March 19, 2024

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...]

Salmonella Newport Outbreak on FDA CORE Outbreak Table

There is a new Salmonella Newport outbreak on the FDA's CORE Outbreak Investigation Table. It joins the Salmonella Sundsvall outbreak linked to cantaloupe, the Listeria monocytogenes outbreak linked to peaches, plums, and nectarines, and the elevated lead poisoning cases linked to recalled WanaBana fruit purees. There are also two mystery E. coli outbreaks, and the Salmonella Thompson outbreak linked to recalled Gills onions. For the new Salmonella Newport outbreak, 40 people are ill. Traceback has been initiated. We do not know where the 40 patients live, illness onset dates, the patient age range, or whether or not anyone has been hospitalized. For the Salmonella Sundsvall outbreak linked to recalled cantaloupe, there are 43 people sick in 15 states. Seventeen people have been … [Read more...]

Two New Outbreaks on FDA’s CORE Outbreak Investigation Table

There are two new outbreaks on the FDA's CORE Outbreak Investigation Table, joining three other outbreaks. Only two of the five outbreaks have been solved so far. The first new outbreak is a Listeria monocytogenes outbreak that has sickened at least 11 people. No food has been identified in relation to these illnesses. We do not know the patient age range, where the patients live, illness onset dates, or if anyone has been hospitalized. Samples have been collected and analysis has started in this investigation. The second new outbreak is an E. coli O103 outbreak that has sickened at least 12 people. Again, we do not know the patient age range, if anyone has been hospitalized, where patients live, or when people got sick. No food has been linked to this outbreak. Traceback has … [Read more...]

FDA Adds WanaBana Lead Exposures to CORE Outbreak Table

The FDA has added the WanaBana lead exposures to their CORE Outbreak Investigation Table. It joins the unsolved E. coli O121:H19 outbreak in a not yet identified food, and the Salmonella Thompson outbreak that is linked to Gills Onions diced onions. The new addition to the Table is regarding seven children in five states who have suffered acute lead poisoning after eating WanaBana Apple Cinnamon Fruit Puree. The company has voluntarily recalled that product regardless of expiration date or lot number. Two other products have also been recalled for high lead content: Schnucks Cinnamon Applesauce and Weis Cinnamon Apple Sauce. Lead is a heavy metal that can cause acute lead poisoning, with symptoms of headaches, abdominal pain, colic, vomiting, and anemia, although many children do … [Read more...]

Miguel’s Cocina E. coli Outbreak Has Sickened 35 Patrons

The Miguel's Cocina E. coli outbreak has now sickened at least 35 patrons, according to news reports. That is an increase of five more patients since the last update was issued last week. At least ten patients have been hospitalized because they are so sick. And one patient has developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which is a type of kidney failure. The restaurant was closed for 10 days but has since reopened. The facility has been disinfected and all food has been replaced. In addition, staff have been given food handling training and testing. The government still does not know exactly what caused this outbreak. It could have been contaminated food, or an ill restaurant worker could have been the source. Those who were sickened in this outbreak ate at Miguel's Cocina 4S … [Read more...]

New E. coli O121:H19 Outbreak on FDA CORE Table

A new E. coli O121:H19 outbreak has been added to the FDA's CORE Outbreak Investigation Table. The only other outbreak on the table is the Salmonella Thompson outbreak linked to diced onions. The new E. coli O121:H19 outbreak has sickened at least 37 people. No food has been identified as the cause of the illnesses. We don't know the states where patients live, the illness onset dates, or the patient age range. The FDA has initiated traceback, but has not started a recall, started onsite inspections, or analyzed any foods. E. coli O121 is one of the Big Six Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) bacteria that the government started tracking in ground beef this year. But this is an FDA-regulated food, so this outbreak is not linked to meat, poultry, beef, catfish, or processed egg … [Read more...]

Miguel’s Cocina 4S Ranch E. coli Outbreak Sickens 20 in CA

The Miguel's Cocina 4S Ranch E. coli outbreak has now sickened at least 20 people in San Diego, California according to news reports. The County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) has not updated their information about this outbreak on their web site since the first announcement of the outbreak on October 24, 2023. That's an increase of three more patients since October 26, 2023. Seven people have been hospitalized because they are so sick. Those hospitalized include four children. The patient age range is from 6 to 87. At least one of these patients has developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which is a type of kidney failure. People who got sick ate at the Miguel's Cocina 4S Ranch location from October 6 to October 18, 2023. People started getting sick … [Read more...]

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