Thunder Bay

  • 126 sick from the Old Barn in Thunder Bay; nostalgia no security when barfing

    Posted: May 18th, 2012 - 7:40am by Doug Powell

    People barfing because of crappy food safety don’t care if you’ve been doing things one way and never made anyone sick for millennia, dating back to your spaceship DNA founders visiting earth.

    Instead, it’s, I’m barfing now because you can’t be bothered to learn something new.

    Oh, and public health types: there’s a difference between E. coli and norovirus. Maybe it’s both. Probably never happened before; figure it out.

    There’s a mess of an outbreak going on in Thunder Bay, Ontario (that's in Canada, eh?)

    The district health unit is looking into the cause of an illness that struck at least 126 people who visited This Old Barn last weekend. Christopher Beveridge, manager of environmental health for the district health unit, said Thursday that norovirus was found in a stool sample from a patient admitted to hospital.

    "We're not ruling out water just yet, because norovirus can survive in a water environment," Beveridge said. "But now we're looking at more of the food handling, as well. Where earlier in the week with the contaminated water sample we were really looking at the water system."

    Earlier health unit tests found E. coli in the water.

    Beveridge said the department wasn't ruling out the possibility that both E. coli and norovirus could have been involved.

    Michael Ellchook, the owner of This Old Barn, has apologized to all those who got sick. He said he has operated the restaurant for 17 years, and has never before had a problem like this.

    "They found E. coli levels are a little bit high, so I'm figuring it's got to do with the water. We had a storm on the weekend. And being a well — we have a well system — I'm thinking that's where most of it came from," Ellchook said earlier in the day.

    A well? Is the water ever tested? Is that data available? Would you make it publicly available?

    Beveridge said 256 people ate or drank at the restaurant between May 11 and May 13. The health unit has contacted 208 of these people and is trying to reach the remainder to get information to assist in the investigation.

    The health unit became aware of the situation after being contacted by emergency-room staff the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, where 12 people were admitted with E. coli infection symptoms.

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    E. coli  |  1 Comment
    Barf, e. coli, food safety, norovirus, old barn, Thunder Bay, Vomit
  • Clostridium in holiday meal sickens 34 in Thunder Bay

    Posted: January 5th, 2011 - 6:01pm by Doug Powell

    The Slovak Legion in Thunder Bay, Ontario (that’s in Canada, and it’s cold) hosted a Christmas meal on Dec. 14, 2010; at least 34 diners ended up barfing.

    Clostridium prefringens (that’s perfringens – dp) has been identified as the bacteria that caused the illnesses. It was found in the cooked turkey sample and stool samples that were submitted for testing.

    The Thunder Bay District Health Unit notes almost all food-related outbreaks of C. perfringens are associated with inadequately cooled or reheated meals such as turkey dinners. Outbreaks are usually traced to large-scale food premises.

    To prevent food-related illness:
    • Educate food handlers on correct food safety practices
    • Serve meat dishes hot, or as soon as they are cooked
    • Do not partially cook meat and poultry one day and reheat the next
    • Divide large amounts of food into smaller containers to allow rapid cooling

    Try out our holiday meal food safety infosheet at foodsafetyinfosheet.com.


     

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    Other Microorganisms  |  0 Comments
    Clostridium perfringens, Cooling, food safety, Holiday, legion, Thunder Bay, Turkey
  • Salmonella outbreak in N. Ontario may be linked to melons

    Posted: April 24th, 2009 - 5:03pm by Doug Powell

    When I think Thunder Bay, Ontario in January, I think melons.

    Ripe, juicy melons, like cantaloupe.

    The Thunder Bay District Health Unit is investigating an increased number of Salmonella cases in Thunder Bay and District. Twenty-three cases of Salmonella have been reported since January of this year. We would normally expect approximately seven (7) cases in this time period.

    Some cases have been linked to person-to-person transmission or travel and some are related to a North American outbreak being investigated by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). Six cases are still under investigation, but like most Salmonella cases, are likely related to unsafe food handling in the home. …

    The outbreak under investigation by PHAC may be related to melons. Because melons grow at ground level, their rough and pitted outer skin can trap Salmonella bacteria from the soil. If the outer skin of a melon is contaminated, the fruit inside may be affected when the melon is cut. Follow these tips:

    * Buy melons that are not bruised or damaged and store them in the fridge.
    * Throw away any melon that is bruised or rotten.
    * Wash all melons before cutting.  When cleaning a cantaloupe, brush the whole fruit under running water using a clean produce brush, getting into all the pits on the skin.
    * Put cut melon on a clean plate; don’t put the pieces back on the cutting board.
    * Don’t reuse any food equipment (e.g. knife, cutting board) used to prepare a melon.
    * Wash all equipment with hot water and soap or clean them in the dishwasher.
    * Store cut melon in a clean container in the fridge.

    How is Salmonella in melons a consumer handling issue? Where is the data that says most Salmonella cases are related to unsafe food handling in the home? And why no notice from PHAC about an outbreak investigation?
     

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    Salmonella  |  1 Comment
    Cantaloupe, Phac, Thunder Bay, Watermelon