The Jif peanut butter Salmonella Senftenberg outbreak is the number five outbreak of 2022, with at least 21 people sick in 17 states. Four people were hospitalized because they were so ill. Several types of Jif peanut butter were recalled after the outbreak was first announced on May 21, 2022. The outbreak ended on July 27, 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The case count by state is: Arizona (1), Arkansas (1), Florida (1), Georgia (2), Illinois (1), Indiana (1), Massachusetts (1), Michigan (1), Missouri (2), New York (1), North Carolina (2), Ohio (1), South Carolina (1), Texas (2), Virginia (1), Washington (1), and West Virginia (1). Patients ranged in age from less than one year to 85. The hospitalization rate was 31%, with four out of 13 … [Read more...]
Avoid Potentially Contaminated Oysters from Harvest Area TX 1
The FDA is advising restraints and consumers to avoid potentially contaminated oysters from Harvest Area TX 1 in Galveston, Texas. The culprit is norovirus. Last week, the Texas Department of Health and Human Services revealed that an outbreak linked to those oysters has sickened dozens of people in Florida and Texas. The oysters were harvested between November 17, 2022 and December 7, 2022 from that harvest area and were distributed to restaurants and retailers in these states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. Other states may have also received the oysters. The harvest information should be on the packaging. Texas officials issued a recall order for all of those oysters on December 8, 2022 and informed the Interstate Shellfish … [Read more...]
Galveston Bay Oyster Outbreak in Texas, Florida Sickens Dozens
A Galveston Bay oyster outbreak in Texas has sickened dozens of people in that state and also in Florida, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). A recall of all oysters that were harvested in the TX 1 area of southeastern Galveston Bay has been ordered. No other species of seafood are affected by this recall. The recall includes oysters on the half shell and shucked oysters that were harvested there from November 17, 2022 through December 7, 2022. You can see a map of the oyster areas in those waters at DSHS web site. The area was closed on December 8, 2022 after receiving reports from health departments in both Texas and Florida that people who ate oysters harvested from TX 1 were getting sick. Symptoms include fever, chills, headache, nausea, … [Read more...]
Deadly Big Olaf Ice Cream Listeria Outbreak Ends with 28 Sick
The deadly Big Olaf ice cream Listeria monocytogenes outbreak has ended with 28 people sick in 13 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That is an increase of three more cases since the last update on August 4, 2022. The new patients live in Florida, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and New York. The new states are Minnesota and Massachusetts. The case count by state is: Colorado (1), Florida (14), Georgia (1), Illinois (1), Kansas (1), Massachusetts (2), Minnesota (1), Nebraska (1), New Jersey (1), New York (4), and Pennsylvania (1). The patient age range is from less than one to 92 years. Illness onset dates range from January 24, 2021 to August 19, 2022. Of 28 ill persons, 27 were hospitalized. One person from Illinois died. Some of the illnesses … [Read more...]
Earth Grown Frozen Falafel E. coli Outbreak Sickens 20 in 6 States
An Earth Grown frozen Falafel E. coli O121 outbreak has sickened at least 20 people in six states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Five people have been hospitalized because they are so sick. A recall for two kinds of that falafel has been issued. These products were sold exclusively at Aldi stores. The patient case count by state is: Florida (2), Iowa (1), Kansas (1), Michigan (11), Ohio (1), and Wisconsin (4). Illness onset dates range from July 13, 2022 to September 13, 2022. The patient age range is from less than one to 71 years. Of 14 people who gave information to investigators, five have been hospitalized. One person developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which is a type of kidney failure. E. coli O121 one of the Big Six non-O157 … [Read more...]
Generic Cyclospora Outbreak Illnesses Reach 800, 52 in Hospital
The generic Cyclospora outbreak illnesses have reached 800, with 52 in the hospital, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That's an increase of 416 more ill persons since the last update issued a month ago, and 22 more people hospitalized. None of these patients had a history of international travel during the 14 day period before illness onset. And there is still no food or foods or venues named by the government. The median illness onset date is June 29, 2022. The illness onset range is from May 3, 2022 through August 12, 2022. This outbreak could still grow since it takes time from when a person eats contaminated food, gets sick, is evaluated and diagnosed, and the illness is reported. Historically, there has been a large spike in domestically … [Read more...]
Vibrio Death Investigated in Escambia County, Florida
A Vibrio death is being investigated by public health officials in Escambia County, Florida, according to the Florida Department of Health in that county. Vibrio vulnificus is a bacterium that lives in warm, brackish seawater and it grows faster in the warmer summer months. Shellfish, including oysters, consume the pathogen as they feed on plankton, and it concentrates in the flesh. Anyone who eats a contaminated raw or undercooked oysters can get sick. And anyone with cuts, scratches, or open wounds can be exposed to the pathogen through direct contact with seawater or estuarine water. About 80,000 people are sickened with vibriosis every year, and about 100 people die. While most people who contract this infection only have a mild illness, people in certain populations can … [Read more...]
Two More Illnesses in Big Olaf Ice Cream Listeria Outbreak
Two more illnesses in the Big Olaf ice cream Listeria monocytogenes outbreak brings the total to 25, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Twenty-four people have been hospitalized, one person has died, and there has been one fetal loss. And there is a genetic match between the ice cream samples and patient isolates. The case count by state is: Colorado (1), Florida (13), Georgia (1), Illinois (1), Kansas (1), Nebraska (1), Massachusetts (2), Minnesota (1), New Jersey (1), New York (2), and Pennsylvania (1). The patient age range is from less than one to 92 years. Illness onset dates range from January 24, 2021 to June 24, 2022. It's possible that this outbreak will keep growing, since it can take up to 70 days, or more than two months, between when a … [Read more...]
Cyclospora Illnesses Spike to 384 Sick with 30 Hospitalized
Cyclospora illnesses have spiked to 384 sick in 22 states and 30 hospitalized, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). There has been a cyclospora outbreak, in fact, usually several cyclospora outbreaks, in the United States during the spring and summer months every year since 2013. This is an increase of 323 cases since the last update was issued on June 30, 2022. Cases are still being reported. Last year, there were two cyclospora outbreaks that were unsolved that sickened at least 153 people. In 2020, a cyclospora outbreak linked to Fresh Express bagged salads sickened at least 701 people in 14 states and hospitalized 38. Cases usually peak in June and July, although activity can last through September. The number of clusters vary from season to … [Read more...]
Big Olaf Who? Amid Outbreak Shops Ditch Ice Cream, Branding
For Big Olaf, the break-ups came quickly but not all at once. And not all of them quietly. In the two and half weeks since Big Olaf ice cream was linked to a deadly Listeria outbreak, licensed shops throughout Florida started switching to new suppliers. One owner has permanently changed the names of the two stores she operates. Although Listeria isn't as common as other foodborne pathogens. It is the most deadly. And it targets pregnant women, who can suffer a miscarriage or stillbirth if they develop an infection. "Five of the patients in this outbreak are women who contracted listeriosis while they were pregnant," said Eric Hageman, a Listeria lawyer, and Food Poisoning Bulletin Publisher. Hageman has extensive experience with Listeria lawsuits including one filed on behalf of a … [Read more...]
