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...]
Ropelato Dairy Disease Outbreak Spotlights Utah Raw Milk Law
A large Campylobacter outbreak associated with Ropelato Dairy in Ogden, Utah, is drawing attention to the state's "Raw Milk for Retail'' rules, legal code that allowed authorities to suspend Ropelato's state-authorized operating permit while officials investigate the cause of so many illnesses. So far, 45 cases of Campylobacter infection have been reported by the Utah Department of Health. The size of the current outbreak is almost as large as the 2002 raw milk outbreak in Ohio that is cited in the Utah Administrative Code as one reason the state's Department of Agriculture and Food -- with FDA concurrence -- "strongly advises against the consumption of raw milk'' for health reasons. According to a review of Utah Rule R70-330 by Food Poisoning Bulletin, the state warns its residents … [Read more...]
Campylobacter Outbreak at Mudder Run
Twenty two people who participated in a 2012 muddy, long distance, obstacle adventure race or "mudder" in Nevada contracted Campylobacter infections, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The race was held in a rural setting where, health officials say, manure from farm animals may have contaminated the mud into which participants often fell face first. Some who participated in the race, held October 6-7, were active duty military members. Between October 10 a-12 , three of them sought emergency care for symptoms including bloody diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain and fever. Nineteen other patients, military and civilian, were them identified. All but two of those sickened sought medical care. One person was hospitalized. Although all … [Read more...]
Oregon Campylobacter Outbreak Associated with Coos Bay Oysters
A press release from the Oregon Health Authority states that Coos Bay Oyster Company of Charleston, Oregon is recalling all of its shucked oysters because they may be contaminated with Campylobacter bacteria. There have been three confirmed reported cases of Campylobacter linked to the shellfish. The oysters were purchased from two markets in Lane and Coos counties and harvested from Coos Bay, Oregon. The company recalled product on January 30, 2014 and expanded the recall to include all of the raw shucked oysters. Coos Bay Oyster Company has stopped production and distribution of the product while an investigation is underway. The shellfish was sold in plastic tubs in 1/2 gallon, quart, pint, and half-pint sizes, with sell-by dates from January 15 to February 17, 2014. The oysters … [Read more...]
Campylobacter Infections Can Have Long-Term Health Effects
Raw milk Campylobacter outbreaks have sickened at least 47 people in three states over the last four months. Those who became ill suffered symptoms including fever, abdominal cramping, vomiting and diarrhea, which is sometimes bloody for one to three weeks. And for some of them, the illness didn't end when these symptoms subsided. That's because Campylobacter infection occasionally results in long-term complications such as reactive arthritis which causes painful swelling of the joints and Guillain-Barré syndrome, which is characterized by the sudden onset of paralysis that can last weeks, months or years. "Drinking raw milk or eating products made from raw milk can expose you to a variety of pathogens that can result in anything from a few days of diarrhea to kidney failure and … [Read more...]
Raw Milk Campylobacter Outbreaks: 4 in 4 Months
A Campylobacter outbreak associated with raw milk produced on a farm in Cambridge, MN is the fourth Campylobacter raw milk outbreak in four months. The outbreak, which has sickened at least six people, prompted officials to temporarily halt on-farm sales of raw milk while they investigate and issue a statewide consumer advisory. Campylobacter is a bacteria that is transferred via the fecal-oral route, meaning those who develop Campylobacter infections have ingested microscopic amounts of animal feces. Pasteurization kills bacteria that cause disease, but raw milk is not pasteurized. Symptoms of a Campylobacter infection, called campylobacteriosis, include abdominal cramping, vomiting and diarrhea. These infections can pose serious risk for some people, especially young children, … [Read more...]
Campylobacter Outbreak Halts Raw Milk Sales at Cambridge MN Farm
Dennis Jaloszyski's dairy farm near Cambridge, MN has temporarily suspended raw milk sales while state health authorities investigate a Campylobacter outbreak that has sickened at least six people. Anyone who purchased or received raw milk from this farm should not drink it. During interviews with health officials, patients reported drinking mik from the farm before becoming ill. Three of the cases have been confirmed with lab tests, according to epidemiologists with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). Jaloszyski did not keep a customer list, so health officials have issued a consumer advisory. The retail sale of raw milk is not permitted in Minnesota, but consumers may buy raw milk on the farm where it was produced. Last month, cheese made from raw milk sickened 25 people … [Read more...]
