– Associated Press

WASHINGTON — An outbreak of listeria in cantaloupe is now linked to 23 deaths, making it the deadliest known outbreak of foodborne illness in the U.S. in more than 25 years.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday that 116 people have been sickened in the outbreak, including those who died. The number of deaths has now surpassed a 1998 outbreak of listeria in processed meats that was linked to 21 deaths. A 1985 listeria outbreak in Mexican-style soft cheeses killed 52 people.

The tainted Colorado cantaloupes should be off store shelves by now, as they were recalled mid-September and their shelf life is about two weeks. But the number of deaths may continue to grow, as the symptoms of listeria can take up to two months to appear.

The CDC on Wednesday confirmed two more deaths in Louisiana that the state had said it was investigating last week. Other deaths have been reported in Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming. Colorado and New Mexico reported five deaths each.

Jensen Farms in Holly, Colo., recalled the tainted cantaloupes earlier this month after they were linked to the listeria illnesses. The Food and Drug Administration, which is investigating the outbreak, has said state health officials found listeria in cantaloupes taken from Colorado grocery stores and from a victim’s home that were grown at Jensen Farms. Matching strains of the disease were found on equipment and cantaloupe samples at Jensen Farms’ packing facility in Granada, Colo.

The company has said it shipped the cantaloupes to about half the states, but added that it wasn’t sure where the cantaloupes went because they have been sold and resold. Thus, many companies may not even know whether they bought or distributed the fruit.

The FDA is still investigating the cause of the outbreak. Officials have said they were looking at the farm’s water supply and possible animal intrusions among other things to figure out the source of the problem. Listeria bacteria grow in moist, muddy conditions and often are carried by animals.

Government health officials said this was the first known outbreak of listeria in cantaloupe. Listeria generally is found in processed meats and unpasteurized milk and cheese, though there have been a growing number of outbreaks in produce.

Listeria is rare but more deadly than well-known pathogens such as salmonella and E. coli. While most healthy adults can consume listeria with no ill effects, it can kill the elderly and those with compromised immune systems. The CDC said the median age of those sickened is 78, and most ill people are over 60 years old.

It is also dangerous to pregnant women because it easily passes through to the fetus. CDC said it is also aware of one miscarriage associated with the outbreak.

Symptoms include fever and muscle aches, often with other gastrointestinal symptoms.

The CDC has reported illnesses in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Colorado has the most illnesses with 34, while Texas has reported 17, New Mexico 13 and Oklahoma 11.

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Online:

CDC on cantaloupe outbreak: http://www.cdc.gov/listeria/index.html

FDA on cantaloupe recall: http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/CORENetwork/ucm272372.htm

Center for Science and the Public Interest, “Super Safe Your Kitchen”:http://www.cspinet.org/new/pdf/safekitchen.pdf

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Find Mary Clare Jalonick on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MCJalonick

Read Full Story Here

Listeria courtesy of Wikipedia

As reported by WebMD, the recent listeria outbreak linked to contaminated cantaloupe is now the second largest outbreak of listeriosis on record.  Cases have piled up week after week, and now over 100 confirmed cases have been linked to the outbreak, including 21 deaths and a miscarriage.

Listeriosis is an extremely dangerous foodborne illness that particularly targets pregnant women, children, and the elderly. In this case, it is still unclear how the bacteria found its way onto the surface of the tainted melons, but any number of environmental sources (soil, water, animals) could be to blame.

It is unlikely that any of the affected  cantaloupe are still in stores or in consumers’ homes, as the expected shelf-life of those melons came and went weeks ago. However, symptoms can take weeks to present themselves, so additional cases could continue to  mount up.

Food handlers can do their part to prevent the spread of foodborne illness by learning, and following safe food handling principles, but even then, we often rely on the food infrastructure to provide us with clean, wholesome ingredients. Let’s hope that this outbreak runs its course soon, and remember to wash all fruits and vegetables before they are eaten.

The Utah Department of Health says dozens of people attending business conferences in Park City were confirmed to have contracted Norovirus, a sickness that causes flu-like symptoms.

Officials say people attending two separate business conferences came down with the sickness. They believe the outbreak is over, but they still want everyone to be careful and report suspected cases. Read more….

(image courtesy of CDC, poor MSPaint job courtesy of me)

Ok, norovirus, we at StateFoodSafety.com have never been fans of you and your nasty, infectious behavior, but we’ve mostly kept our polite distance. But now? Now you’ve crossed a line that can’t be uncrossed.

Last weekend, one of our own was slammed by a norovirus outbreak while on vacation in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  He and 27 (!) members of his extended family were incapacitated by this nasty foodborne virus at a family reunion. Severe abdominal cramps, fever, vomiting, and diarrhea spread through the family, leaving incapacitated bodies in its wake. “People were lying all over the floor,” he tells us, “We had to puke in tupperware containers because the bathrooms were constantly being used.”

It looks like he and his family weren’t your only victims, as the Jackson Hole Daily reports:

An individual who became ill June 23 reported it to public health, Response Coordinator Tammy Marshall said. A physician reported another several cases of gastroenteritis the next day, prompting an investigation.

On June 29, public health received confirmation that the clusters of illness were norovirus. Marshall hesitated to offer a specific number of cases, since many of them were not officially reported. “Widespread activity” is happening in Jackson, Teton Village and the neighboring national parks, she said.

“It’s kind of known as the summer diarrhea,” she said. “I do believe activity this summer is higher.”

Norovirus, we’re putting you on notice! We won’t rest until every food service worker knows and follows proper hand-washing procedures! We won’t stop fighting until every manager knows to exclude food workers demonstrating symptoms of a norovirus infection! We won’t let you rampage through the gastrointestinal tracts of our loved ones with impunity! This. Means. War.

The U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) has successfully identified the culprit in a recent multi-state outbreak of typhoid fever:  sapote fruit.  Called “mamey” fruit in the U.S., the grapefruit-size Sapote is grown commonly in Mexico and has a sweet, juicy pulp commonly used in ice creams and milkshakes.  The CDC became involved when local health departments in California and Nevada began reporting consumers infected with typhoid fever.  About 400 Americans become ill with typhoid fever annually, most while traveling in South America.  This scenario was strange because the infected persons had not been outside the United States when they contracted the disease.

CDC officials report that frozen sapote fruit pulp, used in milkshakes consumed by every person involved in the outbreak, was infected with Salmonella Typhi–more commonly known as typhoid fever.  The distributor, Goya Foods, Inc., has recalled its 14oz bags of Sapote (mamey) Fruit Pulp which were distributed in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Washington.   Unfortunately (and curiously) additional information is not available on the distributor’s website.