A Gainesville, Salmonella outbreak has sickened at least 47 people in Florida, according to news reports. The Department of Health in Alachua County first became aware of this outbreak on November 4, 2019. The source of the illnesses seems to be box lunches that were prepared by a local religious or cultural community. A specific food has not yet been linked to the illnesses. The food was apparently prepared at a woman's house to be delivered to other members of the Vietnamese community over the weekend, according to the Gainesville Sun. One volunteer and member of the Tu Vien A Nan Buddist Temple volunteered this information. Symptoms of a Salmonella infection include a fever, nausea, stomach and abdominal cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea that may be bloody. If anyone ate box … [Read more...]
Employees at the Kissimmee, FL Denny’s Restaurant Diagnosed With Hepatitis A
Employees at the Denny's restaurant located at 2051 East Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway in Kissimmee, Florida have been diagnosed with hepatitis A, and may have worked while infectious, according to the Osceola County Health Department. Two people who worked there from October 14, 2019 though November 1, 2019 have been diagnosed with the viral illness. Anyone who ate or drank at this restaurant between October 24 and November 1, 2019 should get a hepatitis A or immune globulin vaccination. These vaccines are effective if given within two weeks of exposure. Anyone who ate food or drank beverages at that store between October 14 and October 23, 2019 should watch their health for the symptoms of hepatitis A; it's too late for a vaccination. Those symptoms include abdominal pain, nausea, … [Read more...]
Penn Dutch Margate, Florida Store Closed For Endangering Public Health
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and Commissioner Nicole Fried issued an Immediate Final Order to Penn Dutch Meat & Seafood Market, ordering that they immediately cease operations and close their Margate store. This order was issued after Penn Dutch "violated multiple stop-use and stop-sale orders and endangered public health by possibly distributing food products contaminated with Listeria pathogens," according to the press release. Fried said in a statement, "As with any Department inspection process, Penn Dutch was provided an opportunity to remedy the situation by disposing of possibly dangerous contaminated products and sanitizing tools and workspaces. It’s unfortunate that Penn Dutch chose to disregard our directives and endanger public … [Read more...]
Basil Cyclospora Outbreak Has Sickened 205 in 11 States
The FDA has updated the basil cyclospora outbreak that has now sickened at least 205 people in 11 states. That's an increase of 73 patients since the last update which was posted on July 25, 2019. Five people have been hospitalized because they are so sick. The basil in question is imported from Mexico by Siga Logistics de RL de CV from Morelos. That facility recalled basil on July 24, 2019. Consumers should not buy, eat, or serve any fresh basil imported by Siga Logistics. Do not eat or serve uncooked items such as pesto or salad that may include basil imported from Mexico, unless you are absolutely certain it was not imported by Siga Logistics. If you don't know where the basil you want to use came from, don't use it. The last illness onset in this cyclosporiasis outbreak … [Read more...]
Charlie Horse Restaurant Worker Diagnosed With Hepatitis A
A food worker at the Charlie Horse Restaurant and Lounge has been diagnosed with hepatitis A, according to the Marion County Health Department. The restaurant is located at 2426 East Silver Springs Boulevard in Ocala, Florida. That person worked from July 18 to August 1, 2019, and may have been infectious. People who were at the Charlie Horse Restaurant at any time during that period can call 352-644-2633 to reach the DOH-Marion County Epidemiology staff to ask questions. Officials are asking that healthcare providers and hospital emergency departments stay on alert to immediately report cases of hepatitis A and to identify people who. would benefit from vaccinations. The hepatitis A and immune globulin vaccinations are only effective if given within two weeks of exposure. That … [Read more...]
Red Lobster Employee in Largo, Florida Has Hepatitis A
A Red Lobster employee in Largo, Florida has tested positive for hepatitis A, according to news reports. There is no information about this issue on the Pinellas County Health Department website. The restaurant is located at 10500 East Ulmerton Road. That agency, along with the Division of Hotels and Restaurants, conducted an inspection at the facility after receiving confirmation about the diagnosis. The state found almost 40 violations during the inspection. One of the violations was employees not properly washing their hands. Hepatitis A is spread through contaminated feces. Inspectors saw the staff handled dirty dishes, then serve food to customers without washing their hands. Another inspector saw a cook switch from working with raw food to ready-to-eat food without … [Read more...]
Cooper’s Hawk Cyclospora Outbreak Sickens 80 to 100
The Cooper's Hawk cyclospora outbreak has sickened 80 to 100 people in the Jacksonville, Florida area. Officials have not yet identified a specific food or beverage that may have caused this outbreak, but there is a current multistate cyclospora outbreak that is linked to basil imported from Mexico. There are at least 132 people sick in 11 states in that outbreak. And there is a cyclospora outbreak in Minnesota, with at least 35 people sick, that is associated with three restaurants in that state. Just in the last three months, 580 people in the United States have been sickened with cyclosporiasis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Florida is just one of the 32 states with patients. These illnesses have occurred every summer in this country for … [Read more...]
Hepatitis A in Food Worker at Pizza Mia in Vero Beach, Florida
The Florida Department of Health in Indian River has released a statement that a food service worker at Pizza Mia, at 1115 21st Street in Vero Beach, has been diagnosed with hepatitis A. That person worked at that venue from July 19 through July 23, 2018 and may have been infectious. That means that anyone who ate at that Pizza Mia restaurant before July 22, 2019 is no longer eligible for a hepatitis A or immune globulin vaccination, which is effective only if given within two weeks of exposure. The vaccines are being recommended for anyone who ate food or drank beverages at that restaurant during that time period. If you have had a hepatitis A vaccine in the past you don't need to take any action. People who are no longer eligible for a vaccine should monitor their health for … [Read more...]
Siga Logistics Basil Imported From Mexico May Be Source of Cyclospora Outbreaks
There are now six cyclospora outbreaks sickening people in several states around the country. What is the culprit? Past outbreaks have been linked to lettuce, raspberries, and cilantro. We may have an answer today: the FDA has just released information stating that there is a multistate outbreak of cyclospora illnesses potentially linked to Siga Logistics basil. The full company name is Siga Logistics de RL de CV that is located in Morelos, Mexico. The investigation is ongoing, but CDC's analysis of epidemiologic information indicates that the contaminated fresh basil is the likely cause of the illnesses. Fresh basil available at points of sale where people got sick was exported into the country by Siga Logistics. The FDA is working with the firm to facilitate a recall. These … [Read more...]
CDC Weighs In On Bison Burgers E. coli O103 and O121 Outbreak
An E. coli O103 and O121 outbreak linked to Northfork Bison ground bison and Bison Burgers/Buffalo Burgers has sickened at least 21 people in 7 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These products are imported from Canada. The case count by state is: Connecticut (1), Florida (4), Michigan (1), Missouri (1), New Jersey (2), New York (9), and Pennsylvania (3). Eight people have been hospitalized. No cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure, have been reported. Illness onset dates range from March 18 to June 18, 2019. The patient age range is from 6 to 79 years. Six people are sick with E. coli O103, 13 are sick with E. coli O121, and 2 people are sick with both of these pathogens. Epidemiologic and traceback information … [Read more...]
