of Education.
Witnesses said aside from the muffins, many of the learners also ate other prepared food. “According to many witnesses at school, one of the learners handed out the muffins for free. Learners also ate other food which makes it difficult to determine the cause of the food poisoning,” Makondo said.
Bosveld had not received any further feedback from Makondo by the time of going to print if any of the learners had been discharged or if any of them are being treated in the intensive care units of the hospitals.

Food Poisoning Bulletin

Salmonella Outbreak in Canada Linked to Frozen Raw Breaded Chicken

Another Salmonella outbreak has been linked to frozen raw breaded chicken products; this time in Canada. This is not the first time illnesses have been reported connected to this type of product.

In 2015, 15 people in seven states in America were sickened in an outbreak linked to Barber Foods frozen Chicken Kiev. Four of those patients were hospitalized. That same year, five people were sickened in the U.S. after eating frozen raw stuffed breaded chicken breasts produced by Aspen Foods. And in 2014, another Salmonella outbreak was linked to Barber Foods produced Antioch Farms raw stuffed breaded chicken breast. That outbreak sickened at least six people in several states.