11 sick with E. coli O157 linked to meats from UK bakery
Health officials on Tyneside are investigating seven confirmed and four possible cases of E.coli O157 infection in adults from the Gateshead area.
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) said six of those infected bought cooked meats or sandwiches from Myers bakery in Felling.
The owners have agreed to close the bakery pending further investigations.
E. coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to Wendy's salads in New Brunswick
The Daily Gleaner reports this morning that four people have been stricken with E. coli O157:H7 after eating salad at a Wendy’s restaurant in Fredericton, New Brunswick (that’s in Canada).
The cases of E. coli O157:H7 are believed to be linked to salads prepared and served at the Prospect Street restaurant. There's no evidence to suggest a public health concern at other restaurant locations. Public Health Services is continuing its investigation into the matter.
E. coli O157:H7 linked to Western Fair in London, Canada, again, 10 years after 159 sickened
There are more people tragically sick with E. coli O157:H7 from what looks like another petting zoo.
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But this would be especially tragic – or hopelessly sad -- if proven.
In 1999, 159 people, mainly children, were thought to be sickened with E. coli O157:H7 traced to goat and sheep at the 1999 Western Fair in London, Ontario. That’s in Canada.
Scott Weese, a clinical studies professor at the University of Guelph (that’s also in Canada) and colleagues reported in the July 2007 edition of Clinical Infectious Diseases that in a study of 36 petting zoos in Ontario between May and October of 2006, they observed infrequent hand washing, food sold and consumed near the animals, and children being allowed to drink bottles or suck on pacifiers in the petting area.
There’s been several outbreaks linked to petting zoos and state fairs in the U.K., Vancouver and Denver; and that’s just this year. A complete table of outbreaks is available at http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/uploads/file/Petting%20zoo%20outbreaks%20chart%20bites(1).pdf.
Now, 10 years later, initial reports are emerging that four people who visited the Western Fair Agri-plex (that’s in London, Ontario, Canada) sometime between September 11 and 20, 2009, have been infected with the same strain of E. coli O157:H7.
The health unit is asking anyone who developed severe diarrhea after visiting the Western Fair to contact them at (519) 663-5317 ext 2330.
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Hamburger doesn't have to be shoe leather -- stick it in
The editorial dudes at the N.Y. Times write in an, uh, editorial, that eating a hamburger should not be a death-defying experience.
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Too often it is. As Michael Moss wrote in The Times recently, E. coli sickens thousands of people annually, including a young dance teacher named Stephanie Smith, who was paralyzed after eating a contaminated hamburger. Her case offers a poignant reminder that President Obama and Congress need to quickly fill the safety gaps in food production. …
Already too much of the burden for food safety falls on consumers who are advised to cook hamburgers into shoe leather to kill off any dangerous germs. But even that is not enough because it is too easy for raw ground beef to leave behind toxic traces in the kitchen.
Cross-contamination is a serious issue, as repeatedly pointed out on this blog and in our research. But no one has to cook to shoe leather. Live confidently with a meat thermometer, and stick it in until 160F.
E. coli petting zoo delusion in the UK
This is how delusional some folks are about E. coli O157 in the U.K.
The Exmouth Herald reports that Nigel Lee, who runs the World of Country Life, has slammed the hype surrounding an E.coli scare as ridiculous after being told he can reopen all attractions following an investigation.
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The U.K. Health Protection Agency recommended Lee close the animal portion of his attraction three weeks ago after three children who contracted the O157 strain of E. coli had potential links to the farm.
Of 30 samples collected from sheep, goats, chickens, rabbits, pigs and an empty calf pen, E. coli was detected in eight representing a mixed group of sheep, goats, chickens and also contained a rabbit.
A further positive result was found in a sample from a pig pen. Following the examination, the HPA advised the attractions could be re-opened.
Mr Lee was pissed with the HPA after they issued an incorrect media statement three weeks ago which implied the site was completely closed, stating,
"All the hype just got ridiculous. It was just the petting farm and deer train ride that was closed.”
