Attempts to reduce food poisoning are failing as the U.S. incidence of foodborne illnesses continues to increase. Infections from five of eight pathogens tracked by the CDC are on the rise.
Initial analysis of data
Continue Reading Report says U.S. is failing food safety 101; incidence of illnesses still increasing
On Dec. 1, 2017, PulseNet, CDC’s molecular subtyping network for foodborne disease surveillance, identified a cluster of three Listeria monocytogenes clinical isolates with indistinguishable pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) pattern combinations. These isolates were closely related
Continue Reading Report says listeriosis cases linked to caramel apples show need for controls
The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) earlier this month explored one of the ways that more than 70 Salmonella outbreaks related to backyard poultry flocks have occurred since 2000.
MMWR, published by the federal
Continue Reading MMWR reports on how backyard flock outbreak was traced back to hatchery
States and territories have been steadily building their epidemiology staffs, but they collectively need another 1,200 to reach “full capacity” in terms of several key health areas, including foodborne illnesses and other infectious diseases.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is out with new data on outbreaks of foodborne illness, reporting statistics from 2009-2015 when outbreaks sickened more than 100,000 people.
Out of the 100,939 people who
Continue Reading CDC posts numbers on US outbreaks; chicken sickens the most
In the past few days, there have been two interesting reports on antibiotic resistance. One was released by Consumer Reports entitled, “How Safe Is Your Ground Beef?” The other, much less publicized, was put together
Continue Reading Antibiotic Resistance: Let’s Change the Way We Understand It
April’s botulism outbreak in Ohio was the nation’s largest in 40 years, and one of the first patients to become ill died. But CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) is crediting early recognition and
Continue Reading MMWR: Rapid Response Kept April’s Ohio Botulism Outbreak in Check
Those of us who practice daily journalism usually make like cowboys and keep our eyes on the horizon for what’s coming next. But sometimes, one of us has to double back to check on something
Continue Reading Letter From the Editor: Peeling the Cucumbers
This past summer, consumers were confronted with a series of recalls of peaches, nectarines, plums, pluots and other stone fruits potentially contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The fruit, sourced from Wawona Packing Co., was recalled
Continue Reading CDC: Recalled Fruit Likely Caused Listeria Cases Last Summer
Problems with food preparation, hand-washing and food-safety training were cited as the cause of two large, multi-serotype Salmonella outbreaks at Arkansas prisons in August of 2012, according to a new study released in last week’s
Continue Reading Report Details Causes of Salmonella Outbreaks at Two Arkansas Prisons
Several years ago I started following the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). It used to come weekly in the mail (perhaps it still does), but it is a bit easier to
Continue Reading Publisher’s Platform: MMWR – Food for Thought
