Almost 70 Rockwood Summit students and parents are sick with E. coli infections, according to news reports. That is an addition of 50 more patients since the original report. The patients attended two school related events that were not held at the school. The St. Louis County Health Department has identified 69 cases as of today. One of the events was a banquet celebrating the end of the season for a school group. The news reports have identified a catering company that allegedly hosted or catered the banquet in association with Rockwood Summit High School, but the owner is denying that his company is responsible for this outbreak. No specific food or cause of the outbreak has been identified. The health department has started an electronic survey with the Rockwood Summit … [Read more...]
Rockland Summit High School E. coli Outbreak in MO Sickens 20
A Rockland Summit High School E. coli outbreak in St. Louis County, Missouri has sickened at least 20 students and parents, according to news reports. The St. Louis County Department of Public Health is investigating the outbreak. Public health officials have confirmed that the school was not the source of the outbreak. We do not know if this outbreak has been caused by E. coli O157:H7 or another serotype of the bacteria. But some students have had bloody diarrhea, which suggests that this strain is producing Shiga toxins, which kill red blood cells and also damages the intestinal wall. The Rockwood School District released a statement on November 14, 2024 which reads: "On Nov. 13, Rockwood was notified by the St. Louis County Department of Public Health that several cases of E. … [Read more...]
New E. coli O121:H19 Outbreak on FDA’s CORE Outbreak Table
There is a new E. coli O121:H19 outbreak on the FDA's CORE Outbreak Investigation Table, joining 12 other investigation. Just two of those outbreaks have been solved. The new E. coli O121:H19 outbreak has sickened at least 33 people. The FDA has started conducting traceback, but has not initiated an inspection, or collected or tested samples. The E. coli O26::H11 outbreak has sickened nine people. The FDA has conducted traceback, has conducted an inspection, and has collected and tested samples, but no food has been identified yet. The deadly E. coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to the slivered yellow onions served on McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers and other menu items in certain states has now sickened at least 90 people in 13 states. Twenty-seven people have been … [Read more...]
Deadly Flathead County E. coli Outbreak Cases Increase to 22
The deadly Flathead County E. coli outbreak in Montana case count has increased to 22 sick, according to news reports. The case count was at 14 in the last update that was issued on July 26, 2024. One person has died. The outbreak is linked to wagyu ground beef that were undercooked or made to order. The beef was served at restaurants in that county, including: Gunsight Saloon Hops Downtown Grill Tamarack Brewing Company the Lodge at Whitefish Lake Harbor Grille Th person who died allegedly ate at Harbor Grille, and, according to that news report, lived in Arizona. Other restaurants in that county, including Flathead Fish, the Crawdad Café, and the Flathead Lake Lodge, received the ground beef from the same lot, but no illnesses have been reported in connection … [Read more...]
E. coli Outbreak Associated With Wonder Coffee Bar in Seattle
An E. coli O121 outbreak associated with the Wonder Coffee and Sports Bar in Seattle has been reported by Public Health - Seattle & King County. There are two people who are sick. The investigation is ongoing. That facility is located at 1800 South Jackson Street East in Seattle. The illness onset date range is from July 12 to July 16, 2024. The patients ate at the Wonder Coffee and Sports Bar on July 10, 2024. Based on information collected by public health officials, both people likely got sick after eating food from that facility. Both patients ate food that could have made them sick, including raw or undercooked beef, or other foods that may have been contaminated by raw or undercooked beef. Officials think the beef is the likely source of the pathogen, but are not … [Read more...]
FDA On End of Raw Farm Raw Cheddar E. coli Outbreak
FDA on end of Raw Farm raw Cheddar cheese E. coli outbreak states that at least 11 people in five states were sickened. Five people were hospitalized, and two people developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure. The case count by state is: California (4), Colorado (3), New Jersey (1), Texas (1), and Utah (2). This case count has not changed since the last update was issued by the FDA and CDC on February 28, 2024. Illness onset dates ranged from October 18, 2023 to February 5, 2024. No deaths were reported. Public health officials collected various Raw Farm branded products for testing, and all samples tested negative for E. coli. But epidemiologic evidence shows that Raw Farm raw Cheddar cheese is the likely source of this outbreak. Most of the patients … [Read more...]
Raw Milk E. coli Outbreak Sickens Two In Washington State
A raw milk E. coli outbreak has sickened at least two people in Washington state, according to the Washington State Department of Health. The patients got sick in mid-January and early February 2024. The patients were sickened with the same, highly related strain of Shiga toxin-producing E coli (STEC) bacteria. Both patients drank raw, or unpasteurized, milk, produced by Cozy Vale Creamery in Tenino, Washington, shortly before getting sick. The patients live in two counties: Grays Harbor and Pierce. On February 16, 2024, Cozy Vale Creamery recalled their raw milk and cream because of STEC contamination. The STEC bacteria in the milk was a different strain than the one that caused the two recent illnesses. At this time, there are no known illnesses associated with the strain found in … [Read more...]
Top 10 Food Poisoning Outbreaks of 2023
These are the top 10 food poisoning outbreaks of 2023. To be included in this list, the outbreaks must have sickened at least two people in different states. The outbreaks were linked to food that ranged from cantaloupe to flour to ground beef to raw cookie dough to dry dog food. The number one outbreak is the deadly Salmonella cantaloupe outbreak that has sickened at least 302 people in 42 states, with 129 patients hospitalized. This outbreak is still ongoing. Four people have died in this outbreak. Three lived in Minnesota and one lived in Oregon. Many recalls have been issued as a result of this outbreak. If you purchased cantaloupe recently, make sure that the fruit is not part of any of these recalls. If you aren't positive, or if you froze cantaloupe in the last two months, … [Read more...]
Huntley High School E. coli Outbreak Associated With Food Worker
The Huntley High School E. coli outbreak that took place in September 2023 is associated with an ill food worker, according to a report issued by the McHenry County Health Department in Illinois. Investigators interviewed students, food handlers, and teachers. They also tested food items including ready to eat foods. And investigators studied different events held at the school, including Freshmen football game concessions, the high school cafeteria, and the Varsity football team dinner. A total of 1,526 students and staff were interviewed. Sixteen E. coli cases were identified. All Huntley High School (HHS) cases were students or non-cafeteria staff, and 15 out of the 16 ate at the high school cafeteria on the same day. And all of those 15 patients ate food provided from the cold … [Read more...]
FDA Updates CORE Outbreak Investigation Table
The FDA has updated its CORE Outbreak Investigation Table to include increases in case counts and advances in some of the investigations. There are seven investigations on the table at this time. The first outbreak investigation on the FDA CORE Outbreak Investigation Table is the Listeria monocytogenes outbreak connected to an unidentified food. The FDA has initiated traceback, has conducted an on-site inspection, and has collected samples for analysis. Three people are sick in that outbreak. For the Salmonelal Newport outbreak in a not yet identified food, the case count has increased from 43 to 44 cases. That is an increase of one more patient since the last update. Traceback has begun, and samples have been collected and analyzed. For the deadly Salmonella Sundsvall and … [Read more...]
