A Salmonella outbreak that has sickened at least 300 people in 42 states and Puerto Rico is the fourth in four years to be linked to Mt. Healthy Hatcheries, a mail order hatchery in Ohio. In each of the outbreaks, many of those sickened have been children under ten. Two people died. All of the outbreaks included multiple strains. An all of them had large numbers of sick children. So far, seven strains of Salmonella have been identified in outbreaks linked to the mail order chicks and ducks. The current outbreak has three strains: Salmonella Infantis, Salmonella Newport and Salmonella Hadar. About 37 percent of the cases are children or younger. In 2013, 158 people in 30 states were sickened by four strains: Salmonella Infantis, Salmonella Lille, Salmonella Newport and … [Read more...]
One Year After Salmonella Outbreak, More Problems For Nevada’s Firefly
One year after a Salmonella outbreak was linked to its Las Vegas location, Firefly Tapas Kitchen and Bar in Henderson, Nevada has been cited by health inspectors for some of the same food safety violations found at the Las Vegas restaurant at the time of the outbreak. Inspectors from the Southern Nevada Health District gave Firefly 38 demerits on a March 31 inspection, three short of triggering a mandatory closure. The violations included inadequate hand washing facilities, improper hand washing practices by food handlers; food that was not heated or cooled to the proper temperature and foods that were spoiled, unwholesome or adulterated. These violations were also discovered at the Las Vegas location prior to the outbreak. The 38 demerits translated to a C rating from inspectors. … [Read more...]
Firefly Tapas Kitchen Lawsuit Puts Food Safety on Trial
A Salmonella lawsuit filed against the Las Vegas restaurant, Firefly Tapas Kitchen and Bar, is calling into question the establishment's past food safety discipline in an attempt to achieve justice for the people who suffered serious illnesses in an outbreak that received nationwide attention back in April and May. According to a legal complaint on file in Nevada's Clark County District Court, the restaurant's food safety inspection score was so overloaded with demerits at the time of the outbreak that the facility was shut down to minimize ongoing risk to public health. It has since reopened. At Pritzker Olsen Attorneys, the case has been assigned to the firm's Bad Bug Law Team, which has been working on pre-settlement issues surrounding insurance and the lawsuit's allegations of … [Read more...]
Firefly Salmonella Outbreak Likely Caused by Chorizo
The Southern Nevada Health District has released a new report on the Salmonella outbreak linked to the Firefly on Paradise tapas restaurant in Las Vegas. They say that "the outbreak strain of Salmonella was isolated from cooked chorizo," a type of spicy sausage. That outbreak has now sickened at least 294 people, far more than the 200 ill persons in the last report. The Salmonella serotype I:4,5,12:i- responsible for this outbreak doesn't match any other Salmonella cases in the entire country. Seventy-three cases are confirmed as part of the outbreak through DNA testing; the others are considered "probable". The chorizo arrived at the restaurant uncooked and was cooked on site. No raw chorizo was available for testing. The chorizo was one of the foods identified in an earlier report as … [Read more...]
Firefly Salmonella Outbreak — 200 Patrons of Las Vegas Restaurant Report Salmonella Food Poisoning
The Southern Nevada Health District and lawyers are investigating the Firefly Salmonella outbreak. To date, there are 200 reports of Salmonella food poisoning from people who ate at the Firefly Restaurant on Paradise Road in Las Vegas the week of April 21, 2013, according to the health district. Symptoms include vomiting and diarrhea, and several victims of this outbreak have been hospitalized with more serious complications. Salmonella are bacteria that can cause gastrointestinal illness in humans. In Salmonella outbreaks associated with restaurants, the outbreak is generally caused by food contaminated with the bacteria. This can happen at any point from farm to fork, meaning the food could have been contaminated prior to being sold for use at the restaurant or it could have been … [Read more...]
