Salmonella Blog - Surveillance & analysis on salmonella news & outbreaks

The chief medical officer of the Volgograd region in southern Russia, where 120 pupils were hospitalized over the weekend with symptoms of acute gastroenteritis, said Monday that the children might have contracted salmonella.

Alexander Zlepko said, "The symptoms and the results of preliminary analysis cause me to believe that the children contracted salmonella, although we will get the final results Tuesday."

A total of 120 students and a teacher at a secondary school in Volgograd were hospitalized with symptoms of acute gastroenteritis.

A hospital official said all of the patients had felt bad after lunch in a school dining hall but were now in "satisfactory" condition.

Local prosecutors are investigating the incident.
 

The Mercury reports Hobart has been hit by an outbreak of potentially deadly salmonella poisoning. Nine people contracted the infection, three of whom were treated at hospital.

The case follows Tasmania's worst salmonella outbreak earlier this month at Launceston.

A Health department spokesman, Adrian Lacey, said the outbreak was being investigated.

"A cluster of nine salmonella cases in the Hobart area believed to have been contracted about a week ago is currently under investigation by the public and environmental health service," he said. “There is no link between this cluster and consumption of goods from the Launceston bakery outbreak."
 

If you believe you have been sickened by a restaurant meal, health authorities advise alerting the establishment and calling the health department of the county where the restaurant is located; see accompaying phone numbers.

Most common illnesses are Salmonella, staphylococcus, campylobacter, and E. coli 0157:H7.

To file a report, Jane Fletcher of the San Francisco Chronicical suggests having the following information on hand to quicken the process:

• Restaurant name and location
• Date and time of your visit
• A list of things you ate at the restaurant
• When you began to feel ill and which symptoms came first
• A 24- to 48-hour history of all the food you've eaten, and where
• Names of people in your party, the foods they ate, and whether they were sick or not
   

Europeans should avoid eating raw eggs and cook chicken carefully to cut down any risk of contracting bird flu, according to an advisory note expected on Wednesday from the European food safety authority.

The precautionary warning comes as the European poultry industry struggles to contain a sharp decline in sales because of consumers' concerns about the spreading bird flu. In Italy chicken consumption fell about 40 per cent last month and Italian farmers held demonstrations to reassure the public about eating chicken.

The Parma-based food safety agency, responsible for providing scientific advice on food in the European Union, says proper cooking should prevent the disease from entering the human food chain. However, it also recognizes that the current scientific evidence is not sufficient to rule out the possibility that the deadly virus could spread to people through food.

The disease has hit primarily Asia, where it has decimated poultry stocks and killed more than 60 people. But following a recent outbreak in Turkey, it has been gradually spreading across Europe. The EU is introducing a ban on imports of captive wild birds after a parrot died of the H5N1 strain while in quarantine in the UK.

On Tuesday, France joined Germany and a handful of other European countries in imposing new curbs on farmers and ordering that poultry be kept indoors in the 21 French regions considered most at risk.
 

In a recent survey conducted by TNS Worldwide and National Pasteurized Eggs, 72 percent of Americans said they are aware that eating raw cookie dough made with eggs can cause illness. Likewise, many are shying away from preparing and eating foods that call for undercooked or raw eggs. Many of these are holiday specialties, ethnic family dishes, and nostalgic favorites passed down through generations.

The good news is that pasteurized shell eggs are safe for just such dishes since they are completely free of disease-causing bacteria and can be beaten, scrambled, fried, poached, coddled, whipped, and used in any preparation just like a regular shell egg, but without the risks of salmonella infection or cross contamination in the kitchen. Davidson's Pasteurized Shell Eggs, produced by National Pasteurized Eggs, are the only eggs to undergo an all natural, patented pasteurization process which destroys all harmful bacteria, including Salmonella enteritidis. Once limited to specialty stores and on-line ordering, eggs pasteurized in the shell are now available in supermarkets and specialty stores in 30 states.
 

Dr. Rob Donofrio, director of microbiology and molecular biology for the National Safety Foundation in Ann Arbour, Michigan was cited as saying that items such as food trays, headphones, keyboards, animal cages and water spigots may be typical in a school, but they also harbour millions of bacterial germs just waiting to come home with your child each and every day.

Donofrio was quoted as saying, "We found toilets and door handles have fewer germs because they are cleaned and disinfected most often. Other surfaces, such as drinking water fountains and headphones, are often overlooked and, as a result, have even more micro-organisms. Even animal cages, aquariums can create the area for pathogens such as salmonella, and most pre-school or kindergarten classes usually have some pets in the classroom."

Part of the responsibility of keeping classes virus-free is the promotion of handwashing. Graham White, spokesman for the Calgary Board of Education, says teachers take the time to ensure that children learn the habit of spending 20 seconds with soap and water to cut down the transfer of viruses and bacteria.

This procedure has also been recently endorsed by Alberta Health and Wellness. A program called It's in Your Hands was launched recently to bring greater awareness about clean hands during flu season.
 

Victims of Tasmania's worst salmonella outbreak might sue the bakeries at the center of the contamination. Two people who were infected with salmonella had inquired of Burnie lawyer Chris Barlett whether they could take legal action against the Launceston bakeries.

Bartlett said they were seeking general damages for pain and suffering as well as recovering out-of-pocket and medical expenses while they were sick.

