The California Department of Public Health is recalling raw milk, raw nonfat milk, and raw cream produced by Claravale Farm of San Benito County. This farm was the source of a Campylobacter outbreak in 2012 that sickened at least 22 people. Public health officials are also investigating reported clusters of Campylobacter illness in the area. A statewide recall has been issued and a quarantine order was issued by California State Veterinarian Dr. Annette Jones. A confirmed detection of Campylobacter bacteria was found in raw milk and raw cream collected from the farm. Consumers are urged to throw away any of this farm's milk products in their refrigerators that have code dates of "MAR 28" and earlier. Discard in sealed containers so other people and animals can't drink it. The samples … [Read more...]
Food Poisoning Can Have Lifelong Health Effects
Every American has had food poisoning at one time or another. Most people dismiss the illness as the "24 hour flu", even though no such illness exists. If you have had diarrhea, vomiting, stomach cramps, nausea, and fever that passes fairly quickly, you probably had food poisoning. Most people recover fully after these illnesses and don't give them a second thought. But did you know that some people never fully recover from food poisoning? The effects of these illnesses can last a lifetime. In the UK, a young women who contracted an E. coli O157:H7 infection when she was two years old just learned she needs a second kidney transplant. When she got sick as a child, she was hospitalized with kidney failure after eating a contaminated sandwich. She had a stroke and many serious … [Read more...]
In Durand Raw Milk Football Team Outbreak, Farm May Be Identified
>Wisconsin's Department of Health Services will finally identify the farm that supplied raw milk linked to a large food poisoning outbreak in the west-central town of Durand this fall. Based on numerous accounts, participants in a potluck banquet for the Durand High School football teams were not informed that the milk they were served was unpasteurized. Within days, multiple students were hospitalized and state health investigators ultimately confirmed 38 victims. The outbreak was so severe, the football program was forced to cancel two of its games and school officials marked 150 absences. Stephanie Smiley, a spokeswoman for the Department of Health Services, told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that the raw milk farm could be named in a report on the outbreak that is due out next … [Read more...]
Durand Students Sickened by Campylobacter Unaware Milk Was Raw
Members of a high school football team in Durand, Wisc. were not told the milk provided for a banquet by a parent was unpasteurized, according to a local news report. Dozens of the students who attended the banquet contracted bacterial infections from Campylobacter in the milk. Brianna Winnekins, 18, had a 105˚F fever and other symptoms before she was hospitalized Sept. 22 at Chippewa Valley Hospital. Winnekins, a manager of the football team who was hospitalized for four days, said had she known the milk was unpasteurized she would have avoided it. Campylobacter is transmitted when food or beverages contaminated with animal feces are consumed. Thirty eight members of the team contracted campylobacteriosis, at least eight of them were hospitalized. The outbreak forced the … [Read more...]
Raw Milk is Source of Campylobacter Outbreak at Durand High School
Raw milk is the source of a Campylobacter outbreak that sickened 22 members of the Durand High School football team, hospitalized eight people, forced the cancelation of two football games and prompted 150 high school and middle school students to miss classes to avoid becoming ill. The milk was served at a September 18 potluck. Health officials from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS), the Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene (WSLH), the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) and the Pepin County Health Department worked together on an investigation of the outbreak. Tests identified the DNA"fingerprint" of the Campylobactor jejuni bacteria that sickened members of the team and coaching staff and found that it was a genetic match to Campylobacter … [Read more...]
Raw Milk Campylobacter Outbreak in Utah This Summer
According to the Salt Lake Tribune, there was a Campylobacter outbreak in Utah this summer linked to raw milk that sickened at least 80 people. Ropelato Dairy was the source of the contaminated milk. One man with a compromised immune system died after drinking the unpasteurized milk. State epidemiologist Cindy Burnett told members of the Legislature that of the 80 people sickened, 20% were hospitalized. Raw milk products sold in Utah must carry a warning label stating that anyone in a high risk group should avoid raw or unpasteurized dairy products. Ropelato Dairy did not put that warning on their products. In August 2014, the Utah Department of health said they were investigating a cluster of illnesses linked to the consumption of raw milk or cream purchased at Ropelato Dairy. The … [Read more...]
Durand High School Campylobacter Outbreak Case Count at 22
The Campylobacter outbreak at Durand High School in Pepin County, Wisconsin has now sickened 22 people as of Tuesday, September 30, 2014; all are members of the football team. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services and the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene have confirmed that the outbreak was caused by Campylobacter bacteria. Campylobacter bacteria has been found in specimens from ill patients. The Pepin County Health Department is working with the DHS and the Durand School District to investigate the outbreak. Public health officials are working to compile a list of food and beverages consumed by ill persons days before they got sick. Campylobacter has a two- to ten-day incubation period. The first symptoms of the illness are muscle pain, headache, and fever, followed by … [Read more...]
Wisconsin School Cancels More Football due to Campylobacter
The Durand School District is continuing to reschedule various student activities as the western Wisconsin community grapples with a sweeping outbreak of Campylobacter food poisoning. According to the official school calendar, Monday's C-squad and junior varsity Panther football games against Amery have been canceled. Meanwhile, school volleyball matches canceled last week have been rescheduled for Thursday. The moves were made as the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene continues to offer testing for any ill students and staff. The most recent school district announcement notes that the source of the outbreak is still actively under investigation by the Pepin County Health Department and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. "To date, Campylobacter has been detected in multiple … [Read more...]
Campylobacter Outbreak in Durand, Wisconsin Schools
The Pepin County Health Department says there are eight confirmed cases of Campylobacter infections in students at Durand High School in Pepin County, Wisconsin. The investigation is ongoing, with results still pending for other students. More than 50 other students are sick with flu-like symptoms. In the past five years, there have only been 15 cases total of Campylobacteriosis reported in Pepin County. Campylobacter is a bacteria that can cause serious illness. People become infected by eating food or drinking water that has been contaminated with fecal matter from an animal or a person who is sick. The symptoms of a Campylobacter infection include muscle pain, headache, and fever, followed by watery and/or bloody diarrhea, abdominal pain, and nausea. The first symptoms usually … [Read more...]
Utah’s Raw Milk Campylobacter Outbreak is Largest in 5 Years
Outbreaks of Campylobacter infection in Utah have been linked to raw milk consumption 14 times in the past five years, sickening more than 200 people. The largest of those outbreaks began in May of this year and was announced one week ago when the Utah Deparment of Agriculture and Food announced that it had suspended the Raw Milk for Retail distribution permit held by Ogden's Ropelato Dairy. As of August 26, state health officials had traced 45 illnesses to the Weber County raw milk operation. ilkOf the 14 Utah raw milk Campylobacter outbreaks, two have been associated with the Ropelato farm, located at 4019 W. 1800 South, Ogden, state records show. The previous outbreak was recorded in May 2010, sickening a smaller cluster of people in three counties. Regardless, Utah agriculture … [Read more...]
