A multistate E. coli outbreak tied to lettuce on Wendy's burgers and sandwiches includes 53 people in Michigan, Chelsea Wuth, a health department spokeswoman told Food Poisoning Bulletin today. Thirty-one people have been hospitalized, eight of them with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a form of kidney failure that affects some E. coli patients. Six days ago, the Wendy's E. coli outbreak included 43 illnesses, 24 hospitalizations, and four HUS cases in Michigan, according to an outbreak update from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. And the numbers are expected to rise as results of whole genome sequencing tests from 62 other Michigan residents stricken with E. coli infections since the end of July become available. "Two things that are really … [Read more...]
Michigan Cyclospora Cluster Sickens Three
Three people in Michigan have confirmed cases of cyclospora infection, the Michigan Department of Community Health told Food Poisoning Bulletin today. A food source for the cluster of illnesses, concentrated in the southeastern part of the state, has not yet been identified. Spikes in cases of cyclosporiasis, the infection caused by the rare cyclospora parasite, have been reported in 18 other states this summer. In Texas, 124 cases from 31 counties have been reported since mid-June. Health authorities have not yet identified a food source in any of the affected states, nor have they been able to determine which, if any, of the cases may be related. Food sources for past outbreaks have been: restaurant salad, cilantro, basil, raspberries, mesclun and snow peas. Last year, a 25-state … [Read more...]
Food Poisoning Outbreak in Jackson, MI Prison
According to the Michigan Corrections Organization (MCO), SEIU Local 526M, Michigan governor Rick Snyder is ordering performance reviews of a private company that provides foods to prison inmates. As of Sunday, June 29, 2014, 30 prisoners were treated for food poisoning after maggots were found near a food service line at the Parnall Correctional Facility. And MCO was told that "maggots were found on potatoes at RGC. Initially, Aramark staff told inmates to separate the bad potatoes from the good, and wash off the good potatoes. A facility administrator stepped in and the potatoes were not used." That provider, Aramark Correctional Services, was warned earlier this month because of food shortages and unapproved changes in menus. The governor told reporters, "that shouldn't happen, in … [Read more...]
