The nation's first lawsuit filed in the Blue Bell ice cream Listeria outbreak has been assigned to U.S. District Court Judge Lee Yeakel in Austin, Texas. The case centers on the near-fatal illness in Houston suffered by the associate executive director of a 462-apartment continuing care retirement community who regularly ate the type of Blue Bell ice cream that state and federal authorities have linked to the outbreak. D. Philip Shockley, 32, sued Blue Bell Creameries USA Inc. on May 19. The ice cream lawsuit alleges that Shockley's devastating listeriosis infection was caused by tainted products that Blue Bell made in facilities infested with the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes. Judge Yeakel was appointed to the federal bench in 2003 by President George W. Bush after confirmation by … [Read more...]
CDC: 71 Food Poisoning Deaths in 2014
Food poisoning killed 71 Americans last year and sent 4,445 to the hospital, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The news about trends in illnesses associated with various pathogens such as E.coli, Listeria, Salmonella and Campylobacter was a mixed bag. Compared with 2006–2008, the 2014 incidence was: 32 percent lower for Shiga toxin–producing E. coli (STEC) O157; 22 percent lower for Yersinia; 52 percent higher for Vibrio, 13 percent higher for Campylobcater and about the same for other pathogens. While there were fewer illness from Shiga toxin–producing E. coli (STEC) O157 and Salmonella Typhimurium in 2014 than there were in the 2006–2008 and the 2011-2013 reporting periods, the incidence of non-O157 STEC and Salmonella Infantis … [Read more...]
No Multistate Food Poisoning Outbreaks So Far in 2015, Six Year Record
It was 2009 the last time we made it this far into the year without a multistate food poisoning outbreak being announced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Of course, that doesn't mean that one hasn't happened or isn't happening right now, it just means the CDC hasn't told anyone about it. The CDC publishes a list of "selected multistate food poisoning outbreaks" each year. The rest fly under the radar. For the last five years ,there have been about 10 announced multistate food poisoning outbreaks, with the first one occurring between January and March. Not April, like 2009's first, a Salmonella outbreak associated with pistcahios. The new year was still new when last year's first outbreak was announced, a Salmonella outbreak linked to cashew cheese. That … [Read more...]
Food Safety Violations Found at Kansas Prisons
Inspections conducted at prisons in Kansas by the Kansas Department of Corrections has found consistent food safety violations in the prison system's kitchens. Almost 340 inspections conducted between January, 2013 and July 2014 at 19 facilities found repeated deficiencies and noncompliance. It is considered cruel and unusual punishment to not take adequate care of prisoners, who are under complete government control. In addition, when outbreaks occur, taxpayer money is then spent giving medical care to prisoners and investigating the problem. Lawsuits against prisons have been filed and won by the families of prisoners who have been sickened in outbreaks at prisons and jails. The violations recorded in the inspections included not keeping proper temperature logs, not having inmate … [Read more...]
Food Poisoning Can Have Lifelong Health Effects
Every American has had food poisoning at one time or another. Most people dismiss the illness as the "24 hour flu", even though no such illness exists. If you have had diarrhea, vomiting, stomach cramps, nausea, and fever that passes fairly quickly, you probably had food poisoning. Most people recover fully after these illnesses and don't give them a second thought. But did you know that some people never fully recover from food poisoning? The effects of these illnesses can last a lifetime. In the UK, a young women who contracted an E. coli O157:H7 infection when she was two years old just learned she needs a second kidney transplant. When she got sick as a child, she was hospitalized with kidney failure after eating a contaminated sandwich. She had a stroke and many serious … [Read more...]