A deadly outbreak at Dave's Sushi in Bozeman, Montana has sickened at least 30 people, according to the Gallatin City-County Health Department. The notice, which was posted on the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) website, stated, "Three individuals had severe outcomes, including hospitalizations, and the deaths of two individuals are being investigated after eating at the restaurant." Officials say that they may not be able to identify a specific pathogen as the source. The food poisoning outbreak seems to be isolated to people who ate at Dave's Sushi between March 31 and April 17, 2023. DPHHS epidemiologist Rachel Hinnenkamp of the Communicable Disease and Epidemiology Section said in a statement, "DPHHS supports the Gallatin City-County Health … [Read more...]
FDA CORE Investigation Table Updated With New Outbreak
The FDA CORE Investigation Table has been updated with a new outbreak and an increase in the number of cases in the hepatitis A outbreak linked to frozen organic strawberries. There are currently four active outbreak investigations on that Table. The new outbreak has sickened at least 13 people. We don't know where those people live, illness onset dates, if anyone has been hospitalized, or the patient age range. We also do not know the pathogen, or if it was a food sold from a grocery store or served at a restaurant that caused these illnesses. In the hepatitis A outbreak, the case count has increased from seven to eight. Several bands of frozen organic strawberries, including Kirkland Signature, Simply Nature, Vital Choice, Made With, Meijer, PCC Community Markets, and Trader … [Read more...]
Dave’s Sushi Food Poisoning Outbreak Sickens Customers
A Dave's Sushi food poisoning outbreak has sickened an undetermined number of customers, according to news reports and the Gallatin City-Council Health Department. One man has died, but the cause of death has not yet been determined and that death has not been linked to the restaurant. The restaurant is located at 115 North Bozeman Avenue in Bozeman, Montana. The health department was told about the outbreak on April 17, 2023, and inspected the restaurant on April 18, 2023. The restaurant is closed while officials investigate. That inspection found four food safety violations on April 18. The violations were for inadequate temperature control, with spicy salmon at 46°F, and salmon Inure at 45°F. Any food between 40°F and 140°F can cause illness because that temperature range is … [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...]
Milwaukee Police Food Poisoning Outbreak Sickens Eleven
A Milwaukee police food poisoning incident allegedly sickened eleven police officers at a retirement party. Several officers had to seek treatment at local hospitals. According to news reports, the food was apparently prepared privately and didn't come from a restaurant and it was not catered. The officers work at Police District 5, which covers the area just north of the downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin area. The event was for the retirement of a police supervisor and promotion of another officer. People started getting sick hours after the party. While there is no word on exactly which pathogen may have made these officers sick, there are some clues in the timing of the outbreak. Food poisoning that occurs so soon after eating could be caused by several pathogens, including … [Read more...]
Outbreak at Waterford Township School District in New Jersey
An outbreak at Waterford Township School District in New Jersey has closed school buildings for two weeks, according to a letter by Superintendent Dr. Brenda Haring that was sent to parents on May 10, 2021. According to the letter, employees who attended a luncheon held on May 6, 2021 that was catered by an outside vendor are sick with symptoms of food poisoning. More than 60% of the staff members got sick and are "continuing to recover." The district can't properly staff the building so they switched to an asynchronous day of instruction yesterday and continued that schedule today. The district reported the incident to the Camden County Department of Health and the Waterford Township Police Department for investigation. The pathogen that caused the illnesses is not yet known, … [Read more...]
Possible Illinois Outbreak May Be Associated With Jimmy John’s
A possible Illinois outbreak may be associated with a Jimmy John's restaurant, according to a piece in The Pantagraph, Many of those sickened were student athletes who go to school at Illinois State University (ISU). The first reports of illnesses were received by the McLean County Health Department (MCHD) on April 7, 2021. One Jimmy John's restaurant, located at 203 West Market Street in Bloomington, Illinois, was temporarily closed, but no official is stating that there is any connection between that facility and any illnesses. There are five Jimmy John's locations in the area. According to iwaspoisoned.com, public officials are investigating "multiple reports" of illness in that county. The MCHD Communicable Disease Division is trying to discover the exact cause of the … [Read more...]
Food Poisoning Outbreak at Masonic Snow Lodge in Boone, NC Sickens 8
A food poisoning outbreak at the Masonic Snow Lodge at 240 Temple Drive in Boone, North Carolina has sickened eight people. All ate at a barbecue fundraiser that was held Friday, July 19, 2019. Those eight cases are laboratory confirmed. A "number of others" have also been sickened, according to the press release. The press release does not specify which pathogen has sickened these people. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain, which are typical for any number of bacteria, parasites, and viruses. The most common foodborne illnesses are caused by Salmonella, norovirus, Clostridium perfringens, and Campylobacter. Jennifer Green, Health Director of AppeHealthCare in Alleghany and Ashe counties in North Carolina, said in a statement, "We do not have a … [Read more...]
Alleged Outbreak at Pita Hot in Fullerton, CA Closes Restaurant
Pita Hot, a restaurant in Fullerton, California, has been closed twice by the Orange County Health Agency in the last few weeks because of a suspected food poisoning outbreak. All information about this outbreak has been contained in restaurant inspection reports. The inspection report specifically names norovirus, but there is no information about whether or not any ill persons have tested positive for that pathogen. The site I Was Poisoned received many reports of illness by people visiting the restaurant. The restaurant was closed on June 19, 2019 by health inspectors. They were sent to the facility because of alleged foodborne illness complaints. The reason for the closure was: On-Going Foodborne Illness. One of the action items named in that report is: "Complete the … [Read more...]
FDA Issues New Guidance to Improve Safety of Sprouts
The FDA has issued new draft guidance to help improve the safety of seeds for sprouting. Will it make a difference? In the past 22 years, there have been 50 outbreaks of foodborne illness associated with contaminated raw sprouts. These outbreaks have caused 2,600 cases of food poisoning. In 2018, there were two sproutbreaks which together sickened about 100 people. Last year, ten people were sickened with Salmonella Montevideo infections after eating raw sprouts in Jimmy John's sandwiches. Studies show that contaminated seed is the likely source of most of these outbreaks. It doesn't help that the conditions under which the seeds are sprouted, warm and moist, are perfect for pathogen growth. FDA Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response Frank Yiannas said, "The FDA is … [Read more...]
