Northern Ireland

Listeria outbreak leads to warning over hospital sandwiches

Posted: May 10th, 2012 - 5:52am by Doug Powell

Almost a month after an elderly patient died in a Northern Ireland hospital and three others were sickened from Listeria, health trusts have been advised to stop serving sandwiches from a specific food company.

Following the outbreak, the trust carried out a review of food supplier and distribution chains with the Food Standards Agency and Environmental Health.

Health Minister Edwin Poots said preliminary results of tests on sandwiches provided to inpatients indicated low levels of listeria were present although he stressed these were within the legal limits.

In response to an Assembly question on the matter, he said: “As a precautionary measure the Northern Trust decided not to serve sandwiches from a particular supplier until investigations have been completed.

In 2008, three patients died during a listeria outbreak at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.

Also in 2008, 23 people – primarily elderly – died from Listeria in Maple Leaf deli meats in Canada. Maybe the sandwiches could be heated?

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Categories: Listeria | 1 Comment
Tags: cold cut, Deli Meat, food safety, Hospital, Listeria, northern ireland, sandwich
Pensioner dies in N. Ireland listeria outbreak

Posted: April 14th, 2012 - 2:01pm by Doug Powell

Maybe the meal-planner geniuses decided it would be OK to give sick old folks cold-cuts or deli meat to eat. That’s part of what happened in Canada in 2008 when 23 people – elderly with pre-existing medical conditions, many already in institutions -- died from listeria-laden Maple Leaf deli meats.

Yesterday, an elderly patient died in an outbreak of listeria in two Northern Ireland hospitals.

The pensioner was one of two patients in the Antrim Area Hospital that contracted the foodborne bacteria. Another acquired the bug in the Causeway Hospital on the region's north coast.

The patient who died was already ill but listeria has been confirmed as a contributory cause of death.

Both hospitals are managed by the Northern Trust, which has declared an outbreak.

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Categories: Listeria | 1 Comment
Tags: food safety, Hospital, Listeria, northern ireland, Uk
E. coli O157 strikes 7 Northern Ireland children

Posted: September 5th, 2010 - 11:16am by Doug Powell

Seven children in County Armagh, who all attend Holly House nursery in Lurgan, have been infected with E. coli O157, the Public Health Agency has confirmed.

A mother whose child is at the nursery said,

"It is very worrying because of the seriousness of E. coli. But as far as I know none of the children seems to be very ill. I could not fault the nursery. They are managing very well and have provided lots of information and support."

"Locally, it is a surprise that an outbreak of E. coli has taken place," said SDLP councillor for the area, Mary McAlinden.

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Categories: E. coli | 0 Comments
Tags: Armagh, e. coli O157, northern ireland, Nursery