Resort at center of #MoChunk outbreak pays ill guests

Posted on March 1, 2016 by Ben Chapman

The return on investment for food safety is tough to quantify. Not having an outbreak doesn’t result in increased sales or better brand penetration. Having an outbreak is bad news. Not only does a business often close while the problem is addressed and the brand or reputation takes a hit but there’s usually a settlement with patrons or guests.

Like the hundreds of guests of Mohonk Mountain House in 2014 who got norovirus along with their views of the Catskills. Patrons went to Twitter and talked about their experiences using the hashtag #MoChunk.

According to the Poughkeepsie Journal the resort is settling a class action suit for $875,000.

The lawsuit was filed in February 2014 when class representatives of the lawsuit Louis Bellotti and Anna Marie Bellotti of New Jersey, “acting on behalf of themselves and those similar situated,” brought the lawsuit against Mohonk Mountain House, according to the notice. The Bellottis were two of the many stricken by the norovirus, which according to the notice, led to “nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and/or abdominal pain” as well as lethargy, weakness, muscle aches, headaches and fever.

According to the class action notice, subject to upcoming court approval, the Mohonk Mountain House has agreed to a settlement fund of $875,000 to resolve this litigation. Of that amount, $290,868 will be paid out of the settlement for “costs and expenses related to the suit.” Plaintiffs Bellotti and Bellotti will “apply to the court” to receive $10,000 each, with the remaining funds being distributed to class members who participate in the settlement.

In the 12-page lawsuit filed in state Supreme Court, attorney Donald W. Boyajian of Albany claimed gross negligence, stating that Mohonk knew the norovirus was present and failed to warn visiting guests who stayed at the resort between late January and early February of that year.

It’s expensive to barf

Posted on February 29, 2016 by Douglas Powell

Objectives

To estimate the annual cost to patients, the health service and society of infectious intestinal disease (IID) from Campylobacter, norovirus and rotavirus.

Design

Secondary data analysis.

Setting

The United Kingdom population, 2008–9.

Main outcome measures

Cases and frequency of health services usage due to these three pathogens; associated healthcare costs; direct, out-of-pocket expenses; indirect costs to patients and caregivers.

Results

The median estimated costs to patients and the health service at 2008–9 prices were: Campylobacter £50 million (95% CI: £33m–£75m), norovirus £81 million (95% CI: £63m–£106m), rotavirus £25m (95% CI: £18m–£35m). The costs per case were approximately £30 for norovirus and rotavirus, and £85 for Campylobacter. This was mostly borne by patients and caregivers through lost income or out-of-pocket expenditure. The cost of Campylobacter-related Guillain-Barré syndrome hospitalisation was £1.26 million (95% CI: £0.4m–£4.2m).

Conclusions

Norovirus causes greater economic burden than Campylobacter and rotavirus combined. Efforts to control IID must prioritise norovirus. For Campylobacter, estimated costs should be considered in the context of expenditure to control this pathogen in agriculture, food production and retail. Our estimates, prior to routine rotavirus immunisation in the UK, provide a baseline vaccine cost-effectiveness analyses.

Economic cost of Campylobacter, Norovirus and Rotavirus disease in the United Kingdom

PLoS ONE 11(2): e0138526. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0138526

Clarence C Tam and Sarah J O’Brien

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0138526

Got Norovirus in UK? ‘Play computer games at home’

Posted on February 28, 2016 by Douglas Powell

A tweet from the NHS which appears to be advising Norovirus sufferers to play computer games until they have recovered has been posted online.

The missive, which was sent on Wednesday evening by NHS England, tells anyone who is ill with suspected norovirus that their GP can’t treat them, and advises alternatives to treat themselves as part of an ‘essential kit’.

The instructions read: “Stay hydrated… Take paracetamol… Prevent spread… Stay at Home for two days after symptoms clear.”

The console, which looks similar to a Nintendo DS, is not mentioned in the text, but its intimation seems to be that those recovering from the severe stomach bug should play computer games until they are better.

