Monthly Archives: August 2014

13 sick with E. coli O157 linked to traveling petting zoo in Minnesota

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Today is a state holiday in Queensland (that’s in Australia) as 60,000 or so will flock to the Ekka, the equivalent of a state fair.

ekka.petting.zoo_1-300x225We’re not going.

I got enough pictures the first two years, and wisely didn’t go last year when at least 50 were sickened with E. coli O157 linked to the animal displays.

Not a word about that outbreak from health types, fair types, or anyone, except locals who say, beware the Ekka winds, and wash hands.

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH, that’s in the U.S.) has a much better history of identifying and following up on outbreaks, and reports today it has identified at least 13 people who have developed E. coli O157:H7 infections as part of an outbreak associated with Zerebko Zoo Tran traveling petting zoo. All of these cases have infections with E. coli O157:H7 bacteria that have the same DNA fingerprint. Two of these are secondary cases resulting from being exposed to one of the primary cases associated with the petting zoo.

The 13 cases range in age from 2 to 68 years, 10 (77 percent) are female, and they are residents of multiple counties. Seven (54 percent) cases have been hospitalized, including three children. Two of the cases developed a serious complication known as hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which affects kidney function. Currently, one case is hospitalized with HUS.

The petting zoo exhibited at the events listed below between July 4 and July 27, and there have been cases associated with each one:

Nashwauk 4th of July Festival (7/3-7/5): 1 case

Polk County Fair (7/9-7/13): 1 case

Rice County Fair (7/15-7/20): 7 cases (including the 2 secondary cases)

Olmsted County Fair (7/21-7/27): 3 cases

MDH is currently following up with one case regarding their potential animal exposures prior to their illness. Additional cases associated with attending the Olmsted County Fair could still be identified, as that was the most recent event where Zerebko Zoo Tran exhibited.

royal.petting.zooEnvironmental and animal fecal samples collected from Zerebko Zoo Tran yielded the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7. The owner has been cooperating in the investigation and voluntarily withheld his animals from the last two county fairs at which he was scheduled to exhibit in August.

E. coli O157:H7 is commonly found in ruminant animals such as cattle, goats, and sheep. Outbreaks associated with these animals are documented virtually every year in Minnesota. Therefore, people who contact ruminants at any venue, public or private, are at risk for infection with E. coli O157:H7 as well as a variety of other germs. People typically become ill by getting bacteria on their hands after touching the animals or contaminated surfaces, and then swallowing the germs while eating, drinking or during other hand-to-mouth activities. Contamination can be present on the fur or in the saliva of animals, in the soil where these animals are kept, or on surfaces such as fence railings of animal pens.

“These illnesses are a stark reminder that E. coli O157:H7 can be present in even the cleanest of animal operations,” said MDH State Public Health Veterinarian Dr. Joni Scheftel. Risk associated with animal contact can be reduced through the following measures:

Visitors to animal exhibits should be made aware that even healthy, well-tended animals can have germs that can make people seriously ill.

Food, drinks, and items that promote hand-to-mouth contact (for example, pacifiers) should not be brought into animal areas.

Hands should be washed with soap and water immediately after visiting the animals. Hand sanitizers are not a substitute for soap and running water but may afford some protection until soap and water are available. They do not work well against some germs and when hands are visibly soiled.

Children under 5 years, seniors, pregnant women, and people with a chronic health condition or a weak immune system are prone to serious complications from E. coli infections and should take extra care around animals. 

Best practices for planning events encouraging human-animal interactions

Zoonoses and Public Health

G. Erdozain , K. KuKanich , B. Chapman  and D. Powell

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/zph.12117/abstract?deniedAccess

Educational events encouraging human–animal interaction include the risk of zoonotic disease transmission. It is estimated that 14% of all disease in the US caused by Campylobacter spp., Cryptosporidium spp., Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157, non-O157 STECs, Listeria monocytogenes, nontyphoidal Salmonella enterica and Yersinia enterocolitica were attributable to animal contact. This article reviews best practices for organizing events where human–animal interactions are encouraged, with the objective of lowering the risk of zoonotic disease transmission.

A table of petting zoo outbreaks is available at https://barfblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Petting-Zoo-Outbreaks-Table-4-8-14.xlsx.

