17 now sick with Salmonella from Welsh laverbread outbreak

Posted on April 4, 2014 by Douglas Powell

Five new cases of Salmonella with possible links to laverbread have emerged in the past week bringing the total number to 17, said Public Health Wales.

Tests are continuing to confirm whether they are all linked to the outbreak, which has nine confirmed cases so far.

Cases have been reported across south and west Wales.

Three people have needed hospital treatment, but have been discharged.

Health officials said a study has confirmed a strong association with laverbread from Penclawdd Shellfish Processing Ltd, probably produced and distributed between 5 and 8 March.

Last week, the company voluntarily withdrew its laverbread from sale as a precaution.

Samples taken from its Swansea factory have not shown any evidence of Salmonella in either food or in the environment, said Public Health Wales.

Laverbread is the boiled and minced laver seaweed, often fried with bacon and cockles as a traditional Welsh breakfast dish. The seaweed is eaten worldwide, especially in Asia, and is often used in Japanese sushi dishes.

12 sick with Salmonella in Wales, laverbread suspected

Posted on March 26, 2014 by Douglas Powell

It may be the Welshman’s caviar, but laverbread – excessively boiled seaweed, the green goop on the breakfast plate – is suspected in a Salmonella outbreak that has so far sickened 12.

As a precaution, a local company, Penclawdd Shellfish Processing Ltd, has voluntarily withdrawn its laverbread from sale.

The product is available at a number of high street retailers and Penclawdd is the only supplier of laverbread to Tesco.

PHW is recommending that anyone who has laverbread at home that may have been produced by Penclawdd throws it away and does not eat it. Anyone who is unsure where their laverbread was produced should check with the retailer where it was purchased.

Dr Jörg Hoffmann, Consultant in Communicable Disease Control for Public Health Wales, said, “Laverbread is generally a safe product to eat, and it remains unclear whether it is indeed the source of this outbreak. However, given that we cannot rule out laverbread at present, it is very important that, to avoid the risk of illness, anyone with this product at home does not eat it.”

Failing food hygiene standards in Welsh primary schools, playgroups and after schools clubs

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Douglas Powell

Hundreds of children and elderly people are being served “substandard” food from kitchens which have failed food hygiene inspections.

Eight primary schools, three after school clubs, four playgroups, and 10 nursery and pre-schools across Wales scored just one or two on the 0-5 rating system in the last 12 months.

Elderly people have also been affected as 30 care homes, three day centres and one supported living complex were also given hygiene ratings of just one or two.

If a premises drops below a rating of three, their hygiene standards are considered inadequate.

All the inspections were carried out in the last year and are the most recent published on the FSA website – but some schools may have been re-inspected since.

Don’t poop in the pool; 20 sickened; Welsh pool reopens after cryptosporidiosis cases

Posted on October 14, 2012 by Douglas Powell

A swimming pool in Newport, Wales, where the Powell name is vaguely recognized, has reopened after 20 people were infected with cryptosporidium last month.

Newport Centre swimming pool was closed by the city council after the cases of cryptosporidium were confirmed.

The council said it was “100% satisfied everything is in order” after the pool was drained and re-grouted.

Public Health Wales (PHW) has urged swimmers to adopt better hygiene after seeing a rise in cases of the bug, which can survive chlorine in pools.

Meanwhile the BBC also reported a restaurant chain has apologized for accidentally serving whiskey to a two-year-old.

Frankie and Benny’s said on Thursday it was extremely sorry for Saturday’s incident and is looking into what systems need to be put in place to ensure that it does not happen again.

2 children sickened; E .coli O157 outbreak linked to animals in Welsh petting farm

Posted on October 11, 2012 by Douglas Powell

Investigations into an E. coli outbreak in Mid Wales which affected two children have linked the infection to animals at a local petting farm.

Public Health Wales and colleagues in three local authorities and the Health Protection Agency have been investigating the outbreak of E. coli O157 since September and found the type of infection in the patients matched examples from animals at Cantref Adventure Farm in Brecon.

