Both the FDA and the USDA have announced new outbreaks, but have provided virtually no details on the situations.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) reports that it is investigating an outbreak of infections from E. coli O157:H7, but has not reported how many people are sick.

The FSIS reports that the suspected source of the pathogen is beef, but has not revealed whether traceback efforts have begun or how beef was determined to be the likely source. 

The agency has not reported where outbreak patients reside or when they became ill. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not released any information abut the outbreak.

The Food and Drug Administration is reporting that 264 patients have been confirmed sick from Salmonella Typhimurium, but it has not reported when the patients became ill, where they live, or their ages. The agency says it has begun traceback efforts but has not revealed what food or foods or beverages are being traced. The CDC has not posted any information on the outbreak.

In other outbreak news from the FDA, the agency reports that it is continuing to investigate illnesses from E. coli O157:H7 even though the outbreak has been declared over. No source has been identified. There were 11 confirmed patients in the outbreak, which was first posted on Oct. 24. The FDA initiated traceback efforts but has not report what food or foods are being traced.

Other FDA outbreak investigations

• For a Listeria monocytogenes outbreak from Brie and Camembert cheese an Outbreak Advisory was issued on Sept. 30. Recall information was updated on Oct. 28. It reported that seven patients from six different states have been confirmed ill. Five have been hospitalized, according to the CDC.
• The FDA has begun traceback and sample collection in an outbreak of E. coli O121:H19 linked to frozen falafel sold at Aldi stores in 36 states. At least 20 people had been confirmed sick as of Oct. 7, the date of the most recent update. Sick people have been confirmed in Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin. The most recent illness onset was Sept. 13.
• An outbreak investigation continues for infections from Cronobacter in at least four infants, two of whom died. The outbreak has been determined to be over by the CDC but is it still under investigation. The babies consumed infant formula made by Abbott Nutrition’s plant in Sturgis, MI.

Click here to go to the FDA page with links to specific outbreak details. The investigations are in a variety of stages. Some outbreaks have limited information with active investigations ongoing, others may be near completion.

A public health advisory will be issued for investigations that have resulted in specific, actionable steps for consumers to take to protect themselves, according to the FDA. Please direct your attention to those pages for the most up-to-date information on the investigation and for consumer protection information.

Outbreak and adverse event investigations that do not result in specific, actionable steps for consumers may or may not conclusively identify a source or reveal any contributing factors. Adverse event investigations rely on self-reported data. Although these reports may name a particular product, FDA will only indicate a product category in the table and will not publicly name a specific product until there is sufficient evidence to implicate that product as a cause of illnesses or adverse events. If a cause and/or contributing factors are identified that could inform future prevention, FDA commits to providing a summary of those findings.

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