70 salmonella cases had been reported, all traced back to products from the Sugar Shack and Trevallyn bakeries. Six people needed hospital treatment. The source of the bacteria was eventually found to be piping bags at the Trevallyn Bakery.
 

Over the past 12 months, 14 Marin restaurants and food shops required at least three follow-up inspections by county health officials after an initial, unannounced inspection, according to environmental health chief Phil Smith.

Officials often conduct a re-inspection after a routine inspection to ensure that any problems have been corrected. The first follow-up inspection is free, but if another inspection proves necessary, a fee of $100 is normally levied. If an inspector has to make a third follow-up, a fee of $300 is normally charged.

The inspections focus on "critical control points," such as minimum and maximum cooking and food storage temperature, stocked and serviceable sinks, sanitized storage to prevent contamination and no rodents, cockroaches or flies on the premises. The inspections also focus on facility maintenance, making sure no floors, walls or ceilings show any sign of deterioration or damage.

The inspection process is governed by CURFFL, or California Uniform Retail Food Facilities Law. That may change within the next few years, as a bill in the state Legislature, SB 144, proposes a major makeover of the current law. The bill is the result of a collaboration between the state's restaurant association and a statewide coalition of county environmental health departments.
 

October 14, 2005

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 14, 2005--William Marler, a nationally-known attorney who has represented the most seriously injured victims of E. coli in the United States, today called on Dole's corporate leaders "to do the right thing and immediately pay the medical bills and wage loss of those sickened with E. coli in the Dole lettuce outbreak. In many past outbreaks, corporations have stepped up and taken care of the customers they poisoned," said Marler.

To date, twenty-three people in Minnesota have been sickened with E. coli, eight have been hospitalized, and one child developed HUS -- all from eating bagged, "pre-washed" lettuce. According to the FDA, more that 245,000 bags of lettuce may be affected nationwide. An alert and recall has been launched.

A national body to control the hygienic handling of food on its journey from the farm to the table is being called for, following reports which show that agricultural commodities often fall short of food safety standards.

Songsak Srianujata, manager of the Knowledge Network Institute of Thailand's Food Safety Project, said yesterday that food contamination is still an issue due to a lack of safety awareness among both the authorities and those involved in food production and processing.

According to Songsak, contamination can take place at every step of the food chain, from the farms, where farmers still use huge amounts of chemicals, to transportation and storage processes, which are often unhygienic, right up until the processing and sales stages.

He referred to the latest research from Mahidol Univer-sity's Institute of Nutrition, which found that 90 per cent of pork available in 36 fresh markets in Bangkok and the vicinity was contaminated with salmonella bacteria, which can cause cholera. He added that the contamination could also have come from cutting boards, knives and even the hands of individuals selling the pork.

"We can assume that the contamination begins at the slaughter house where waste and pork might not be separated, or intestines might be mixed with pork in the same containers. Without guidelines, the possibility of contamination continues throughout the process until the meat is handed over to the consumers," he said.

"How can we be the world's kitchen if we still have a problem with food safety?" he added.


 

Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency are advising parents and caregivers that children should not be served unpasteurized apple juice or other unpasteurized products, such as unpasteurized cider, fruit juices and raw milk.

Unpasteurized products have the potential to be contaminated with harmful bacteria, such as salmonella and escherichia coli O157:H7, which can make vulnerable individuals such as children and the elderly, especially those under the age of six, very ill, and even lead to death.

Disease-causing organisms such as E. coli O157:H7, salmonella, cryptosporidium and viruses have been known to cause illness in people after consuming unpasteurized juice/cider.

Health Canada is considering making the labelling "unpasteurized" mandatory on unpasteurized fruit juices and cider products. Health Canada will be holding a stakeholder consultation on proposed labelling options this fall.
 

There has been another five confirmed cases of salmonella poisoning in Tasmania, bringing the total number so far to 57.

The Public and Environmental Health Service says the latest victims have not needed to go to hospital.

"The bulk of the cases are from Launceston and surrounding areas and all cases appear to be connected to the two Launceston bakeries - the Trevallyn Gourmet and the Sugar Shack," said Senior medical adviser Avner Misrachi.

The cause of the outbreak should be known in the next few days.
 

The number of people infected by a salmonella outbreak in northern Tasmania grew to 28 yesterday when another eight cases were reported to health authorities.

One person is in a serious condition and two others have needed hospital treatment after eating products from two Launceston bakeries, which have voluntarily closed since the outbreak was discovered.

Owners of the Trevallyn Bakery and the Sugar Shack Bakery are working with the Public and Environmental Health Service to identify sources of the infection.
 

A salmonella outbreak in Launceston has led to three people being admitted to hospital and two bakeries closing their doors. The outbreak has made 20 people sick and health authorities are expecting more cases in coming days.

The director of public health, Roscoe Taylor, says one of those admitted to hospital was treated in intensive care but has returned to the wards. Another patient has been discharged.

Dr Taylor says the outbreak has been traced to the Trevallyn and Sugar Shack bakeries, which sold baked goods to 26 small outlets in the Launceston area. He says people should not eat any suspect goods.

"If they're uncertain, they should ask the shop where they bought them where they obtained those bakery products, so that if they do happen to have come from the two principal bakeries, then they dispose of them," Dr Taylor said.