On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that a total of 141 persons infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Typhimurium had been reported from 20 states linked to Indiana grown cantaloupe. The number of ill persons identified in each state is as follows:
Vibrio Sickens 30 in Washington State
Vibrio bacteria have closed three commercial growing areas and caused 30 confirmed illnesses in Washington this summer, according to the state Department of Health. Totten Inlet near Olympia, North Bay and Dabob Bay in north Hood Canal are closed for the rest of the summer due to these bacteria, which are common in warm weather
Past Cantaloupe Outbreaks – An Updated History Lesson
Seventeen since 1985 – Campylobacter, Norovirus, Salmonella, Listeria:
|
No. |
Year |
State(s) |
Confirmed Illnesses |
Pathogen |
Description |
|
1. |
1985 |
Wisconsin |
16 |
Campylobacter |
Melon or cantaloupe |
|
2. |
1990 |
30 states |
245 |
Salmonella |
Cut cantaloupe at salad bars |
|
3. |
1991 |
International, including U.S. |
400 |
Salmonella |
Likely Mexican cantaloupe |
|
4. |
1997 |
California |
24 |
Salmonella |
Mexican cantaloupe. |
Drakes Bay Oysters Recalled Due to Vibrio – Three Ill
California Department of Public Health (CDPH) director Dr. Ron Chapman today warned consumers not to eat shucked and in-shell raw oysters from Drakes Bay Oyster Company because they may be contaminated with Vibrio parahaemolyticus, a bacterium that can cause serious illness.
To date, three illnesses in California have been linked to the products. Drakes Bay
Foodborne Illnesses Outbreak Database – Tool for Public Health and Media
Welcome to outbreakdatabase.com, a searchable database of illness outbreaks caused by one or more of the following:
1. consumption of contaminated foods or beverages,
2. exposure to animals,
3. exposure to contaminated recreational water,
4. person-to-person contact with someone whose illness initiated from animal exposure or consumption of contaminated foods and beverages.
The database
CDC: Foodborne Pathogens Still Sickening Citizens
Campylobacter, Listeria, Salmonella, Vibrio and Cryptosporidium are up; Shigella, E. coli O157:H7 and Yersinia are down in new CDC numbers
The Washington Post’s Dina ElBoghdady must not have had a busy social calendar this Summer weekend if she was stalking the pages of FoodNet for the latest in foodborne illness trends. Her story, “Food-borne illnesses
Urine and Feces Found in Montana Courthouse Coffee Pot
According to news reports, urine was discovered in county employees morning brew at the Anaconda Court House early last month.
On June 7th, two county employees unknowingly drank the tainted coffee and are now being tested for hepatitis A, according to Connie Ternes Daniels, Anaconda-Deer Lodge interim chief executive.
To make matters worse, four days
Vibrio parahaemolyticus tainted shellfish from New York cause eight illnesses
On July 16th the Rhode Island Department of Health (HEALTH) advised food establishments to check the tags on any shellfish that they were selling to consumers or use in food preparation and to avoid using or selling any shellfish harvested from areas in the Town of Oyster Bay, N.Y. The harvesting of shellfish from that
Update – Microbiological Data Program Saved? Change.org Petition to President Obama
According to Food Safety News:
After an uptick in press coverage on the impending shutdown of the Microbiological Data Program, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has decided to keep the produce testing program running, at least through the end of the year.
As Food Safety News reported last week, if the program were to shut
Top 10 lawyers working to improve the food system
Michele Simon of Appetite for Profit fame penned the below on her blog:
I admit this post is somewhat self-serving. But I am getting weary of so many lists (like this one) celebrating heroes of the food movement that leave out an entire category of professionals that deserve a little respect. They may