Yearly Archives: 2015

Raw eggs in any menu items? Ritzy Melbourne hotel kitchen under focus in Salmonella outbreak

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Cockroach infestation, mice and multiple failed food safety inspections ard reportedly other disasters to have hit the prestigious Langham Hotel in Melbourne over a year before a massive salmonella outbreak.

langham.tea.salmThe Herald Sun reports that senior chefs had regularly been summoned to meetings in January and February of last year to combat health and safety issues and improve standards.

‘The kitchen almost got shut down a couple of times,’ the source said.

‘Melbourne City Council had been in there a bunch of times and fined them. There were cockroaches, mice, and all sorts of vermin that should not have been anywhere near a kitchen.’

The information comes after a pregnant woman, who did not want to be named, told the Herald Sun how she nearly lost her unborn child after suffering food poisoning from her baby shower at a prestigious Melbourne hotel.

The angry mother said that there are still serious concerns for the health of her premature baby boy who had breathing issues when he was born.

A hotel spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia food samples had been frozen in line with hotel guidelines, which have now been provided to investigators.

‘This has never happened before and now we’re cooperating with the Department of Health and Human Services, and providing details of preparation logs and samples,’ she said.

‘As the safety and well-being of the guests and colleagues are of the highest priority, the hotel has extensive protocols in place to ensure food safety.’

Raw eggs again: 16 stricken with Salmonella in Seattle

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JoNel Aleccia of The Seattle Times reports that as many as 16 people were likely sickened with salmonella poisoning from raw eggs used in Father’s Day weekend brunch dishes served at Tallulah’s restaurant in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, health officials said Wednesday.

Tallulah’sVictims in the June 21 outbreak ranged in ages from 4 to 71, officials with Public Health — Seattle & King County said. There were nine confirmed cases and seven probable cases of infection, including one person who was hospitalized.

The infections were traced to crab and ham eggs Benedict dishes, which typically include a sauce made from raw eggs. Managers at the restaurant at 550 19th Ave. E reported the problem to health officials after receiving complaints from customers. Restaurant staff have been cooperative with the environmental health and epidemiologic investigation, officials said.

An investigation of the egg supplier and distributor conducted by the Washington State Department of Agriculture revealed no violation of regulations regarding temperature control, storage or handling, officials said. The producer reported no recent positive tests for salmonella bacteria, although they don’t routinely test raw shell eggs.

The restaurant menu was appropriately labeled to note that dishes made with raw or undercooked foods could result in foodborne illness.

 

Raw remains risky: Osamu Corporation voluntarily recalls frozen yellow fin tuna chunk meat due to possible health risk

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Osamu Corporation of Gardena, CA is recalling Frozen Yellow Fin Tuna Chunk Meat (Lot #68568) sold to AFC Corporation of Rancho Dominquez, CA sourced from one processing plant in Indonesia.

tuna.sushi.raw.jul.15Investigators with the Minnesota Department of Health found samples of this product from one retail location in Minnesota to be contaminated with Salmonella.

There have been two reports of illness to date associated with exposure to AFC sushi in Minnesota.

The Frozen Tuna Yellow Fin Chunk Meat (Lot #68568) was shipped to AFC from 05/20/15 to 05/26/15. AFC has removed the product from the marketplace and is destroying any remaining product it has.

AFC has sushi franchises nationwide in many different grocery stores and it is sold from sushi counters.

Consumers concerned about whether the sushi they purchased may contain the recalled tuna product should check with the store where they purchased the sushi. That store will be able to determine if it used the recalled product to prepare the sushi. At this time Osamu does not believe that the recalled product or sushi made with the recalled product is available for purchase by consumers.

2 sick from crypto linked to raw milk in Tenn

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The Tennessee Department of Health is investigating multiple cases of residents who fell ill from consuming raw milk.

colbert.raw.milkThe health department launched the investigation after confirming two Chattanooga-area cases of cryptosporidiosis, a gastrointestinal disease from a parasite that lurks in contaminated water or unpasteurized milk. Both cases are linked to a dairy cow share program, which the state legalized in 2009, allowing greater access to raw milk.

“Consuming raw milk in the belief it’s healthier than pasteurized milk is a perilous risk that shakes off the possibility of a range of serious and occasionally fatal illnesses for the individuals and anyone they share it with,” John Dreyzehne, TDH commissioner, said in a news release. “Our best choice for healthy, nutritious milk is the pasteurized kind. Even if one believes there are health benefits, an upside, is it worth gambling on the downside risk of a serious illness, especially in a child?”