Apparently Lee thinks sick kids is hype, and what about the 8 out of 30 positive samples?
Below is a table of petting zoo outbreaks, largely adopted from a list Bill Marler collected.
UK girl 'infected by E coli at farm six months before alert
Any time there’s an outbreak of foodborne illness, and someone says, “We’ve always done things this way and never had a problem,” there is an immediate cloud of suspicion hanging over that producer or retailer.
It’s probably the worst thing someone facing a food safety crisis can say.
The Brits are particularly pissed that Godstone Farm in Surrey, a petting zoo which appears to be the source of 87 E. coli O157 illnesses, including 12 kids in hospital, stayed open as long as it did.
It’s going to get worse.
According to the Times this morning, a five-year-old girl who suffered kidney failure in March is thought to have been made ill by E coli contracted at the same farm.
Holly Nethercoat (right) was kept in an isolation unit at Great Ormond Street hospital, London for two weeks after a visit to Godstone farm in Surrey.
The story says that despite the likelihood Holly contracted the bug at the farm, it was not informed. It is not mandatory to report E coli cases to the Health Protection Agency.
The agency refused to say whether it had been told of Holly’s case. However, Jackie Flaherty, owner of Godstone farm, said:
“We absolutely haven’t heard of any cases before August.”
Great Ormond Street said “good public health practice” meant the case should have been reported to the local health protection unit but it refused to say whether it had done so in Holly’s case because of patient confidentiality.
Mark Nethercoat, Holly’s father, said,
“My daughter went to hell and back, and I can only conclude it was because something was grossly wrong with both the farm and the Health Protection Agency.”
UK toddler out of hospital after petting zoo kidney failure; 5th farm closes
Todd Furnell (right), a two-year-old boy who suffered kidney failure following an E.coli outbreak at a petting farm was discharged from hospital after two weeks. Unfortunately his brother was still on a drip and too unwell to be released.
The Health Protection Agency said yesterday that a fifth farm has partially closed after identifying a further five cases of E. coli O157 in people who had visited Big Sheep and Little Cow Farm.
First lawsuit filed in E. coli O157 outbreak linked to UK petting zoo
Solicitor Jill Greenfield said she was instructed by relatives of the "seriously ill" youngster to pursue a negligence claim against Godstone Farm in Surrey.
But she would not disclose her clients' names or the age of the child involved.
"We need to establish what went wrong and who if anyone is at fault. I would hope that the farm representatives and the Health Protection Agency (HPA) will agree to meet with me as soon as possible in order that I can establish the facts as quickly as possible.
"I have contacted both the farm and the HPA today suggesting a meeting this week and I wait to hear."
The HPA said eight children remained in hospital and 67 cases of E.coli have been linked to Godstone farm.
Animals test positive for E. coli O157 on Godstone Farm in Surrey, now linked to illness in 67 kids
The BBC is reporting that lambs, pigs, goats, cattle, ponies and rabbit droppings at a Surrey farm at the centre of an E.coli outbreak have tested positive , with a whopping 33 of 102 samples likely to contain the O157 strain of the infection.
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The Health Protection Agency (HPA) said the total number of E.coli cases linked to Godstone Farm had risen to 67.
Eight children remain in hospital in a "stable or improving condition."
UK boy, 3, catches swine flu and E.coli; father disgusted kids' lives put at risk at petting zoo
Harry Dolby, three (right, photo from Telegraph) has become the latest victim of E.coli at a petting farm after being recetly hospitalised with swine flu.
He visited Godstone Farm with his mother Louise and friends on September 4, after the initial E. coli cases came to light.
Speaking from his bedside at Queen Mary's Hospital in Sidcup, Kent, Harry's father, Lee Dolby, said he was ''disgusted'' at the failure of the farm and the HPA to act promptly.
Mr Dolby spoke of his anger at the actions taken over Godstone Farm.
''As soon as the first case came to light, the place should've been closed until it had been given the all-clear. 'These are kids' lives being put at risk here. I'm just disgusted at both the farm and the HPA, which is meant to be protecting us. Both are in the wrong for keeping the farm open. They realised it would be one of the last times for the kids to be able to visit and have a treat before the school holidays finished and they returned to classes."
