A Shigella outbreak at the Wake Robin retirement community in Shelburne, Vermont is being investigated by the Vermont Department of Health. The notice from that department states that more than 50 people are sick, but news reports state that the patient case count is now at 67. Shigellosis is a bacterial infection that is usually contracted through eating contaminated food or drinking contaminated water. People can also contract this infection by touching contaminated surfaces or through sexual contact. The symptoms include diarrhea that is usually watery or may be bloody, fever, and stomach cramps. These symptoms usually begin one to seven days after infection. People can be sick for up to four weeks. Shigella bacteria are shed in an ill persons' stool while they are ill and up … [Read more...]
E. coli O157:H7 Outbreak At Bread & Butter Farm in Vermont
An E. coli O157:H7 outbreak in Vermont has been announced in a recall notice on the USDA's website today. Two people were sickened after eating cooked beef burgers at an event at Bread & Butter Farm located in Shelburne, Vermont. FSIS was notified about this outbreak on September 30, 2017. Traceback information indicates that both patients ate ground beef products at that farm during an event that was supplied by Vermont Livestock Slaughter & Processing in Ferrisburg, Vermont. Illness onset dates ranged from September 18, 2017 to September 23, 2017. FSIS is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Vermont Department of Health to investigate this outbreak and will release more information as it becomes available. Vermont Livestock recalled 133 … [Read more...]
FDA On Vulto Creamery Ouleout Cheese Listeria Outbreak
The FDA has released information about its investigation into the deadly Listeria monocytogenes outbreak linked to recalled Vulto raw milk soft cheeses. Ouleout cheese from that dairy in Walton, New York has been identified as the "likely source" of the outbreak that has sickened six people in four states. Two of those six people have died. The FDA, CDC, and state government agencies have been investigating this outbreak since January 31, 2017. Ouleout cheese from Vulto Creamery tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes bacteria in early March, and the company began contacting its customers, asking them to return the product. On March 7, 2017, Vulto recalled that cheese along with Miranda, Heinennellie, and Willowemoc cheese varieties. Then, on March 8, 2017, the FDA was told that … [Read more...]
Two Dead, Six Ill in Vulto Raw Milk Cheese Listeria Outbreak
The CDC has announced a Listeria monocytogenes outbreak is linked to soft raw milk cheese produced by Vulto Creamery in Walton, New York. Two people have died and six are sickened in this outbreak. The case count by state is: New York (3), Florida (1), Vermont (1), and Connecticut (1). Illnesses began on September 1, 2016. All six patients were hospitalized. One person from Connecticut and one person from Vermont died. One illness was reported in a newborn. Infants can be born with Listeria monocytogenes infections when their mothers eat products contaminated with the bacteria. The bacteria can pass through the placenta because the mother's immune system response attacks the placenta. The outbreak strain of Listeria monocytogenes was identified in samples taken from three intact … [Read more...]
Dole Listeria Salads Also Sold in Vermont
We have been notified that Price Chopper stores in Vermont have been carrying Dole salads being recalled because of a deadly Listeria monocytogenes outbreak. The FDA has been notified. Vermont has not been listed among the states that received the recalled products. We contacted the FDA and the Vermont Department of Health and neither responded by press time. This underscores the fact that everyone should examine packages of Dole salads that they purchased. If the manufacturing code made up of a list of numbers that is either above or below the "Enjoy By" or "Sell By" date starts with an "A", that means that product was produced in the Springfield, Ohio plant that made and shipped the salads that made people sick. The Ohio Department of Health found Listeria monocytogenes bacteria in … [Read more...]
Worthy Burger E. coli Outbreak Grows to Nine Patients
The E. coli outbreak at Worthy Burger restaurant in South Royalton, Vermont has grown, according to what Bradley Tompkins, a health surveillance epidemiologist with the Vermont Department of Health, told Valley News. Two more cases have been linked to the restaurant, making the total to date six confirmed and three probable cases. The state has not updated its news release about this outbreak since September 22, 2015. Eight of the nine patients at ground beef at Worthy Burger in August and September of this year. State health inspectors found the DNA of Shiga toxin, the compound produced by E. coli bacteria, in an unopened package of beef at the restaurant. They believe that undercooked burgers served at that restaurant are the source of the pathogenic bacteria that caused the … [Read more...]
Vermont’s GMO Law Prompt Lawsuit From Food Groups
Moments after Vermont Governor Peer Shumlin signed a law on May 8th requiring that all foods containing genetically modified ingredients sold in that state be labeled as such, the Grocery Manufacturing Association (GMA) said it would sue the state. And now it has. Yesterday, the GMA, the Snack Foods Association, the International Dairy Foods Association and the National Association of Manufacturers filed suit in federal district court challenging the law which was the first of its kind. The law goes into effect July 1, 2016. After that date, violators face penalties and further action by the Attorney General’s Office. "Vermont’s mandatory GMO labeling law – Act 120 – is a costly and misguided measure that will set the nation on a path toward a 50-state patchwork of GMO labeling policies … [Read more...]
Vermont Endures Salmonella Outbreak Linked To Cargill Ground Beef Sold At Hannaford Stores
The Salmonella outbreak linked to Cargill ground beef sold at Hannaford grocery stores has hit Vermont hard. Of the 33 people sickened in the multi-state outbreak, 10 are from Vermont. And of 11 hospitalizations in seven states, three are from Vermont. Vermont's case patients, who became ill between June 6 and June 26, are from Addison, Chittenden, Franklin, Rutland. and Windham counties, according to the Vermont Department of Health (VDH). Since June, VDH has been part of a collaborative investigation that has grown to include, seven state health departments, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service (USDA, FSIS) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). After laboratory testing confirmed that the Salmonella strain that sickened people and the … [Read more...]