Since the state legalized cow share programs, reports have increased of disease and outbreaks linked to raw milk consumption. In 2013, nine Tennessee children became extremely sick with E. coli after drinking raw milk. Five of those required hospitalization and three developed severe, life-threatening kidney problems.

Look at raw egg dishes: 44 now sick from Salmonella at fancy Melbourne hotel

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A 29-year-old expectant mother almost lost her baby after becoming seriously ill with Salmonella poisoning after a luxury high tea baby shower at the Langham Hotel in Melbourne.

langham.tea.salmA day after her July 12 baby shower at the Langham Hotel, the 29-year-old had to be taken to hospital.

Her condition deteriorated, and doctors were forced to deliver her baby five weeks premature.

“If I hadn’t gone into hospital on Monday my baby could have been dead by Tuesday,” she told the Herald Sun.

The newborn has suffered breathing problems following his traumatic birth and spent time in an oxygen chamber, and has also been receiving regular antibiotic injections.

It is hoped he will be discharged in good health in the next fortnight.

His mother has been unable to touch him while she remained ill, and contagious. She was due to be discharged from hospital last night.

“I’m really angry because it was the Langham. I didn’t have my baby shower at a back-alley Springvale kebab shop. I’ve had a baby and he is hopefully going to be fine, but this has been the worst week of my life,” she said.

The toll from the salmonella outbreak rose to 44 on Tuesday.

Samples of gourmet chicken sandwiches, mayonnaise and salads that were served to at least 77 guests at the Langham high teas were being forensically examined for a cause.

langham-comp-240pVictoria’s acting chief health officer, Professor ­Michael Ackland, said it could be several weeks before he was able to pinpoint the exact cause of the high tea outbreak.

“There were things like chicken sandwiches and foods with mayonnaise preparations, and various other foods you typically see in a smorgasbord setting, such as salads. (But) it is just not possible for me to point at any one food at the moment,” Prof Ackland said.

Melbourne woman Tanya LaManna was one of several members of her family who ate at the Langham on that weekend and fell ill.

She spent six days in hospital after recording a 41C temperature.

“It was quite scary, actually, very scary,” husband Greg LaManna told 3AW radio.

“We didn’t know what was going on.”

Ms LaManna is recovering at home and only started eating two days ago, he said.

The investigation will initially focus on egg, chicken and mayonnaise-containing foods – usual suspects for salmonella – on the menu that weekend.

Clear as mud: Australia hep A outbreak sparks labeling changes but isn’t food safety

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Green and gold kangaroo labels will show consumers how much of their food contains local ingredients and whether it was made in Australia, but the changes have been criticised by a consumer advocate for not requiring the origin of non-local ingredients.

MadeInAus_729pxThe new labelling system, which is expected to make food slightly more expensive, followed demands for clearer information on the origin of food products following an outbreak of hepatitis A caused by frozen berries imported from China earlier this year. 

Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce unveiled the new food labels on Tuesday, saying some businesses would start using them on a voluntary basis before the end of the year.

“If a product has got the green and gold kangaroo triangle, it is made or processed in Australia,” Mr Abbott said. “If the product has the gold bar, the product is Australian.”

The gold bar will display the proportion of local ingredients used in the food product.

From next year, Australian manufacturers will be required to carry the labels, which, are the result of a four-month senate inquiry into country-of-origin food labelling laws. The review was called after 28 people were infected with hepatitis A from frozen berries imported from China in February.

Asked how the labels would help prevent similar future outbreaks, Mr Abbott was quick to distinguish the labels from food safety standards. “Different people might have different views about where you are most likely to be confident in the quality of your food. 

“But they are two separate issues. We are dealing with one. Obviously it is up to the various levels of government to deal with the other.”

Tom Godfrey, a spokesman for consumer group Choice, said manufacturers should make it clear where all their ingredients are sourced from “and take on board the option to list the main ingredients of their products”.

 

Durham County health department looking at mobile vendors

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Some of my favorite people are environmental health specialists. Between routine, unscheduled inspections of restaurants and institutions, many spend time working with individuals and small businesses to ensure that they make and sell food safely – and legally. According to WUNC.org, Durham County (NC) environmental health folks are looking to mobile vendors to ensure that they are inspected and are following food safety rules.

