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...]