The FDA has identified a Hepatitis A outbreak linked to strawberries and a Salmonella outbreak linked to peanut butter. However, two Listeria outbreaks and an E. coli outbreak links remain elusive. And, the dry cereal outbreak, well, that one is a mystery.
Hepatitis A
No new numbers, yet, in Salmonella Peanut Butter and Hepatitis A Strawberry Outbreak
Salmonella Peanut Butter
Total Illnesses: 16
Hospitalizations: 2
Last Illness Onset: May 1, 2022
States with Cases: Arkansas (1), Georgia (2), Illinois (1), Massachusetts (1), Missouri (2), Ohio (1), North Carolina (2), New York (1), South Carolina (1), Texas (2), Virginia (1), Washington (1).
The FDA, along with CDC and state and local partners, are…
The Seven Deadly Food Poisoning Outbreaks
Not to be confused with the Seven Deadly Sins: pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath and sloth, although, perhaps some of these outbreaks were sinful. I had the honor to represent many of the ill and the families of those who died.
Jack-in-the- Box E. coli Outbreak – 1992 – 1993
708 ill, 171 hospitalized …
GMA – Grocery Manufacturers Association Speech in Austin Texas
I have the honor to co-present with defense counsel, Alan M Maxwell, at this week’s GMA Litigation Conference in Austin, Texas – (click on image below) – I am also going to hand out Food Safety News thermometers.
Chuy’s Mesquite Broiler Implicated in Hepatitis A Scare – Vaccine Shots to be Available After Shortage
According to the Kern Faculty Medical Group, they expect to have enough hepatitis A vaccine shots after supplies temporarily ran out Saturday. The medical group had given about 90 vaccine shots Saturday morning before supplies ran out, said Dr. Mansukh Ghadiya with the clinic. Public health officials made arrangements with Kern Faculty Medical Group for…
TOXIC TACOS: A microbial combination plate
When Taco Bell offered free tacos for every American during baseball’s World Series last month, all I could do was hold my head and mutter something like: "Hasta luego, Amigos!"
The very idea of doling out fast-food tacos to millions of baseball fans should ring like a casino jackpot jingle in the corridors of a…
Hepatitis A in East Tennessee: Attorneys urge public to receive vaccination to prevent hepatitis A infection
Two East Tennessee counties, Campbell and Scott, have reported an increased incidence of hepatitis A cases for the second time this year. The East Tennessee Regional Health Department has confirmed eight cases of hepatitis A since June 25, and the Health Department is working to determine the source of a potential outbreak. In April, 2005,…
Foodborne Illness
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that each year 76 million – or one out of every four – Americans are sickened as a result of consuming contaminated foods or beverages. Some become seriously ill; 325,000 require hospitalization and 5,000 die. Older adults, young children, and those who have weakened immune systems are particularly vulnerable.
More than 250 different foodborne diseases have been identified. Most of these diseases are infections caused by a variety of bacteria, viruses, and parasites.
Foods that are contaminated with poisonous chemicals or harmful substances can also cause illness. Symptoms of foodborne illness vary by disease but the most common are nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea.Continue Reading Foodborne Illness
Chi-Chi’s to Pay $800K for Hepatitis Shots
As the AP has reported, the bankrupt Chi-Chi’s Inc. and its subsidiaries have tentatively agreed to pay $800,000 to compensate nearly 9,500 people who got inoculated because of a hepatitis outbreak linked to a western Pennsylvania restaurant.
The Associated Press obtained a copy of the class action settlement agreement, which must still be filed in…
Call for Hepatitis A Vaccinations for all Foodservice Workers
In the last two weeks 1,200 High School and Elementary School students from Stockton, California, 5,000 patrons of a Clinton, Tennessee Waffle House, and thousands who ate a Norfolk, Virgina Soul Food Restaurant all have something in common – all are being urged to get Immune Globulin (Ig) shots to prevent the infection and further spread of hepatitis A after being exposed to a hepatitis A infected foodservice worker.
It seems that hardly a month passes without a warning from a health department somewhere that an infected food handler is the source of yet another potential hepatitis A outbreak. Absent vaccinations of food handlers, combined with an effective and rigorous hand washing policy, there will continue to be more hepatitis A outbreaks. It is time for health departments across the country to require vaccinations of foodservice workers, especially those that serve the very young and the elderly.Continue Reading Call for Hepatitis A Vaccinations for all Foodservice Workers