The Durham County Department of Public Health wants consumers to know if food from mobile food vendors is coming from somebody who has a permit to sell it.

Environmental Health Director Christopher Salter said the department is also working to inform vendors of food safety regulations, which bar home food prep and selling from a stand without a permit.

Salter said there are 126 mobile food units acting legally in the county. They are heavily scrutinized for healthy food preparation and storage practices. Salter said these vendors not only pose a health risk, but they undercut the businesses of food vendors who follow the legal channels.

“I know that they’re just trying to make a living, they’re trying to get by,” Salter said. “But we have the rules and regulations and what’s right and wrong, and bottom line is we have to protect the public health.”

And it’s not just the mobile vendors, as I peruse my Facebook feed and the Wake Forest Community Information page, there’s food that folks are selling out of their homes. Like cupcakes and pesto.

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3 kids sick: E. coli outbreak linked to North Dakota fair

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Three children sickened in a recent E. coli outbreak in eastern North Dakota reported attending the Red River Valley Fair earlier this month, prompting state health officials to investigate whether animals there were the source of the infection.

red.riverOfficials said Monday it’s still early in the investigation, but they’re asking anyone who attended the fair, which ran from July 7 to 13, and developed diarrhea or bloody diarrhea for more than 24 hours within 10 days of the fair, to contact them.

The shiga toxin-producing infection from Escherischia coli, or STEC infection, can cause nausea, cramping, diarrhea, vomiting and bloody diarrhea, symptoms that can be severe enough to require hospitalization.

One of the children has developed a complication from the infection which can affect red blood cells and cause kidney damage and kidney failure, said Michelle Feist, a state epidemiologist with the Division of Disease Control.

“Although the cases reported having contact with animals at the fair, we are looking into other possible exposures as well,” said Feist.

Red River Valley Fair General Manager Bryan Schulz expressed shock at the announcement, saying he’d heard no details from health officials other than a call early Monday inquiring from where the fair’s animals had come.

“We haven’t had a petting zoo for three years,” Schulz said. “I’m not sure where they’re getting this from.”

Schulz said while fair officials have been moving away from having petting zoos precisely because of concerns over E.coli, people at the fair could have reached through cage bars in the rabbit display area or petted baby pigs held by workers in the Ag Education Center.

 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.

 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.

 Erdozain G, Kukanich K, Chapman B, Powell D. 2012. Observation of public health risk behaviours, risk communication and hand hygiene at Kansas and Missouri petting zoos – 2010-2011. Zoonoses Public Health. 2012 Jul 30. doi: 10.1111/j.1863-2378.2012.01531.x. [Epub ahead of print]

Observation of public health risk behaviors, risk communication and hand hygiene at Kansas and Missouri petting zoos – 2010-2011Outbreaks of human illness have been linked to visiting settings with animal contact throughout developed countries. This paper details an observational study of hand hygiene tool availability and recommendations; frequency of risky behavior; and, handwashing attempts by visitors in Kansas (9) and Missouri (4), U.S., petting zoos. Handwashing signs and hand hygiene stations were available at the exit of animal-contact areas in 10/13 and 8/13 petting zoos respectively. Risky behaviors were observed being performed at all petting zoos by at least one visitor. Frequently observed behaviors were: children (10/13 petting zoos) and adults (9/13 petting zoos) touching hands to face within animal-contact areas; animals licking children’s and adults’ hands (7/13 and 4/13 petting zoos, respectively); and children and adults drinking within animal-contact areas (5/13 petting zoos each). Of 574 visitors observed for hand hygiene when exiting animal-contact areas, 37% (n=214) of individuals attempted some type of hand hygiene, with male adults, female adults, and children attempting at similar rates (32%, 40%, and 37% respectively). Visitors were 4.8x more likely to wash their hands when a staff member was present within or at the exit to the animal-contact area (136/231, 59%) than when no staff member was present (78/343, 23%; p<0.001, OR=4.863, 95% C.I.=3.380-6.998). Visitors at zoos with a fence as a partial barrier to human-animal contact were 2.3x more likely to wash their hands (188/460, 40.9%) than visitors allowed to enter the animals’ yard for contact (26/114, 22.8%; p<0.001, OR= 2.339, 95% CI= 1.454-3.763). Inconsistencies existed in tool availability, signage, and supervision of animal-contact. Risk communication was poor, with few petting zoos outlining risks associated with animal-contact, or providing recommendations for precautions to be taken to reduce these risks.

