Warnings are now appearing on the flaps of flour packages. “Cook before sneaking a taste,” says one. Another says “Flour is raw. Please cook fully before enjoying.”
And the April 23 edition of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) turned its “Note from the Field” section to a closer look
Continue Reading Federal report focuses on ongoing pathogen threat from raw flour
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 comparing the period from 2016-2018 with numbers for 2019 (see table below) shows that the
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 to one another by whole-genome multilocus sequence typing within three allele differences (range = 0–3
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 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, reported on a joint study by the
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.
One hundred percent of U.S. states and territories, as well as the District of Columbia, provided
Continue Reading Who’s minding the lab?
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 were confirmed with food poisoning from various pathogens during that time, 5,699 had to be
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 by scientists and physicians who work in public health and do know something about antibiotic
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 fast action with limiting the damage. The single fatality in the Ohio botulism outbreak blamed
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 behind us that was left with too many questions. That’s where we found ourselves in
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 from major retailers such as ALDI, Trader Joe’s, Costco, Kroger and Walmart. Many consumers began
Continue Reading CDC: Recalled Fruit Likely Caused Listeria Cases Last Summer
