TWO children are in hospital following an E.coli outbreak at a nursery school.
Specialists from Public Health England and environmental health officers are investigating the cases of E.coli O157, which are linked to Little Brook Childrens Nursery, in Great Harwood.
Public Health England, environmental health officers from across Lancashire and officials from the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency are investigating a number of cases of gastrointestinal illness which have occurred following visits to a farm shop and outlet village in South Ribble, Lancashire.
To date we are aware of 11 laboratory confirmed cases of ‘E. coli O157’. Four people have been hospitalised with complications arising from the infection – one of whom has now left hospital and is recovering at home.
All cases had visited a lamb feeding event at Huntley’s Country Store, near Salmesbury in South Ribble over recent weeks. There is no longer any risk to the public as all contact between animals and the public at the premises has now ceased.
An outbreak of an unusual type of salmonella infection, Salmonella Typhimurium, across England and Wales is being investigated by Public Health England, Public Health Wales, the FSA and local authority environmental health officers.
A total of 21 confirmed cases in Wales and 30 in England have been reported, with 9 cases known to have required hospitalisation. Other potential cases are being investigated in both countries.
The outbreak was first detected in Wales in August and centred mainly in North Wales (Conwy and Gwynedd), with additional clusters being investigated in England in the Thames Valley, Leeds, Cumbria and Stafford areas.
Cases are widely geographically distributed in patients aged 7 months to 87 years.
Posted in Bacteria, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Standards Agency, Food Testing, Foodborne Illness, Hygiene, Laboratory, Microbiology, outbreak, Salmonella
Tagged climate, environmental health officers, research, salmonella infection, salmonella typhimurium, science
Two customers at Blanc Brasserie, in Covent Garden, London, were left ill after eating pink lamb’s liver which was not cooked thoroughly enough, a court has been told. The restaurant has now been banned from serving the dish, after failing to heed a warning from council environmental health officers, Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard. The food had “presented an imminent risk of injury to health because the process of cooking”, the court was told. Blanc Brasseries will now pay £3,103 in costs and have confirmed they will comply with the order, as a spokeswoman said they were unable to cook the liver to council standards without compromising on taste.
“Brasserie Bar Co has not contested the EHO enforcement and will no longer serve liver in any of its restaurants,” she said.
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) can confirm it is investigating a recent increase in cases of the gastrointestinal infection, cryptosporidiosis, across four regions in England – the North East, Yorkshire, West Midlands and East Midlands.
To date, 267 cases of cryptosporidiosis have been confirmed in the affected areas since 11 May 2012, compared to 73 cases across the four regions for the whole of May 2011.
Dr Stephen Morton, who is leading the investigation for the HPA, said: “It is usual to see an increase in cryptosporidiosis cases in the early summer, but, the increase is higher than we might expect so we are working with NHS partners, local Environmental Health Officers the Drinking Water Inspectorate and the Food Standards Agency to see if there is a common source of infection.
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