Salmonella and campy happen in France too

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In 2007, Amy and I spent a few weeks in France, and being the food safety nerd, I was struck by the indifference many of the people I met showed to foodborne illness.

DSC00006.JPGIt seemed to be a point-of-pride amongst the locals to not report foodborne illness.

I’m familiar with the French desire for food to be alive, sexy, and part of a life well-lived, but also saw a lot of people going to McDonald’s.

We stayed for a week at a friend’s cottage in a small town in the south, and we would visit the butcher, who cross-contaminated everything.

We had dinner at a neighbor’s place one night and he confessed, that butcher, “he made me so sick with his chicken.”

And when I got home, someone told me my don’t eat poop story made it onto Letterman, while Amy developed the look.

Researchers report that community incidence estimates are necessary to assess the burden and impact of infections on health and to set priorities for surveillance, research, prevention, and control strategies.

letterman2The current study was performed to estimate the community incidence of campylobacteriosis and nontyphoidal salmonellosis in France from the number of laboratory-confirmed cases reported to the national reference center (NRC). The probabilities of a case in the community visiting a doctor, having a stool sample requested, having a positive laboratory test, and having the case reported to the NRC were estimated using data of national surveillance systems, national hospitalization and health insurance databases, and specific surveys informing about these parameters. Credible intervals (CrI) were calculated using Monte Carlo simulation. In addition, we estimated the number of hospitalizations for both infections in France.

The annual community incidence rate in France is estimated at 842 cases per 100,000 (90%CrI 525–1690) for campylobacteriosis and 307 cases per 100,000 (90%CrI 173–611) for salmonellosis. The annual number of hospitalizations is estimated at 5182 for campylobacteriosis and 4305 for salmonellosis. The multiplication factors between cases ascertained by the surveillance system and cases in the community were 115 for campylobacteriosis and 20 for salmonellosis.

amy.the.look.2007They are consistent with estimates reported in other countries, indicating a high community incidence of campylobacteriosis and salmonellosis in France.

Community incidence of campylobacteriosis and nontyphoidal salmonellosis, France, 2008–2013

Foodborne Pathogens and Disease. 2015 ahead of print. doi:10.1089/fpd.2015.1964.

Van Cauteren Dieter, De Valk Henriette, Sommen Cecile, King Lisa A., Jourdan-Da Silva Nathalie, Weill François-Xavier, Le Hello Simon, Mégraud Francis, Vaillant Veronique, and Desenclos Jean C.

http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/fpd.2015.1964

 

Public health infrastructure: Quarter of Listeria cases in Texas not tracked or recorded

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Roughly one-fourth of Texas cases involving Listeria, which contaminated Blue Bell ice cream and forced a crippling national recall in April, are not submitted to public health officials as required by law and go untracked, a newspaper reported Sunday.

listeria4Texas is not alone: Many state health departments in the U.S. don’t receive samples in 10 to 40 percent of confirmed Listeria cases to enter into databases, which can leave regulators unable to trace an outbreak, leave deadly food on the market and help companies avoid responsibility, the Houston Chronicle reported.

The Blue Bell outbreak could have been identified sooner had Listeria reporting been better around the country, said Richard Danila, assistant state epidemiologist for the Minnesota State Health Department.

“The clinical laboratory is there for the diagnosis and treatment of the patient,” said Shari Shea, director of food safety for the Association of Public Health Laboratories. “There’s not always appreciation for the way it fits into the public health system.”

At least 19 states don’t have laws requiring laboratories to submit confirmed Listeria samples, or “isolates,” to state health officials. Of those that do, Texas hovers around the middle of the pack in states missing samples in confirmed cases, according to the Council to Improve Foodborne Outbreak Response.

But despite Texas requiring laboratories to submit samples, the state has never enforced the mandate. Texas Department of State Health Services spokeswoman Carrie Williams said the agency instead prefers to work with labs and health providers to educate them and bring them into compliance.

Penalties are almost never enforced in any state, said Craig Hedberg, epidemiologist at the University of Minnesota. He said part of the reason is that public health departments depend on relationships with laboratories.