Melaney Arnold, spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), told Food Poisoning Bulletin that there is an outbreak of “gastrointestinal illness” at the Cook County Jail in Chicago. The Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) reported the outbreak. Illnesses are resolving in about 24 hours, and no inmates have required hospitalization. The IDPH … Read more
A suspected norovirus outbreak has been declared at the Stateville Correctional Facility in Illinois. Illinois Department of Corrections spokesperson Melaney Arnold told Food Poisoning Bulletin that approximately 144 inmates reported becoming ill after Christmas. No patients have been hospitalized. Food testing is underway to try to determine the source of the outbreak. The Department of … Read more
Prison hooch, or homemade alcohol, is the likely source of a botulism outbreak at an Arizona prison that sent seven inmates to intensive care. The seven inmates, all from Special Management Unit 1 of the Arizona State Prison Complex Eyman in Florence, were hospitalized over the weekend. Botulism is not spread through person-to-person contact. Although … Read more
John C. Cordell, Public Information Specialist with the Michigan Department of Corrections told Food Poisoning Bulletin that there is an outbreak of STEC, or Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, at the Saginaw Correctional Facility. The facility is quarantined with no prisoner transfers, no group programming or prisoner visitation. So far, 89 prisoners and seven staff have … Read more
Shea Wilson, spokesperson for the Tucker Unit of the Arkansas prison system, told Food Poisoning Bulletin that 357 inmates have shown symptoms of a foodborne illness. “The Health Department has indicated in a preliminary report that it is food poisoning from chicken salad,” she said. The chicken salad was served to inmates over the weekend. … Read more
The Kent County Health Department is investigating a potential food poisoning outbreak at the Kent County Jail. On Sunday, April 15, 2012, 250 inmates became ill with the symptoms of food poisoning. Lisa LaPlante, the Communications Manager for the Kent County Health Department, told Food Poisoning Bulletin that no inmates were hospitalized and everyone “recovered … Read more
The U.S. Centers for Disease control Morbidity and Mortality Weekly report was released this week. In it, a food poisoning outbreak at a minimum-security correctional facility was discussed. That facility, the Four Mile Correctional Center in Canon City, is a “designated work center where inmates are employed or receive vocational training.” In 2010, the … Read more