A Salmonella Oranienburg outbreak with an unknown food source that has sickened 127 people in 25 states has been announced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). While a specific food has not been identified, this outbreak is growing rapidly, according to the government. The outbreak was first announced on FDA's CORE Outbreak Investigation Table on September 15, 2021. The case count by state is: Arkansas (2), California (3), Connecticut (3), Illinois (5), Iowa (1), Kansas (5), Maryland (4), Massachusetts (7), Michigan (2), Minnesota (13), Missouri (2), Nebraska (2), New Jersey (2), New Mexico (3), New York (1), North Carolina (1), North Dakota (1), Oklahoma (7), Pennsylvania (2), South Carolina (1), South Dakota (1), Texas (45), Utah (1), Virginia (9), and … [Read more...]
Cake Mix E. coli Outbreak Ends With 16 Sick in 12 States
The cake mix E. coli outbreak has ended as of September 16, 2021, with 16 people sick in 12 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A common brand of cake mix that made people sick was not identified. And no illnesses have been reported for seven weeks. The case count by state is: Illinois (2), Indiana (1), Iowa (2), Massachusetts (1), Michigan (1), Nebraska (2), Ohio (2), Oregon (1), South Carolina (1), Utah (1), Virginia (1), and Washington (1). Seven people were hospitalized. The patient age range is from 2 t0 73 years, with a median age of 13. The age range for outbreaks linked to baking ingredients usually skews young; 75% of children in this outbreak are under the age of 18. One person developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of … [Read more...]
Two New Salmonella Outbreaks on FDA CORE Investigation Table
There are two new Salmonella outbreaks on the FDA CORE Outbreak Investigation Table. The first, a Salmonella Oranienburg outbreak, has sickened at least 126 people. The second, a Salmonella Thompson outbreak, has sickened at least 77 people. We don't know where the ill persons live, their age range or illness onset dates. These could end up being very large outbreaks, since the number of Salmonella cases that are actually reported to the government are much smaller than occur. The multiplier used by experts in these outbreaks is 29, which means there could be at least 5,887 people sick across the country. Traceback has been initiated in both outbreaks, but no on-site inspection has been initiated and no sample collection and analysis has begun. The government started using this … [Read more...]
Canada Imposes Import Restrictions on Romaine Imported From CA
Canada imposes import restrictions on romaine lettuce imported from one growing area in California again, after several outbreaks of E. coli O157:H7 illnesses linked to that product. The requirements target one geographical area in that state: the counties of Santa Cruz, Santa Cara, San Benito, and Monterey in the Salinas Valley. Canada imports romaine lettuce from the Salinas Valley area in California during the months of September through December. Since romaine lettuce has been linked to many E. coli outbreaks over the past few years, it can be considered a risky food, especially for people who are at higher risk for complications from this type of infection. The Canadian 2020 import restrictions seemed to work last year. There were no outbreaks linked to or associated with … [Read more...]
Potters Pond Campylobacter Outbreak in Rhode Island Sickens Seven
A Potters Pond Campylobacter outbreak has closed the area, which is used for shellfish harvesting, in Rhode Island after seven people got sick with the bacterial infection, according to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH). Potters Pond is located in South Kingston, Rhode Island. The pond is going to remain closed until further notice. An investigation linked the illnesses to shellfish harvested in the area. A shellfish sample collected by RIDOH tested positive for Campylobacter Iari. The shellfish sample doses not match the illnesses from the investigation, however, the positive shellfish sample does indicate the presence of Campylobacter in the pond. More samples are being collected and tested. Two of the … [Read more...]
NetCost Market Listeriosis Outbreak in Brooklyn, New York Sickens Three
A NetCost Market listeriosis outbreak in Brooklyn, New York has sickened at least three people, according to a health alert from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The three patients have clinical isolates that are highly related by whole genome sequencing (WGS). All three patients live in Brooklyn. And all three patients purchased ready-to-eat food from the deli counter at the same NetCost Market which is located at 3100 Ocean Avenue in Brooklyn. NetCost management is working closely with the Health Department and New York State Agriculture and Markets to make sure that the deli area is safe for consumers. If you bought food from that deli counter before September 5, 2021, do not eat it, even if some has been consumed and no one has been sick yet. It can … [Read more...]
La Mex Salmonella Outbreak in Morris, Illinois Sickens Eight
A La Mex Salmonella outbreak in Morris, Illinois has sickened at least eight people, according to a press release by the Grundy County Health Department. That restaurant is located at 115 East Jackson Street. The restaurant has closed voluntarily and is cooperating with the health department investigation. This outbreak may be part of a multistate Salmonella outbreak, according to the press release. Officials from the FDA, CDC, and local health partners are investigating this outbreak. Officials say that the patients ate at that restaurant between August 31, 2021 and September 7, 2021. If you dined there during that time frame and have been ill with the symptoms of Salmonella food poisoning, see your doctor. The health department said that the outbreak doesn't appear to be … [Read more...]
Monsanto-Bayer Ending U.S. Glyphosate Residential Sales
Monsanto-Bayer is ending U.S. glyphosate residential sales in 2023. This product was declared "probably carcinogenic" by the World Health Organization in 2015, and various lawsuits against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by various consumer advocates, including the Center for Food Safety (CFS), led to this change. For decades, glyphosate, the key ingredient in the herbicide Roundup, was considered safe because it only affected plants through the shikimate pathway. But bacteria in the human gut also use that pathway. In response to the CFS lawsuit, the EPA "effectively admitted grave errors in its 2020 interim registration of glyphosate, asking the court for permission to re-do the agency's faulty Endangered Species Act assessments." But the agency still wanted Roundup … [Read more...]
El Sombrero Salmonella Outbreak Updated by McHenry County DOH
The El Sombrero Salmonella outbreak investigation has been updated by the McHenry County Department of Health (MCDH). That county has still not named the number of people sickened in the outbreak or released any information about the patient age range, illness onset dates, or if anyone has been hospitalized. The restaurant is located in Fox River Grove, Illinois. Officials want to remind anyone who ate at that restaurant recently that if they are in sensitive occupations, they should exclude themselves from work and school and seek medical evaluations if they are experiencing any symptoms of gastrointestinal illness. Sensitive occupations include food handlers, daycare workers, and healthcare workers. If you are in a sensitive occupation and develop symptoms of Salmonella food … [Read more...]
Two Cyclospora Outbreaks Continue To Grow With No Source Named
Two cyclospora outbreaks continue to grow with no source named, according to the FDA's Core Outbreak Investigation Table. The first outbreak has increased by three cases to 38 sick, and the second has increased by one case to 127. And there is no information about the possible source of these illnesses. These two clusters are a subset of the total number of domestically-acquired cyclospsoriaiss cases in the United States at this time. At least 864 people in this country have been sickened by this parasite since May 2021. The case count of the overall numbers has increased by 402 since the last CDC update on July 29 ,2021. Traceback and site inspections have occurred for the larger outbreak, but the FDA is not releasing any information about these investigations unless they think … [Read more...]
