A Canada Salmonella egg outbreak has sickened at least 57 people in two provinces in that country, according to an outbreak investigation notice posted by Public Health Canada. Food recall warnings were issued for eggs sold in those provinces between October and December 2020. All of those eggs are past their use by dates, but more sources could be identified as the investigation processes. The patient case count by province is: Newfoundland and aerator (25) and Nova Scotia (32). Illness onset dates range from late October 2020 and late January 2021. Nineteen patients have been hospitalized because they are so sick, which is a high percentage for a Salmonella outbreak. The patient age range is between 2 and 98 years of age. Investigators have found that exposure to eggs is the … [Read more...]
CDC Health Advisory For Extensively Drug-Resistant Salmonella Typhi
A CDC health advisory for extensively drug-resistant Salmonella Typhi infections has been issued by the Health Alert Network (HAN). These types of infections are usually associated with international travel, but as of January 14, 2021, the government has received 71 reports of these infections in the United States; not all had left the country before getting sick. While most of those patients had traveled, nine, or 13% of the total, had not traveled to any country before they got sick. Salmonella typhi is transmitted through contaminated food and water and through person to person contact. In 2016, a large outbreak of extensively drug-resistant Salmonella typhi infections started in the Sindh province, Pakistan. Typhi strains are resistant to antibiotics that are usually … [Read more...]
Salmonella Potsdam Outbreak Ends With 7 Sick, No Information
According to the FDA's Core Outbreak Investigation Table, the recently announced Salmonella Potsdam outbreak has ended with seven people sick. We don't know what caused the illnesses, where those sickened live, if anyone was hospitalized or died, or the ages of the patients or their illness onset dates. The FDA has initiated traceback, has conducted on-site inspections, and has conducted sample collection and analysis. But no recall has been issued, no public health advisory has been issued, and no more information has been released. The FDA does state that "Outbreak investigations that do not result in specific, actionable steps for consumers may or may not conclusively identify a source or reveal any contributing factors." Salmonella Potsdam is a rare serotype of this pathogen. … [Read more...]
Two Active Food Poisoning Outbreaks on FDA CORE Table With Little Info
There are currently two active food poisoning outbreak investigations on the FDA CORE Outbreak Investigation Table, but there is very little information about either of them. Both outbreaks have sickened dozens of people, but we don't know where those people live, their ages, or illness onset dates. We don't know if anyone has been hospitalized. We also don't know what potential food or facility may be implicated in these outbreaks. These outbreaks are frustrating to food safety advocates because there is no way any consumer can be warned against potentially hazardous foods or facilities. Each outbreak keeps growing with no new information. The first of the two active food poisoning outbreaks was declared on December 23, 2020. The pathogen is Salmonella Potsdam, a relatively rare … [Read more...]
USDA Withdraws Controversial Poultry Line Speed Rule
On Friday, January 22, 2021, the USDA withdrew a controversial poultry line speed rules from the previous administration that would have rolled back line-speed standards at poultry plants. The first such proposal was made by the Obama administration in 2012. At the time, and over the last nine years, food safety experts and consumer advocates have opposed increasing these speeds, which whip poultry carcasses past inspectors at three birds per second. Executive Director of Food and Water Watch's Wenoah Hauter, said in a statement, "Such speeds would have made it nearly impossible for inspectors to properly due their jobs and ensure food safety and public health." She continued, "We’re pleased that the Biden administration has resisted the bidding of the immensely powerful … [Read more...]
Remove Bird Feeders to Fight Salmonella Outbreak in Birds
There has been a "dramatic increase" in Washington state in the population of pine siskins, a tiny migrating bird. A shortage of conifer cones, the typical food for this bird, has caused this increase. And they are eating at backyard feeders. There has been an explosion of Salmonella infections among those birds. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) recommends that people remove bird feeders to stop this Salmonella outbreak. All bird species are susceptible to this bacteria that can also threaten human health. Birds are a source of Salmonella and have been known to infect crops with their droppings. Backyard bird feeders are a particular risk since people have to handle them frequently. And the birds may contaminate food in backyard gardens. The Progressive … [Read more...]
New Salmonella Miami Outbreak Announced By FDA
A new Salmonella Miami outbreak has been announced by the FDA in their CORE Table. The only information we have is that 48 people are sick. No food or establishment has been identified. We don't know the patient age range, where the patients live, illness onset dates, or if anyone has been hospitalized. A traceback investigation has been launched. Salmonella outbreaks in the past few years have been linked to dried wood ear mushrooms, backyard poultry, peaches, onions, cut fruit, ground beef, papayas, tahini, raw tuna, pre-cut melon, and ground turkey. In other words, just about any food can be contaminated with enough of this ubiquitous pathogen to make people sick. This is the second unusual Salmonella serotype outbreak that has been announced in the FDA table recently. … [Read more...]
How To Prevent Salmonella Infections From Backyard Poultry
There have been thousands of human illnesses linked to backyard poultry in the U.S. in the past few years. In 2020 alone, there were 17 multistate outbreaks of Salmonella illnesses linked to contact with poultry in backyard flocks. In fact, in 2020 the number of illnesses linked to live birds was higher than any other past year. In those 17 outbreaks, 1,722 people were sickened, and 333 were hospitalized. One death was reported in Oklahoma. And 24% of those patients were children under the age of 5. Testing of backyard poultry and their environments in Kentucky and Oregon found three of the outbreak strains. The problem is that live poultry can carry Salmonella bacteria even if they look clean and healthy and do not seem sick. It's so easy to contract a Salmonella infection from … [Read more...]
Thomson International Onion Salmonella Outbreak Number One of 2020
The Thomson International onion Salmonella Newport outbreak was the number one multistate food poisoning outbreak of 2020, sickening at least 1,127 people in 48 states. One hundred sixty seven people were hospitalized because they were so sick. The case count by state is: Alaska (25), Alabama (2), Arizona (39), Arkansas (2), California (128), Colorado (32), Connecticut (2), Delaware (2), Florida (8), Georgia (11), Hawaii (3), Idaho (43), Illinois (54), Indiana (4), Iowa (31), Kansas (3), Kentucky (3), Maine (6), Maryland (7), Massachusetts (2), Michigan (47), Minnesota (19), Mississippi (5), Missouri (11), Montana (72), Nebraska (10), Nebraska (10), Nevada (11), New Hampshire (1), New Jersey (12), New Mexico (3), New York (14), North Carolina (6), North Dakota (9), Ohio (11), … [Read more...]
Wawona Peaches Salmonella Outbreak Number Three of 2020
The Wawona Peaches Salmonella outbreak was the number three multistate outbreak of 2020, with at least 101 sick in 17 states. There were many primary and secondary recalls of bagged and bulk peaches and peach products related to this outbreak. The patient case count by state was: California (1), Connecticut 91), Illinois (1), Iowa (11), Kansas (1), Kentucky (1), Maryland (1), Michigan (18), Minnesota (27), Missouri (2), New Jersey (8), New York (14), Ohio (1), Pennsylvania (4), Vermont (1), Virginia (3), and Wisconsin (6). Illness onset dates ranged from June 29, 2020 to August 27, 2020. The patient age range was from 1 to 92 years. Of 90 patients who gave information about their illness to investigators, 28 were hospitalized, for a hospitalization rate of 31%, which is … [Read more...]
