Fresh Express sickens five Minnesotans with E. coli O157:H7 infections, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. (MDH). Yesterday, the FDA's press release stated that there were four people sick in that state. Doug Schultz, Information Officer for MDH told Food Poisoning Bulletin that there are no hemolytic uremic syndrome cases in the state, but that two of the five patients have been hospitalized. One patient has been released from the hospital. The illness onset dates for these patients range from November 8 to November 16, 2018. The patient age range is from 21 to 91. Four of the patients live in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area, and one lives in Greater Minnesota. Three people are sick in Wisconsin, and one person living in North Dakota is ill. The product linked … [Read more...]
Fresh Express Sickens Five Minnesotans with E. coli O157:H7 Infections
Fresh Express E. coli O157:H7 HUS Outbreak Investigated by FDA
The new Fresh Express E. coli O157:H7 HUS outbreak that has sickened eight people in the Upper Midwest is being investigated by the FDA. The outbreak is linked to Fresh express Sunflower Crisp Chopped Salad Kits both in the United States and in Canada. The case count by state is Minnesota (4), North Dakota (1), and Wisconsin (3). Illness onset dates range from November 5, 2019 to November 15, 2019. Three people have been hospitalized because their illness is so severe. One person has developed hemolytic ureic syndrome (HUS), which is a type of kidney failure that can develop after an E. coli infection. The outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7 bacteria that is found in these case patients is different from the outbreak strain of the large E. coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to romaine … [Read more...]
Fresh Express Sunflower Salad Kit Linked to a New E. coli O157:H7 Outbreak
A new E. coli outbreak that has sickened people in the U.S. and Canada was just announced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Unlike the multistate E. coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to romaine lettuce that has sickened at least 102 people, in this outbreak we have a brand name. Epidemiologic information indicates that Fresh Express Sunflower Crisp Chopped Salad Kits are a likely source of this outbreak. Eight people in three states are sick as of December 9, 2019. The case count by state is: Minnesota (4), North Dakota (1), and Wisconsin (3). Three people have been hospitalized because they are so ill. The illness onset dates range from November 5, 2019 to November 15, 2019. The patient age range is from 21 to 91. One person has developed hemolytic uremic syndrome … [Read more...]
Why Does Wisconsin Have 31 E. coli Cases in Romaine Outbreak?
Why does Wisconsin have 31 E. coli cases, the most of any other state, in the multistate outbreak linked to romaine lettuce from Salinas, California? Good question. We don't know. But it is true that, at 31 people sick, Wisconsin has more than 1/3 of the illnesses in this massive outbreak. It may be that a distributor in Wisconsin received a shipment of contaminated romaine from the Salinas, California area, which has been identified as the probable source of the pathogen. Wisconsin is just one of 23 states where ill persons live. No single supplier, distributor, farm, or even brand of romaine has been named as the source of the outbreak, although the CDC has named the Salinas growing region. We do know that Wisconsin was the first state to identify the outbreak back in … [Read more...]
Salinas Romaine E. coli HUS Outbreak Has Now Sickened 102
The Salinas romaine E. coli HUS outbreak has now sickened at least 102 people in 23 states, according to an update by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Fifty eight people have been hospitalized because they are so sick, and 10 people have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which is a type of kidney failure. That's an increase of 35 cases in the week since the last update was issued. The case count by state is: Arizona (3), California (4), Colorado (6), Florida (1), Idaho (3), Illinois (1), Iowa (1), Maryland (4), Michigan (1), Minnesota (3), Montana (1), Nebraska (1), New Jersey (7), New Mexico (2), North Carolina (1), Ohio (12), Oregon (1), Pennsylvania (8), South Dakota (1), Texas (4), Virginia (4), Washington (2), and Wisconsin (31). Illness onset … [Read more...]
Fresh Thyme Blackberries Hepatitis A Outbreak Sickens 16 in 6 States
The Fresh Thyme blackberries hepatitis A outbreak has now sickened 16 people in 6 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Epidemiologic and traceback evidence has found that those sickened in this outbreak ate fresh, conventionally grown blackberries from that store chain. The patient case count by state is: Indiana (2), Michigan (1), Minnesota (1), Nebraska (7), Wisconsin (4), and Missouri (1). The patient age range is from 14 to 73 years. Illness onset dates ranges from October 8, 2019 to November 15, 2019. Of 15 people who gave information about their health to the government, 9, or 60%, have been hospitalized. That is a very high hospitalization rate for hepatitis A outbreaks. Of people who were interviewed, 15 out of 15 said they ate fresh … [Read more...]
Fresh Thyme Blackberries Hepatitis A Outbreak Has Now Sickened 14
The Fresh Thyme Blackberries hepatitis A outbreak has now sickened at least 14 people in five states, according to the FDA. Minnesota has been added to the states where ill persons live. The other states with patients are Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. That's an increase of three more patients in the last four days since the first investigation announcement. Eight people have been hospitalized because they are so sick, which is a very high hospitalization rate for hepatitis A outbreaks. The last illness onset date was November 15, 2019. Since it can take two weeks after exposure for symptoms to appear, this outbreak is likely to grow. Based on epidemiological information, patients said they ate fresh conventionally grown blackberries purchased from Fresh Thyme Market … [Read more...]
E. coli HUS Romaine Outbreak Grows to 67 Sick and 39 Hospitalized
The E. coli HUS romaine outbreak has now sickened at least 67 people in 19 states. This outbreak is growing rapidly; four days ago there were just 40 people sickened. Thirty-nine people have been hospitalized so far, and six have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure. The patient case count by state is: Arizona (3), California (4), Colorado (1), Idaho (3), Illinois (1), Maryland (4), Michigan (1), Minnesota (3), Montana (1), Nebraska (1), New Jersey (1), New Mexico (2), Ohio (12), Oregon (1), Pennsylvania (3), Texas (2), Virginia (2), Washington (1), and Wisconsin (21). Illness onset dates range from September 24, 2019 to November 14, 2019. The patient age range is from 3 to 89 years. Fifty people sickened in this E. coli HUS romaine outbreak had … [Read more...]
One Minnesota Patient in Romaine E. coli O157:H7 HUS Outbreak
There is one Minnesota patient in Romaine E. coli O157:H7 HUS outbreak announced last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This patient is part of a fast growing outbreak that climbed from 17 sick on November 19, 2019 to 40 sick on November 22, 2019. That patient has developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure that is a complication of a Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) infection. This complication most often affects children under the age of five. That patient has been hospitalized. The outbreak has affected 40 people in 16 states. The patient age range is from 3 to 89 years. Illness onset dates range from September 4, 2019 to November 10, 2019, but the notice states that "additional cases are under investigation," so the … [Read more...]
E. coli HUS Outbreak: Forty Sick, CDC Says Avoid All Romaine From Salinas, CA
The CDC just posted a food safety alert, telling consumers that in the wake of the newest E. coli HUS outbreak, they should avoid buying or eating all romaine lettuce from the Salinas, California growing region until more information is available. This is an echo of the same advice from the CDC last April, when another, deadly E. coli O157:H7 outbreak was linked to romaine. The advice in 2018 was to avoid all romaine lettuce until officials found the source. This newest outbreak is growing by leaps and bounds. Now 40 people in 16 states are sick. That's an increase of 23 more patients and 8 more states in just the last two days. Twenty-eight people have been hospitalized, which is a very high percentage of cases. Five people have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which is a … [Read more...]
