A possible ShopRite hepatitis A exposure on Oxford Street in Northeast Philadelphia has prompted a warning from the Philadelphia Department of Health. A person who worked at that store, located at 6301 Oxford Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was contagious. No more reports of illness have been received by officials to date. Anyone who handled raw beef or pork or who ate undercooked raw beef or pork that was purchased from the store's meat counter between January 4 and January 21, 2024 may have been exposed to the virus. Anyone who has completed the hepatitis A vaccine regimen, or who has had the disease in the past should be protected. The vaccine will protect if it is given within two weeks of exposure. Since the first potential exposure occurred 22 days ago, anyone who … [Read more...]
Philadelphia E. coli Outbreak Grows to 19 Sick; No Source Found
The Philadelphia E. coli outbreak has grown to include 19 ill persons. James Garrow of the Philadelphia Department of Public Health updated Food Poisoning Bulletin in an email. The Department cannot confirm whether or not anyone has been hospitalized. The case count is accurate as of September 6, 2019. Public health officials continue investigating the source of the pathogen. The Health Alert stated that restaurants may be involved in this outbreak, but no specific restaurants have been named yet. The outbreak was originally reported on September 5, 2019. The age range of patients at that time was 7 to 90. This age range may have changed; but we don't know for sure. E. coli outbreaks in restaurants are not common, and most often are labeled "associated with" or "possible." … [Read more...]
Two More Illnesses in Philadelphia E. coli Outbreak Brings Total to 16
The Philadelphia E. coli outbreak has now sickened two more people, according to news reports. There are now 16 people sickened in that outbreak, which officials think is linked to restaurants in the area. However, officials are not releasing the names of restaurants they think are involved in this outbreak. James Garrow, spokesperson for the health department, said in a statement, "The Health Department's investigation, like all foodborne illness investigations, takes time. This a wide-ranging investigation that asks very sick people to list every single thing that they’ve eaten or drank, at the level of every individual ingredient, during the period when they were exposed to the bug. This generates a massive list of possible items and locations that may have been the … [Read more...]
Philadelphia E. coli Outbreak Sickens At Least 14
A Philadelphia E. coli outbreak has sickened at least 14 people, according to a Health Alert issued by the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. Public health officials "have identified a few shared restaurant exposures," in their ongoing case investigation, but no one restaurant or food has been named so far. In the past, E. coli outbreaks have been linked to ground beef, flour, animals at county fairs, raw milk, and lettuce. Just about any food can be contaminated with this pathogen through cross-contamination. The source of E. coli is typically found in the guts of ruminant animals such as cows and goats and is shed in their feces. Person-to-person transmission is also possible because the infectious does is small; just 10 bacteria. The patient age range in this outbreak … [Read more...]
