Three new outbreaks were announced on the FDA Table of Outbreak Investigations: One was caused by Cyclospora, the second by E. coli O121, and the third by Salmonella Typhimurium. UPDATE: One of these outbreaks, the Salmonella outbreak, has a suspect food attached to it. In the cyclospora outbreak, at least 32 people are sick. The notice states that this number represents a subset of the total number of domestically-acquired cases of cyclosporiasis illnesses in the U.S. Traceback has been initiated, and sample analysis and testing has taken place. This is encouraging, because the FDA may know what has caused this outbreak. Stay tuned, since a recall or outbreak investigation notice may be issued soon. In the E. coli O121 outbreak, at least 15 ill persons have been identified. No … [Read more...]
FDA Releases Info about 2020 Wawona Peach Salmonella Outbreak
The FDA has released information about its investigation into the 2020 Wawona peach Salmonella outbreak. Again, it seems that adjacent land use for animals, just like the conclusion about the deadly E. coli romaine outbreaks of 2018, may have been a contributing factor. That outbreak sickened at least 101 people in 17 states, and 28 people were hospitalized because they were so sick. This was the first time a Salmonella outbreak was linked to fresh peaches in this country. Epidemiological and traceback investigation determined that peaches packed by or supplied by a large grower/producer, Wawona, were the likely source of this outbreak. As a result of traceback, the FDA investigated peach packing/holding operations and peach orchards in Cutler, Kerman, and Sanger, California. … [Read more...]
Three Iowa Children Hospitalized with HUS After E. coli Infections
Three Iowa children hospitalized with HUS after they contracted E. coli infections have been identified by several different newspapers in that state. The Jackson County Health Department does not know what the source of these illnesses is, and we do not know if the children are all sickened by the same strain of E. coli. TV6 is reporting that viewers are telling the station that there may be more cases throughout Jackson County. It's also worth nothing that there was a boil water notice in the city of Maquoketa, where all three of these children live, in late May. The Sentinel Press reports that 12-year-old Shane Howell's mother noticed that was not acting like himself, so she immediately got him to the doctor. He, along with two other children, is hospitalized at the University … [Read more...]
Multistate Outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 HUS Linked to Romaine Investigated by Lawyers
The FDA has weighed in on the multistate E. coli O157:H7 HUS outbreak that is linked to romaine lettuce from the Yuma, Arizona growing region. Now 121 people in 25 states are sick. Fifty-two people are in the hospital, and 14 have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, which is a kind of kidney failure. One person in California has died. Lawyers are asking: how did the romaine lettuce get contaminated? The FDA has received confirmation from the Arizona Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement that is administered by the Arizona Department of Agriculture that romaine lettuce is no longer being grown and distributed form the Yuma growing region. The product, however, has a 21-day shelf life, so officials can't be sure that the lettuce from this region is not in the supply chain. Public … [Read more...]
Congresswoman DeLauro Wants Answers on Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Rose Acre Farms Eggs
Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) wrote a letter to the FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb last week, asking for more information on the Salmonella outbreak that is linked to shell eggs from Rose Acre Farms. That outbreak has sickened at least 23 people in 9 states. Rose Acre Farms recalled more than 200,000,000 eggs earlier this month because they may be contaminated with Salmonella Braenderup. DeLauro wrote, "FDA records reveal that the company’s Hyde County location was inspected in the weeks leading up to the recall – from March 26 to April 11, 2018. The reports show serious violations of food safety standards that are designed to safeguard public health. Consumers and their families deserve a safe food supply, and that requires that FDA act adequately and timely to address … [Read more...]
FDA Adds Its Voice to Multistate E. coli O157:H7 HUS Outbreak Linked to Chopped Romaine Lettuce
The FDA is adding its voice to the multistate E. coli O157:H7 HUS outbreak that is linked to chopped romaine from the Yuma growing region in Arizona. Last week, Food Poisoning Bulletin told you that government officials did not have a specific food in mind. On Friday, the CDC announced that the chopped greens were the likely source. Thirty-five people in 11 states are sick in this E. coli O157:H7 HUS outbreak. Ninety-three percent of the patients interviewed said they ate romaine lettuce the week before they got sick. Most of those people ate salad at a restaurant; romaine lettuce was the common ingredient. The restaurants said they used bagged, chopped romaine lettuce to make the salads. The FDA, in conjunction with federal, state, and local partners, found that the chopped … [Read more...]
Salmonella Typhimurium Outbreak Linked to Fareway Chicken Salad Ends; Lawsuits Filed
The huge Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak linked to Fareway chicken salad is now over after sickening 265 people in 8 states. Ninety-four of those people were hospitalized because they were so ill. One person living in Iowa died. More illnesses could still be reported, if people have this salad frozen in home freezers. Triple T Specialty Meats produced the salad for the Fareway chain. Fareway stopped selling the salad on February 9, 2018, after the company was notified about illnesses. The Iowa Department of Public health issued a consumer advisory on February 13, 2018, warning that the salad may be contaminated. On February 21, 2018, Triple T Specialty Meats recalled all of that salad that was produced from January 2, 2018 to February 7, 2018. It was sold from the deli department … [Read more...]
USDA Issues Alert About Salmonella in Fareway Chicken Salad Sold in Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois, and South Dakota
The USDA has issued a public health alert about Fareway chicken salad that may be contaminated with Salmonella bacteria. The Iowa Department of Health issued a warning earlier this week about a Salmonella outbreak linked to that product in that specific state. The feds jumped in yesterday, stating that the product was also sold at all Fareway stores in Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, and South Dakota. The product is varying weights of "Fareway Chicken Salad that sold sold in plastic deli containers with a Fareway store label. The product was made between December 15, 2017 and February 13, 2018. It was sold directly to consumers who shopped at Fareway. The problem was discovered when reports of illness surfaced in Iowa. The Iowa Department of Public Health notified FSIS of an … [Read more...]
Possible Food Poisoning Outbreak at Los Angeles Chipotle
A possible foodborne illness outbreak at Chipotle Mexican Grill in California has been reported by the Los Angeles City Health Department. The city has activated its Acute Communicable Disease Control unit. The facility is located at 4550 West Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles. There are few details about the outbreak. It was first discovered when people started reporting they were feeling ill after eating there around the middle of December, 2017 on the website I Was Poisoned. Shares of Chipotle stock fell by more than 3% after the news came out. There is no word on how many people have been sickened, what their symptoms were, or if anyone has seen a doctor or been hospitalized. We don't know the possible pathogen; it could be anything. More information about this possible outbreak … [Read more...]
Salmonella Outbreak in Oregon and Washington State: Not the First Time Cantaloupe Has Been Contaminated
The Salmonella outbreak in Washington state and Oregon that has sickened at least 18 people has been linked to precut cantaloupe, watermelon, or fruit mixes containing both of these fruits. Most people don't think of fruit as being a source of pathogenic bacteria, but this is not the first time melons have been linked to a food poisoning outbreak. In 2011, a Listeria monocytogenes outbreak linked to cantaloupe sickened more than 140 people in 28 states and killed thirty. The contaminated melons were traced to Jensen Farms in Colorado. Almost all of those sickened were hospitalized because their illnesses were so severe. In 2012, a Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak linked to cantaloupes grown in Indiana sickened at least 141 people in 20 states. At least 31 people were hospitalized … [Read more...]
