California has been hardest hit by the Salmonella Poona outbreak linked to cucumbers imported by Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce. At least 120 people are sick in that state, and one person has died. Andrew & Williamson is based in San Diego, California. That state originally warned consumers about the outbreak on September 4, 2015, the day that Andrew & Williamson recalled the product. Government officials informed the company that there was an epidemiologic association between the cucumbers and the outbreak. The San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency found one of the outbreak strains on cucumbers that were collected from the Andrew & Williams facility. Overall, at least 558 people in 33 states are sick in this outbreak. Using the multiplier for … [Read more...]
Fifty-one Sick, One Dead in California Cucumber Salmonella Outbreak
The California Department of Public Health has reported that a Salmonella Poona outbreak in that state has sickened 51 people. One person has died. Those people live in 17 California counties. Illnesses are still being reported. It can take 2 to 4 weeks from the time someone becomes sick with food poisoning and the time the illness is reported to public health officials. Epidemiological evidence indicates that cucumbers imported from Baja Mexico by Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce of San Diego, California are the source of this outbreak. They were grown and packed by Rancho Don Juanito in Mexico. The San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency collected Salmonella bacteria from the Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce facility. Those cucumbers were recalled on September 4, … [Read more...]
California Salmonella Outbreak Associated with Raw Sushi
A Salmonella outbreak in southern California has sickened at least 25 people. Eighteen cases are confirmed, and seven others are suspected. Five people have been hospitalized in this outbreak. Officials believe the outbreak may be linked to raw tuna in sushi. Ventura County Health Department released information to the media late Monday night. If you have been sick with the symptoms of a Salmonella infection, contact the Ventura County Environmental Health Division at 805-654-2813. You can also fill out a complaint form at the Ventura County Environmental Health web site. A "closely related" strain of Salmonella paratyphi caused another outbreak in California and Hawaii in 2010. Those illnesses were linked to raw tuna that was imported from Indonesia. And a huge Salmonella outbreak … [Read more...]
Raw Cashew Cheese Sickened 17 with Salmonella in 2014
Raw Cashew Cheese produced by The Cultured Kitchen of California was the source of a Salmonella outbreak that sickened 17 people in three states in 2014. Cashew cheese is a non-dairy product made from raw cashew nuts. The Cultured Kitchen recalled all six varieties of raw cashew cheese with an expiration date of April 19, 2014 or earlier on December 31, 2013. The patient case count by state was: California (15), Nevada (1), and Wyoming (1). Twenty percent of ill persons were hospitalized; no deaths were reported. Illness onset dates ranged from November 13, 2013 to January 3, 2014. Patients ranged in age from 2 years to 83 years. This product does have a long shelf-life and can be frozen, so if you have it in your home, do not eat it. Freezing will not destroy Salmonella bacteria. … [Read more...]
Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Brent’s Deli in California
A Salmonella Montevideo outbreak linked to Brent's Deli in Westlake Village, California sickened at least 21 people last year, but was never reported in the media. Two employees of the restaurant were sickened along with 19 customers. Eight people were hospitalized. Most of the patients became ill between April and August, 2014. The California Department of Public Health, the Ventura County Health Department, the FDA, and the CDC have not made any information public about this outbreak. A food poisoning outbreak is defined as two unrelated persons being sickened with the same bacterial strain. Since ten times that many people were sickened in this outbreak, and the Salmonella strain is relatively rare, there is no reason why this outbreak was not announced to the … [Read more...]
Foster Farms Salmonella Chicken Outbreak at 621 Ill
The CDC has updated their investigation into the multistate outbreak of multidrug-resistant Salmonella Heidelberg infections linked to Foster Farms chicken. The case count now stands at 621 ill in 29 states and Puerto Rico. Thirty-six percent of patients have been hospitalized. Most ill persons live in California. With the multiplier used for Salmonella infections since they are so underreported, at least 18,800 people have been sickened in this outbreak. Patients are sick with seven outbreak strains of Salmonella Heidelberg; four of those are resistant to more than one antibiotic. Antibiotic resistant bacteria are associated with increased risk of hospitalization; and in fact, the hospitalization rate for this outbreak is almost double the usual number for Salmonella … [Read more...]
Feinstein and Durbin Ask USDA to Address Poultry Contamination
Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Representative Dick Durbin (D-IL) sent a letter to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack this week, asking him to develop strong performance standards for poultry products to reduce foodborne illnesses. Both Campylobacter and Salmonella should be addressed in the new standards, according to the letter. The USDA is going to publish a new Salmonella standard for poultry parts by September 2014, and for ground poultry products by the end of the year. But the government does not have a timeline for establishing Campylobacter standards for those products. And the recent CDC Food Safety Progress Report states that there has been a 13% increase in Campylobacter infections in the U.S. from 2008 to 2013. The letter states that "it … [Read more...]
Foster Farms Chicken Salmonella Outbreak Grows to 524 Sick
The huge and long-lasting Foster Farms chicken Salmonella outbreak has now sickened at least 524 people in 25 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Using the multiplier of 30.3, that means that at least 15,877 people nationwide have been sickened by the poultry produced by Foster Farms. Most of the ill persons (76%) live in California. The outbreak case count by state is: Alaska (1), Arkansas (1), Arizona (24), California (399), Colorado (9), Connecticut (1), Delaware (1), Florida (4), Hawaii (1), Idaho (5), Illinois (1), Kentucky (1), Louisiana (1), Michigan (4), Missouri (5), North Carolina (1), Nevada (10), New Mexico (2), Oregon (13), Puerto Rico (1), Tennessee (1), Texas (12), Utah (4), Virginia (4), Washington (17), and Wisconsin (1). These … [Read more...]
New Foster Farms Chicken Salmonella Outbreak Update
The year-long investigation into the multi-state Salmonella outbreak linked to Foster Farms chicken has just been updated by the CDC. As of February 28, 2014, 481 people have been infected with seven outbreak strains of Salmonella Heidelberg, an increase of 51 in the last six weeks. Those sickened live in 25 states and Puerto Rico. Thirty-eight percent of ill persons have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. Most of the ill persons live in California. The outbreak by state is as follows: Alaska (1), Arkansas (1), Arizona (22), California (365), Colorado (9), Connecticut (1), Delaware (1), Florida (4), Hawaii (1), Idaho (5), Illinois (1), Kentucky (1), Louisiana (1), Michigan (3), Missouri (5), North Carolina (1), Nevada (10), New Mexico (2), Oregon (10), Puerto Rico (1), … [Read more...]
Salmonella Stanley Outbreak Linked to Raw Cashew Cheese
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are investigating a Salmonella Stanley outbreak linked to raw cashew cheese produced by The Cultured Kitchen of West Sacramento, California. Cashew cheese is a non-dairy product made from raw cashews. The product has been recalled. A total of 14 people in 3 states have been infected with the outbreak strain of this bacteria. Most of the ill people (85%) are from California. The case count by state is as follows: California (12), Nevada (1), and Wyoming (1). Twenty-five percent of the patients have been hospitalized. There have been no deaths. This strain of Salmonella Stanley is rare and has been seen only 20 times before this outbreak. Among patients who were interviewed, illness onset dates range from November 13, 2013 to December 9, … [Read more...]