Surveys still suck but this involves Chipotle, so it’s fun (for me)

Posted on February 28, 2016 by Douglas Powell

The Daily Meal asked the public what impact, if any, the six-foodborne-illness-outbreaks-in-six months has had on the number of times they dine at Chipotle.Dan Myers writes 450 people responded, and here are the results:

I’ve never eaten at Chipotle, and I’m not about to start now: 5.9%

I’ve cut back on dining there, but haven’t completely stopped: 6.8%

I held off during the outbreak, but will start eating there again now that it’s over: 13.8%

It didn’t affect my Chipotle addiction at all: 21.8%

I’ve stopped dining there completely: 46.5%

Nearly half of all respondents have sworn off Chipotle completely, while only a relatively small percentage is planning on returning at all! At the other end of the spectrum, however, more than 20 percent of respondents remained loyal throughout the outbreak, food poisoning risk be damned. These loyalists weren’t enough to fend off a major drop in sales, however.

Chipotle has spent millions of dollars trying to woo customers back, and will continue to spend more, and the chain is confident that this plan will work. But if nearly half of its customer base swears the chain off for good, can it ever really recover?

Bring us your poop; Michigan researcher wants students noro isolates

Posted on February 26, 2016 by Ben Chapman

Outbreaks can be a source of inspiration for research. Even while there are still folks getting sick.

A decade ago we observed hand hygiene practices during an outbreak at the University of Guelph. stool

According to the Detroit Free Press, University of Michigan microbiologist Christiane Wobus is hoping to find noro isolates from multiple students ill with the pathogen from a current outbreak.

Scientists at the University of Michigan have recently become approved to collect samples to study norovirus – a nasty bug that spreads fast, just ask the more than 100 students at U-M struck with it earlier this month. It’s hard to grow the norovirus in the lab, so scientists are looking for stool samples from people who currently have norovirus or have had it in the past three days.

They want you to collect the sample in a closable plastic container and drop it off. “We’ll test your fecal sample in our lab for the presence of norovirus,” the study description says. “If positive, we will use your sample as a source of norovirus in basic science studies. If negative, your sample will be destroyed. Thus, the fecal sample will be stored in the laboratory without identifying information for future research indefinitely or until used up.”

In related news, students at a couple of Charlotte schools are suspected to have norovirus, and one of those schools will close tomorrow for thorough cleaning/sanitizing.

“We know today (Thursday), 63 students did not come to school,” Dr. Marcus Plescia, Mecklenburg County Health Director, said. “We’re assuming the majority of them are from this infection and today (Thursday) an additional seven students were sent home because they were having symptoms.”

Several dozen students at Wingate University reported symptoms including nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Officials are testing to confirm.

17 sick: Norovirus linked to Oregon oysters

Posted on February 25, 2016 by Douglas Powell

I don’t eat raw oysters.

State and local public health officials are investigating an outbreak of norovirus that sickened 17 people who ate oysters from Yaquina Bay earlier this month.

All 17 people, who were among three separate groups totaling 32 people who ate at restaurants throughout Lincoln County, have recovered. One person had been hospitalized. Those who fell ill reported having eaten the oysters between Feb. 12 and Feb. 14.

The Oregon Health Authority Public Health Division, Lincoln County Health & Human Services and the Oregon Department of Agriculture, teamed up on the investigation.

Oregon Oyster Farms Inc., of Newport says it sold the oysters to restaurants and retail stores in Oregon, to wholesalers in New York and Massachusetts, and at its on-site store. The company has issued a voluntary recall of raw, ready-to-eat shucked oysters sold in half-gallons, one-pint plastic tubs and 10-ounce plastic jars, with sell-by dates of Feb. 19 through March 8. It also is recalling product sold in mesh bags containing five dozen in-shell oysters with harvest dates of Feb. 5 through Feb. 15.

Consumers who have purchased those products from Oregon Oyster Farms Inc., are urged to discard them or return them to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 541-265-5078.