12 dead, 8 sick from Listeria in Denmark

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Since September last year, 12 people have died of Listeria and a further eight have been infected after consuming ‘rullepølse’ sandwich meat.

rullepølseThe food product authorities Fødevarestyrelsen suspect that the bad meat originated from Jørn A Rullepølser in Hedehusene near Copenhagen and have closed down the producer.

The 20 infected patients consist of eleven women and nine men all aged 43-89 and all hailing from various parts of Denmark, according to the national serum institute Statens Seruminstitut.

“From September 2013 until today, 20 patients have been registered suffering from listeriosis, which is an aspect of the outbreak,” Statens Seruminstitut wrote in a press release.

“Most cases have however occurred recently. In June, July, and August, 15 cases have been registered alone.”

Similar to previous cases, the 12 people who died also suffered from other serious illnesses and their deaths cannot completely be attributed to a listeria infection, Statens Seruminstitut stated.

40 sick, Norovirus suspected at UK pirate ship lake

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Public Health officials have confirmed that they suspect Norovirus is the cause of an outbreak of sickness at the River Dart Country Park.

hookmain630Over the weekend more than 40 cases were reported at the holiday park near Ashburton after holidaymakers reported similar symptoms of sickness and diarrhoea.

The pirate ship lake at the holiday park near Ashburton has been drained and closed while the source of the sickness bug is investigated.

The owners of the holiday park confirmed that 40 cases had been reported by Saturday, with five more on Sunday and one on Monday.

Samples and specimens were passed to South Hams District Council Environmental Health department. Results of tests are expected in two days’ time.

Prevention works, just not glamorous: health unit stops chicken dinner sales

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The Chatham-Kent Public Health Unit (that’s in Ontario, which is in Canada) is standing by its decision to stop chicken sales at the Wallaceburg Knights of Columbus dinner Friday night at WAMBO.

church_supperSupervisor of Environmental Health Rose Marie Arndt says it’s a matter of keeping everybody safe.

“We make sure that all special events vendors are serving safe food in Chatham-Kent,” says Arndt. “We did have an issue with one vendor and we did ask them not to serve a portion of their meal because there were some time/temperature issues with the food.”

Arndt says she believes the issue may stem from a faulty piece of equipment.

25 sick with Salmonella: investigation continues into Liverpool take-away

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Twenty five people became ill following an outbreak of Salmonella at a Merseyside take-away, it has emerged.

The Woks Cooking eatery in Richard Hesketh Drive, Westvale in Kirkby was shut down last month.

woks.cooking-300x199At that time there had been 14 laboratory confirmed cases of food poisoning in customers who had eaten food from the take-away.

Among those affected was Paula Pierce’s 24-year-old daughter Chantelle, who ended up on morphine after contracting Salmonella.

Paula, who manages the nearby Railway pub, said her daughter was still being sick.

She said: “She’s had a letter from the doctor asking her to come for more blood tests to check her kidneys haven’t been affected, she’s a diabetic.

Chantelle, a barmaid, had a steak and kidney pie and hot and sour soup from Woks Cooking on Monday, July 14.

The next day she went to the doctor and on the Wednesday of that week Chantelle’s temperature had reached 40 degrees and she was taken to hospital by ambulance, where she stayed for a week.

Fancy food ain’t safe food, Irish edition: Dead rat, cows’ feet and mold found in Ireland food businesses

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A dead rat, mouldy food and cows’ feet are among the health threats which have seen dozens of restaurants and other food businesses falling foul of health inspections this year.

townbarandgrillFormer celebrity haunt Town Bar & Grill was served with a closure order in February, after an environmental health officer found a dead rat and rodent droppings at the Kildare Street premises. Management at the glamorous restaurant – which once played host to the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Bono, Gerry Ryan and Martin Sheen – were ordered to put a proper pest-control system in place.

The order was lifted a day later, after the problem had been sorted out, but the restaurant was sold and relaunched weeks later under a different name and with new management.

But Town Bar & Grill was far from alone in being found to have serious hygiene issues. The Irish Independent has learned the disconcerting details behind many of the 47 closures of restaurants, shops and manufacturers countrywide in 2014.

Closure orders are the strongest weapon health inspectors have to tackle food safety threats. These are issued to all or part of a premises when a “grave and immediate danger to public health” is deemed likely.

The number of businesses being slapped with these enforcement orders has spiralled in the last five years, with 119 premises receiving closure orders in 2013, compared to 34 in 2009.