Both children had visited the farm in the days before they became unwell, and both are recovering at home.

Three other people, who are family members of the infected children, have also tested positive for the same type of E.coli O157.

The farm has been advised to continue to stop direct contact between animals and members of the public while the exact source of infection is investigated.

A table of petting zoo outbreaks is available at http://bites.ksu.edu/petting-zoos-outbreaks.

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]

Outbreaks 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.

2 kids sick; E. coli O157 linked to petting farm in Wales

Posted on September 21, 2012 by Douglas Powell

These things keep happening, and we know why, but the worst is the way it affects kids and their families.

BBC News is reporting that two children from Kent who visited Cantref Adventure Farm have been sickened by E. coli O157 and are recovering at home.

Two family members of one of the infected children have also tested positive.

One is believed to have contracted the illness through contact with the child. The farm has been asked to comment.

A table of petting zoo outbreaks is available at http://bites.ksu.edu/petting-zoos-outbreaks.

Abstract below:

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.

10 sickened; crypto outbreak at UK farm ‘over’

Posted on June 3, 2012 by Douglas Powell

The British media has a microbiology problem. Anything that causes illness is routinely labeled a virus or superbug. It happens daily.

Today’s winner is South Wales Argus, which called cryptosporidium a virus, while reporting that an outbreak linked to a Welsh farm that sickened 10 people appears to be over.

Tests showed those who were ill had the same strain of the parasite, cryptosporidium, as lambs and kid goats at Greenmeadow community farm, Cwmbran.

Dr. Lika Nehaul, consultant in communicable disease control, said Public Health Wales is confident the removal of the affected animals has removed the source, and the outbreak can be declared over.

"Nine of those who were unwell were staff or volunteers who had fed the animals by hand," he said.

"Only one case was in a visitor. In the time between the kid goats and lambs arriving at the farm and the last case being confirmed, there had been almost 7,000 visitors, which will reassure the public that the risk was extremely small.”

Crypto outbreak in Welsh school kids?

Posted on May 5, 2012 by Douglas Powell

Public health officials are investigating several cases of stomach illnesses in sixth formers at a Cardiff school.

There has been one confirmed case of cryptospiriodis amongst sixth formers at The Bishop of Llandaf Church in Wales school.

Four other cases are also being looked at amongst pupils who went on a school trip over the Easter holidays.

Perhaps they went to a farm?

Four more cases of cryptosporidium on Welsh farm

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Douglas Powell

itv News reports four more people have been diagnosed with cryptosporidiosis linked to the outbreak at Greenmeadow Community farm in Cwmbran, Wales.

It brings the total number of cases to eight. All were either members of staff or volunteers who bottle fed unwell animals. The animals have now been removed from the farm.

Public Health Wales say extra control measures are in place to ensure that risks to farm visitors and staff are kept to a minimum.

Outbreak of cryptosporidium associated with Welsh farm

Posted on April 21, 2012 by Douglas Powell

Public Health Wales and Torfaen County Borough Council with the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency are investigating an outbreak of cryptosporidium associated with a farm in Cwmbran.

Four people who have worked at Greenmeadow Community Farm have tested positive for cryptosporidium, and a further 13 possible cases in staff and volunteers are under investigation.

The one adult and three teenagers who have tested positive had all bottle fed lambs and kid goats that had diarrhoea.

There have been no reported cases of illness among members of the general public who visited the farm.

Dr Lika Nehaul, Consultant in Communicable Disease Control for Public Health Wales, said:

“The farm director instigated and has fully co-operated with our investigations. Handwashing after coming into contact with farm animals is of the utmost importance in preventing infection with cryptosporidium. There is no reason for anyone to avoid visiting petting farms as long as they ensure that anyone who has touched animals thoroughly washes their hands with hot water and soap immediately afterwards.”

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