Public health officials are working with the Oregon Department of Agriculture to determine the exact source of the contamination, including investigating whether the contamination was more likely to have occurred in the oyster beds or at some point after harvesting, said Emilio DeBess, DVM, state public health veterinarian with the Public Health Division’s Acute and Communicable Disease Prevention Section.

One unopened jug of oysters collected from a restaurant tested positive for the same strain of norovirus found in stool samples from three ill persons.

DeBess said that although consuming raw oysters is popular, there is a risk involved.

Food Safety Talk 89: On a scale from 1 to 11

Posted on February 24, 2016 by Ben Chapman

Food Safety Talk, a bi-weekly podcast for food safety nerds, by food safety nerds. The podcast is hosted by Ben Chapman and barfblog contributor Don Schaffner, Extension Specialist in Food Science and Professor at Rutgers University. Every two weeks or so, Ben and Don get together virtually and talk for about an hour. They talk about what’s on their minds or in the news regarding food safety, and popular culture. They strive to be relevant, funny and informative — sometimes they succeed. You can download the audio recordings right from the website, or subscribe using iTunes.

Show notes and links so you can follow along at home:

Overland Park Norovirus mecca

Posted on February 24, 2016 by Douglas Powell

After more than 600 people were stricken by Norovirus at a suburban Kansas City dinner theatre, two separate Buffalo Wild Wings have been cited for lousy food safety.

At least 10 people who ate at the Buffalo Wild Wings Grill and Bar at 105th Street on Jan. 29 fell ill, including students from the Shawnee Mission School District.

By mid-Feb., a separate Buffalo Wild Wings in Overland Park was inspected. Among the findings: dead flies in several of the liquor bottles and employees not washing their hands after touching raw chicken. The inspector also noticed employees remove frozen raw boneless chicken wings with gloves, drop them in the fryer, take the gloves off and put new ones on without washing their hands. The company says they addressed and corrected those violations during the inspection.

Noro goes to school

Posted on February 24, 2016 by Douglas Powell

Norovirus is striking university campuses throughout the U.S.

A reported norovirus outbreak at the University of Michigan created some scheduling rearrangements for the 2016 Big Ten Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships, according to a report by Swimming World Magazine.

In 2010, the NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships were postponed a day to allow decontamination of the pool at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion in Columbus, Ohio after a similar norovirus outbreak.

The cause of a stomach illness that swept through Ursinus College in Pennsylvania over the past week has been identified.

School officials say Norovirus has been confirmed with at least 214 students, faculty and staff reporting symptoms — almost 13 per cent of current enrollment.

And a mystery illness hit a Kansas City volleyball team while they were visiting Omaha to attend a tournament.

For months the team, Club North, prepared for a huge tournament at the Century Link. It’s an opportunity to play in front of college recruiters and stand out as a top player, but for some girls on the team, this past weekend was a nightmare.

Stacey McBride said her daughter and three other girls became violently ill on Monday.

“How four healthy girls get sickened and incubated at the very same time where they all got up at 4 o’clock in the morning violent vomiting. I’d like to know, how did that happen?” said McBride. “They were crippled down on the floor. They didn’t think that they could play without throwing up so there was no reason to play.”

Over 100 sick from French oysters: Norovirus outbreak in Denmark and Sweden

Posted on February 17, 2016 by Douglas Powell

I don’t eat raw oysters, I don’t eat much of raw anything.

Norovirus in oysters from France has sickened more than 100 people in Denmark and Sweden.

Livsmedelsverket (The National Food Agency, Sweden) said there was a number of different outbreak clusters in early February in which a total of 70 people were suspected to be ill.

Fødevarestyrelsen (The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration) said there had many different notifications, some from restaurants, in which around 60 people has been sickened.

Both countries posted notifications via the RASFF portal.

A spokesman from Livsmedelsverket said there was a link to one wholesaler in Sweden which has received two batches of oysters from a company in France

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Category Archives: Norovirus