As the high level of closure orders continues this summer, with seven in July alone, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has repeated its warning to businesses that the legal onus is on them to make sure the food they serve and sell is safe to eat. FSAI chief executive Prof Alan Reilly said each closure order undermined consumer confidence in the industry.

Some ready-to-eat foods fail second Taipei E. coli tests

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Ready-to-eat foods are a convenient choice for people, but four out of 100 products were found to contain excessive levels of Escherichia coli bacteria, even after a retest, the Taipei City Government’s Department of Health said yesterday.

pot-stewed snacksInitial testing results showed that of the 100 ready-to-eat food products, ranging from pot-stewed snacks, cold sesame noodles and sandwiches to lunchboxes, hamburgers and rice rolls that the department purchased from convenience stores, street food stalls, hypermarkets and coffee shops in the city in May and June, 24 contained E. coli at levels exceeding the maximum permissible limit.

Brooks Tropicals recalls avocados after FDA salmonella test

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Coral Beach of The Grower writes that Brooks Tropicals LLC, Homestead, Fla., has recalled 401 boxes of fresh, green-skinned avocados because a routine random sample test by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration returned a positive result for salmonella.

avacodoOnly fruit shipped with the lot number 2610 is included in the recall, according to the Aug. 8 notice on the company’s website. No illnesses have been reported in connection to the Brooks avocados and the FDA had not posted a recall notice as of Aug. 11.

Be open: McDonald’s, Yum release supplier data after China food safety issues

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Five fast food chains including McDonald’s and Yum Brands Inc  have published details of their suppliers on their Chinese websites, following a request from Shanghai authorities after the latest food safety scare.

transparencyShanghai’s Municipal Food and Drug Administration said on Saturday that it had asked the two chains, along with Burger King, Dicos and Carl’s Jr, to publish the usually closely-guarded information as part of efforts to strengthen oversight of food suppliers. 

Food safety in the wild

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The golf course I grew up next to had raspberry bushes on a bunch of holes. My dad and I used to eat the berries while waiting to tee off. As a teenager with other priorities, I never thought about drift from the pesticides used on the course or any other risks.

I just saw the raspberries as a free mid-round snack. images-6

According to a Q&A column in the Los Angeles Times real estate section  there are some smart folks out there looking at safety and liability of landowners around consuming foraged wild edibles.

Question: Some areas of our very mature development have creeks, streams, trees and dense vegetation similar to forested areas where wild edible delicacies are usually foraged. None of these delicacies were planted by the association, and because of their unique flavors, they’re considered culinary delights. These free treats are all the more attractive because no dogs are allowed in this area and the association uses no pesticides. We hired 24-hour roaming security guards to prevent theft, but the cost was outrageous.

We have ostrich fern, or Matteuccia Struthiopteris, that stays green year round with little care and is free from disease and pests. These ferns thrive on recycled leaf mulch from our other trees, making them cost-effective landscape. Unfortunately they are also a very popular delicacy: fiddleheads. They are bright green, tightly wound curled fronds on a thick stem, prized for their high nutritional content and incomparable taste. 

The base of some of our trees have wild morel mushrooms; then there’s wild ramp, a garlic/leek vegetable combination that blankets the ground. Both are sought-after ingredients by high-end restaurants.

No homes abut these forested areas, so the public has access. To remove the wild delicacies would be labor intensive and prohibitively costly, as would fencing, which would apply only to those living outside the development. Even if possible, removing the forested areas could substantially devalue our development. Some owners want to leave things as they are, others want hands off forested areas. Even though no one’s sued the association, as a director I’m worried that a lot of things can go wrong. How should the board handle this?

Answer: A non-cookie-cutter development that is cost-effective, with exotic landscaping, can be a great benefit to the association, increasing the value of all property and aesthetic appeal of the community as a whole, while adding a dimension of interest and unique appeal. But you are right to be nervous if there is a danger of poison and liability to your development and its owners.

Associations are required to remove dangerous conditions and take reasonable steps to ensure owners and visitors (whether invited or trespassing) are warned of potential danger, especially those that are not easily visible or widely known.

A risk analysis balances costs such as insurance premiums, potential litigation and the task’s difficulty versus benefits to the community. Fortunately no one has sued yet. But for every property condition posing a threat it is the board’s duty to mitigate damages. Where a board fails to consider the best course of action and where damages could have been avoided through reasonable efforts, the association may not escape liability.