The Famous Anthony's Hepatitis A Virginia outbreak has now sickened 35 people and hospitalized more than 20 of those patients, according to news reports. The Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts announced on Tuesday, October 12, 2021 that the cases have more than doubled over the last two weeks. The illnesses are linked to three Famous Anthony's restaurant locations in Roanoke. The outbreak was first reported to the public on September 24, 2021. One employee had worked at the three locations (on Grandin Road, Williamson Road, and Crystal Spring Avenue) while infectious. Unfortunately, the number of patients in this Famous Anthony's hepatitis A outbreak is still expected to increase, since the incubation period for this illness is up to 50 days after infection. The employee … [Read more...]
Salmonella Oranienburg Outbreak Explodes to 419 Sick, 66 Hospitalized
The Salmonella Oranienburg outbreak explodes to 419 sick and 66 hospitalized, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That is an increase of 140 more cases since the last update on September 23, 20212. And it has spread to 35 states, six more states since the last update. No specific food has been identified, although cilantro, onions, and jalapeño peppers are suspected, and no recall has been issued. The case count by state is: Alabama (1), Arkansas (8), California (6), Connecticut (4), Florida (5), Georgia (2), Illinois (28), Indiana (1), Iowa (1), Kansas (9), Kentucky(9), Louisiana (4), Maryland (22), Massachusetts (10), Michigan (6), Minnesota (20), Mississippi (2), Missouri (5), Nebraska (6), New Jersey (5), New Mexico (8), New York (3), North … [Read more...]
Famous Anthony’s Virginia Hepatitis A Outbreak Increases to 14 Sick
The Famous Anthony's Virginia Hepatitis A outbreak case count has increased to 14 from 10, according to news reports. Dr. Cynthia Morrow with the Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts talked to the press about the outbreak during Zoom meetings on September 28, 2021. The outbreak began when a restaurant employee, who worked at three of the chain's restaurants in Roanoke, Virginia, was diagnosed with the viral illness. There is no ongoing concern about eating at the chain's locations, according to Dr. Morrow, because the employee worked there in late August 2021. The restaurant is cooperating with the health department in the investigation. The locations where that employee worked were at 4913 Grandin Road, 6499 Williamson Road, and Crystal Spring Avenue in Roanoke. By the … [Read more...]
Famous Anthony’s Hepatitis A Outbreak Sickens 10 in Roanoke, VA
A potential Famous Anthony's hepatitis A outbreak in Roanoke, Virginia has sickened at least 10 people, according to news reports and the Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts. An employee who tested positive for the virus worked while infectious at three Famous Anthony's restaurants that are located on Grandin Road, Williamson Road, and Crystal Spring Avenue in that city. All ten patients were hospitalized. Officials think the case count will increase. The employee worked there between August 10 and August 26, 2021. That means that it is too late for anyone who was exposed there during that time frame to get the hepatitis A or immune globulin vaccine. The vaccine is only effective if given within two weeks of exposure. The virus is very contagious and is spread through … [Read more...]
Cilantro May Be the Source in Mystery Multistate Salmonella Outbreak
Cilantro may be the source in the mystery multistate Salmonella Oranienburg outbreak, according to a dendrogram on the National Center for Biotechnology Information site, part of the National Institutes of Health. According to that information, cilantro has tested positive for Salmonella Oranienburg, the bacteria that has caused this outbreak. Cilantro has been linked to many food poisoning outbreaks in the past. It is a herb that is commonly used in Tex-Mex cooking. And 43% of the cases in this outbreak are in Texas and Oklahoma. In 2015, cilantro was linked to a huge cyclospora outbreak that sickened at least 218 people in Texas and Wisconsin. And in 2014, another cyclospora outbreak was linked to fresh cilantro. The same thing happened in 2013. Going further back, in 2008, … [Read more...]
El Abuelito Cheese Listeria Outbreak Ends With 13 Sick, 1 Death
The El Abuelito cheese Listeria monocytogenes outbreak has ended with 13 people sick, 12 hospitalized, and one death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The patients live in four states on the east coast. The case count by state is Connecticut (1), Maryland (5), New York (4), and Virginia (3). Illness onset dates range from October 20, 2020 to March 17, 2021. Twelve of the illnesses occurred in 2021. The patient age range is from less than 1 to 75 years. Twelve of the patients were Hispanic. One death was reported from Maryland. Four people got sick during their pregnancy, resulting in two pregnancy losses and one premature birth; the fourth person remained pregnant after recovering. State and local public health officials interviewed the patients … [Read more...]
El Abuelito Cheeses Were More Widely Distributed Than First Thought
UPDATE 3/9/21: El Abuelito cheeses were also sold in Rhode Island. The FDA has updated its investigation into the deadly multistate Listeria monocytogenes outbreak that is linked to recalled El Abuelito queso fresco and has revealed that El Abuelito cheeses were more widely distributed than first thought. The case count still stands at 11 sick, with 10 hospitalized and one death. Four patients were from Maryland and four from New York, with one from Connecticut and two from Virginia. The recalls are also unchanged. The first recall, issued on February 19, 2021, after whole genome sequencing testing conducted by the state of Connecticut found the outbreak strain in a sample of El Abuelito queso fresco, was for El Abuelito Queso Fresco as well as the brands Rio Grande and Rio Lindo … [Read more...]
FDA Warns Against All El Abuelito Cheese In Listeria Outbreak Investigation
The FDA warns against all El Abuelito cheese in the most current Listeria monocytogenes outbreak investigation notice that was posted today. The notice states, "Out of an abundance of caution, and due to the severity of Listeria infection, the FDA is expanding its warning to include all El Abuelito brand cheeses until more information is known. According to the firm’s website, this includes queso fresco, Oaxaca cheese, cotija cheese, and crema." Whole genome sequencing has linked El Abuelito queso fresco cheese to the outbreak. On February 19, 2021, tests conducted by the Connecticut State Laboratory determined that the Listeria monocytogenes found in a sample of the cheese purchased at a grocery store in that state is a match to the outbreak strain. El Abuelito Cheese recalled … [Read more...]
El Abuelito Cheese Listeria Sample Matches Outbreak Strain
The El Abuelito cheese Listeria monocytogenes sample matches the outbreak strain, according to a notice from the FDA. The Connecticut Department of Public Health collected product samples of that cheese where a sick person who lives in that state bought cheeses. Sample analysis found the presence of Listeria monocytogenes in samples of El Abuelito Queso Fresco cheese that was sold in 10 ounce packages, marked as Lot A027 with an expiration date of 02/26/2021. On February 19, 2021, whole genome sequencing (WGS) analysis that was conducted by the Connecticut State Laboratory found that the Listeria monocytogenes found in the samples is a match to the outbreak strain. On February 19, 2021, El Abuelito Cheese of Paterson, New Jersey recalled all Queso Fresco products with "sell by" … [Read more...]
New Listeria Outbreak Associated With Hispanic-Style Fresh Soft Cheeses
A new Listeria outbreak has been announced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Hispanic-style fresh and soft cheeses have allegedly sickened seven people in four states as of February 11, 2021. No recall has been issued yet. The patient case count by state is: Connecticut (1), Maryland (4), New York (1), and Virginia (1). All seven patients have been hospitalized because they are so sick. No one has died. Illness onset dates range from October 20, 2020 to January 22, 2021. Six of those sickened got sick in 2021. The patient age range is from 45 to 75 years. Six of those sickened are of Hispanic origin. State and local public health officials are interviewing people about what they ate during the month before they started feeling sick. Of the four people who … [Read more...]
