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...]
Raw Oysters Sold by DiCarlo Seafood Linked to Outbreak Recalled
Raw oysters that are linked to a multistate, multi pathogen food poisoning outbreak have been recalled, according to the California Department of Public Health. The recalling firm is DiCarlo Seafood of Wilmington, California. At least 16 people who live in 5 states are sick in this outbreak. The pathogens involved are Shigella, Vibrio, E. coli, Campylobacter, and norovirus. Some of the patients are sick with more than one pathogen. Two people have been hospitalized because their illness is so severe. The patients live in Alaska, California, Illinois, New Hampshire, and Nevada. The DiCarlo Seafood imported raw oysters were harvested from Estero El Cardon in Baja California Sur, Mexico. They were sold at restaurants in California. We know they were sold at Fish Market Restaurant at … [Read more...]
Kentucky, Georgia, Tennessee Hit Hardest in Ground Beef E. coli O103 Outbreak
Consumers in Kentucky, Georgia, and Tennessee have been hit hardest in the ground beef E. coli O103 outbreak that has sickened at least 177 people in 10 states. Those states alone have 158 sickened in this outbreak. According to CDC and FDA reports, no one has developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure, in this outbreak, and no one has died. But 21 people have been hospitalized because their illness is so severe. There have been two recalls of ground beef associated with this outbreak, although the CDC report states that there is no one business or brand that can account for all of the illnesses in this outbreak. K2D Foods recalled 113,424 pounds of raw ground beef products for possible E. coli O103 contamination on April 24, 2019. And Grant Park Packing … [Read more...]
Now 44 Sick in Unsolved Kentucky E. coli O103 Outbreak
At least 44 people who live in 24 Kentucky counties have lab-confirmed E. coli O103 infections, according to information from the Madison County Health Department in that state. Three of those patients live in Madison County. This information about this E. coli O103 outbreak was transmitted from the Kentucky Department of Public Health in an online meeting. The age range of patients is from 1 to 81 years, with a median age of 18. Twenty-five patients are female, and 19 are male. Six people have been hospitalized because they are so sick. Cases have also been reported in Ohio, Tennessee, and Georgia. Public health officials are working to solve this outbreak. What we know is that they have not identified a specific food or restaurant, but the fact that this outbreak is so … [Read more...]
Kentucky E. coli O103 Outbreak Rises to 44 Sick, TN, OH, GA Included
The Kentucky E. coli O103 outbreak has now risen to 44 sick, as of April 3, 2019, according to news reports. Six people have been hospitalized in this outbreak, but there is no mention if any have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure that can cause strokes. And there are 20 pending cases that are not yet lab-confirmed. The only official report to date from Kentucky Department of Health lists the outbreak total as 20, but that was posted on Friday, March 29, 2019. This is the largest E. coli outbreak in Kentucky since 2000. Dr. Mel Bennett, who heads Kentucky's infectious disease efforts, told WEKU that the outbreak has spread to Tennessee, Ohio, and Georgia. We do not know how many people are sickened in each of those states. Officials still think … [Read more...]
E. coli O103 Outbreak in Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, and Indiana
The E. coli O103 outbreak originally announced in Kentucky yesterday apparently also has sickened people living in Tennessee, Ohio, and Indiana, according to news reports. Twenty confirmed cases are in Kentucky, and one each in the other states for a total of 23 ill. Most of the illnesses occurred between March 5 and 25, 2019. The cases in Kentucky are spread among several counties throughout the state. Fayette county, in the northeastern part of the state, has the most cases with five. But officials say there isn't enough commonality between those five cases to establish a source of the pathogen. No source, whether food or venue, has been named in this outbreak, but officials in Kentucky have stated that "extensive exposure to fast food" may be linked to these illnesses. Fast … [Read more...]
