The Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the Doniphan County Health Department are investigating a possible Salmonella outbreak that may be associated with an Election Day Indian Taco Dinner at the Highland United Methodist Presbyterian Church in Highland, Kansas. That dinner took place on August 7, 2018. One person has tested positive with a Salmonella infection after attending the dinner. The two health departments are asking that anyone who attended that dinner or ate food there to complete an online survey to help officials investigate this possible outbreak. You are asked to complete the survey even if you are not ill. The survey asks if the respondent ate Indian tacos, pie, black beans, watermelon, or iced tea at the dinner. Other items listed on the survey … [Read more...]
Precut Melon Linked to Salmonella Outbreak Sold in More States: AL, CA, FL, KS, MD, MN, NE, ND, SD, and TN; Lawsuits Filed
The FDA just stated that there are more states where precut melon and fresh-cut melon products linked to a Salmonella Adelaide outbreak were sold. They were also sold in Alabama, California, Florida, Kansas, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Tennessee. That means the states that received these products include Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The products were packaged in clear plastic clamshell containers and were sold under several different brand names. The stores that the FDA has listed as carrying the melons are Costco, Jay C, Kroger, … [Read more...]
E. coli Outbreak Associated with Louisburg Cider Mill Ciderfest in Kansas
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) is investigating an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 among people who attended the Louisburg Cider Mill Ciderfest in Louisburg, Kansas. That event was held September 24 to 25 and October 1 to 2, 2016. So far, seven laboratory-confirmed cases of E. coli illnesses have been confirmed in this outbreak. The Shiga toxin-producing E. coli bacteria (STEC) can cause serious illness and death. The Kansas Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and KDHE performed an on-site assessment at the facility on October 27, 2016. Samples were collected for testing in public health laboratories. Public health officials are asking that anyone who experienced diarrhea one to ten days after attending either event to call … [Read more...]
Salmonella Outbreak in KS and OK Associated with Sprouts
The Kansas Department of health and Environment is reporting that a Salmonella outbreak that has sickened eight people in two states is associated with sprouts grown at Sweetwater Farms in Inman, Kansas. Five people in Kansas and three people in Oklahoma are sick. The KDHE, the FDA, the CDC, the Oklahoma Department of Health, and the Kansas Department of Agriculture have been working together on this outbreak. The last date of illness onset was in late January in a man from Kansas. Three Oklahoma cases have been matched to the outbreak strain of Salmonella. Public health officials have inspected Sweetwater Farms and found samples of irrigation water and products that have tested positive for Salmonella, although the exact strain of the pathogenic bacteria has not been identified. Lab … [Read more...]
What’s With Norovirus in Overland Park?
There are three norovirus outbreaks in Overland Park, Kansas that are being investigated by the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. At least 628 people have been sickened so far in these outbreaks. Norovirus is very common, especially in the winter months. The virus is very contagious and easily transmitted through contact with food and surfaces, and from person-to-person. When people stay indoors more often in the colder weather, it's very easy to pass the virus around and contract it. The first outbreak is among people who visited the New Theatre Restaurant in mid-January 2016. At least 600 people have been sickened in that outbreak. Most of those sickened were at the facility between January 15 and 19, … [Read more...]
Kansas Asking New Theatre Norovirus Patrons to Fill Out Questionnaire
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment is investigating a norovirus outbreak among people who attended the New Theatre Restaurant in Overland Park, Kansas and is asking patrons of that facility to fill out an online questionnaire. They would like all people who have attended the theatre since Friday, January 15, 2016 to respond to help determine the cause of illness. They want to collect information from people who were sickened and those who did not become ill. Participation is voluntary, and any information provided is completely confidential. If you have already filled out the survey when it requested information from people who attended the facility later than that date, please fill it out again. If you have been interviewed by telephone, you do not need to fill out the … [Read more...]
