Over the next several weeks, the U. S. Senate has an historic opportunity to take a major step toward improving food safety for all Americans. That is why a coalition of public health professionals, consumer organizations and groups representing victims of foodborne illness is sending the message that it is time to "Make Our Food
Fairbank Farms E. coli O157 Outbreak: how many are really ill?
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The CDC again amended its case-count in the Fairbank Farms ground beef E. coli O157:H7 outbreak. Secondary DNA tests (surely MLVA) have helped the CDC whittle the number of cases down from 28 in 12 states on November 2, to 26 in 11 states on November 3, to 25 in 10 states today. These changing case-counts got me thinking about an important aspect of every outbreak of foodborne disease: that the number of "confirmed cases" is rarely, if ever, an accurate count of the number of actual victims in any outbreak situation.
The reality of these outbreaks (whether E. coli O157, Salmonella, or anything else) is that the number of people who are actually ill, as opposed to the number who have a stool sample that tests positive, is much bigger than the reports would indicate. In fact, one of the leading studies on the subject suggests that the number of actual victims in a given outbreak, as opposed to merely those with positive stool samples, is as much as 38 times the number of stool sample confirmed individuals.
Continue Reading Fairbank Farms E. coli O157 Outbreak: how many are really ill?
California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont report outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 Infections Associated with Beef from Fairbank Farms
Several state health departments, CDC, and the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) are investigating a multi-state outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7 infections. On October 31, 2009, FSIS issued a notice about a recall of approximately 545,699 pounds of ground beef products from Fairbank Farms that may be contaminated with
Updated list of retail stores who received E. coli O157:H7 contaminated ground beef
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The CDC did not provide any updated statistics today about the number of people sickened in the ongoing E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks linked to ground beef (still 26 illness in 11 states, with 2 deaths and 3 HUS), but the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) did update the list of retail stores who may
Revised CDC statistics on ground beef E. coli O157:H7 outbreak
The CDC reports today that there are currently only 26 illnesses in 11 states that are linked to the Fairbank Farms E. coli O157:H7 ground beef outbreak and recall. This represents a reduction in the number of cases attributed to the outbreak by two.
Here is the outbreak rundown:
On October 31, 2009, FSIS
Where is the recalled ground beef?
The latest CDC summary on the ongoing E. coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to Fairbank Farms ground beef says that there are 28 confirmed cases in 12 states. The USDA-FSIS’s latest outbreak summary, which is where you would expect to find information on the retailers who have received recalled product, seems a little slow on the uptake.
E. coli O157:H7 in ground beef . . . yet again
Recently, certain sectors have argued that the incidence of E. coli O157:H7, and other shiga-toxin producing strains of E. coli, in ground beef has dropped precipitously, and that our food safety system is, as a result, working very well. At Marler Clark, over the last several years—in fact, beginning with the infamous Dole baby spinach outbreak in
Lawsuits to be filed in E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks linked to ground beef
Tuesday morning, we will be filing lawsuits on behalf of the families of two children sickened in the ongoing, likely developing, outbreaks of E. coli O157:H7 linked to ground beef. The lawsuits will be filed in Plymouth County Superior Court for the Commonwealth of Massachussetts against Brockton, Mass.-based Crocetti-Oakdale Packing, Inc., doing business as South Shore
Ground beef E. coli outbreak stretches from coast to coast
Earlier today, the CDC posted the following update on the E. coli O157:H7 ground beef outbreak and recall on its website:
Several state health departments, CDC, and the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) are investigating a multi-state outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7 infections. On October 31, 2009, FSIS issued
Recalled ground beef distributed to Shaw’s and Price Chopper stores in 8 states
FSIS today released the identities of retail stores that may have received E. coli O157:H7-contaminated ground beef involved in the current recall by Fairbank Farm. All Shaw’s stores in Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Massachussets, and Vermont may have received contaminated meat; and all Price Chopper stores in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New York and Vermont may have received contaminated