It's time for the top 10 food poisoning outbreaks of 2022. There were not many multistate outbreaks this year; just a few more than the pandemic year of 2020 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But there were still hundreds of Americans sickened by contaminated food. And the case counts for these outbreaks are likely far lower than the actual number sickened because any people aren't diagnosed and not included. Most of these outbreaks have ended, but a couple are still ongoing. Number ten is the newest outbreak, the Listeria monocytogenes outbreak that is linked to enoki mushrooms imported from Korea. (By the way, enoki mushrooms were the most recalled food of 2022.) This outbreak investigation has not been updated for more than a month. The last … [Read more...]
Mariscos Bahia Seafood Salmonella Outbreak Ends With 39 Sick
The Mariscos Bahia seafood Salmonella Litchfield outbreak has ended with 39 people sick in four states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That is an increase of six more patients since the last investigation update that was issued on October 25, 2022. The outbreak has ended as of December 14, 2022. The patient case count by state is: Arizona (13), California (24), Illinois (1), and Texas (1). Illinois has been added to the state list. The new patients live in California and Arizona. Illness onset dates range from June 14, 2022 to October 23, 2022. The patient age range is from 1 to 80 years. Of 32 people who gave information to investigators, 15 were hospitalized, for a hospitalization rate of 47%, which is high for a Salmonella outbreak. Eighteen … [Read more...]
Galveston Bay Oyster Outbreak in Texas, Florida Sickens Dozens
A Galveston Bay oyster outbreak in Texas has sickened dozens of people in that state and also in Florida, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). A recall of all oysters that were harvested in the TX 1 area of southeastern Galveston Bay has been ordered. No other species of seafood are affected by this recall. The recall includes oysters on the half shell and shucked oysters that were harvested there from November 17, 2022 through December 7, 2022. You can see a map of the oyster areas in those waters at DSHS web site. The area was closed on December 8, 2022 after receiving reports from health departments in both Texas and Florida that people who ate oysters harvested from TX 1 were getting sick. Symptoms include fever, chills, headache, nausea, … [Read more...]
Earth Grown Falafel E. coli O121 Outbreak Ends With 24 Sick
The Earth Grown Falafel E. coli O121 outbreak has ended with 24 sick in six states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That is an increase of four patients since the last update on October 7, 2022. The case count per state is: Florida (2), Iowa (2), Kansas (1), Michigan (13), Ohio (1), and Wisconsin (5). The patient age range is from under the age of one to 77 years, and illness onset date ranged from July 13, 2022 to October 24, 2022. One person developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure. Officials interviewed patients about the foods they ate before they got sick. Of the 18 people interviewed, 15, or 83%, said they shopped at Aldi stores. Among those shoppers, 14 ate Earth Grown frozen falafel the week before they got … [Read more...]