The face of E. coli: Vancouver petting zoo edition
Although the Vancouver Coastal Health authority had identified a cluster of E. coli infections as early as last Thursday, no public health warning was issued, said spokeswoman Anna Marie D’Angelo.
All 13 cases that have presented so far are thought to be related to exposure to the the PNE petting zoo.
The Vancouver Sun reports that B.C.’s Medical Health Officer Dr. John Carsley, said,
“We were suspicious on Thursday when two cases were reported, then there were more on Friday. … “We wrestle very seriously with this issue of whether to do a public alert or not. It depends very much on the outbreak, and if there is a continued risk out there.”
The family of 14-month-old Jacklyn Simpson (above, right, photo from Vancouver Sun), who was stricken with the illness after visiting the petting zoo, believes that had they known about the outbreak, they might have been able to get help earlier.
That’s one of the reasons to issue public alerts – so additional illnesses can be prevented. E. coli O157 also spreads easily from person-to-person so public warnings may help reduce additional transmissions.
And it would be helpful if public health types would clearly articulate why they go public about foodborne illness outbreaks and when. Saying, "we wrestle with it,” does not enhance public confidence. Or prevent additional illnesses.
E. coli backlash as UK health type apologies for delay in closing farm
With 13 kids in hospital and 37 sick after visiting a UK farm, Health Protection Agency chief executive Justin McCracken has phoned parents of the children most seriously affected to apologise to them.
"If this information had been taken into account on 27 August, then the advice given and the steps taken on 3 September would have been introduced earlier and the farm might have been closed earlier.
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"I wanted to speak personally to the parents of those children who are most seriously ill in hospital to explain what has happened and, however inadequate under the circumstances, to apologise.
"The position they find themselves in is unbearable and it is of course worse that what has happened might have been avoidable."
The farm was closed on Saturday - although the first E.coli case was reported on 27 August.
A pair of two-year-old twins, from Paddock Wood in Kent, have suffered acute kidney failure.
Initially, the HPA said the first case came to light on 27 August.
It later emerged that the agency had received a report of two cases in the previous week.
Another E. coli O157 outbreak, again in Wales, linked to seaside restaurant, no one told the public
Madeleine Brindley of Wales Online reports this morning that five people have contracted E.coli O157 after eating at a restaurant in Tenby.
Two children from the same family, who live in West Yorkshire, have been confirmed with the potentially lethal bug.
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A further two men from Newport, in South East Wales and Pembrokeshire, and a woman from Carmarthenshire also fell ill.
It is understood all five people ate at the same food premises, which has not been named, between July 31 and August 15.
It is understood that the restaurant closed voluntarily but has now reopened.
The face of E. coli: twins who visited the UK petting zoo edition; Vancouver fair remains delusional
Two-year-old twins Aaron and Todd Furnell went to visit the farm and in this picture, from the Mirror, lie motionless on their stomachs in adjacent hospital cots.
Todd underwent a second blood transfusion yesterday - the day a 13th child was hospitalised - after the brothers had suffered acute kidney failure.
Ms Mock said: "They're much the same, but now they are eating a little bit, rather than having it done for them through a feeding tube. When Aaron isn't asleep, he seems a bit more alert, but Todd is struggling a little."
Tracy Mock is among a group of parents calling on health officials to explain why they were able to visit Godstone Farm, Godstone, near Redhill, Surrey, after the first case of E.coli was brought to manager's attention there on August 27.
Ms Mock, from Kent, and her sons visited the farm four days later.
Four young children remained seriously ill in hospital last night following the outbreak on the popular petting farm.
Twenty four adults fell ill after visiting. Yesterday the Health Protection Agency (HPA), which faced calls for a public inquiry into its handling of the outbreak, confirmed there were a total of 37 cases of E.coli infection linked to the farm, including another child who had been recently diagnosed.
Another toddler, Alfie Weaver, was being monitored by doctors at East Surrey Hospital in Redhill, where he also had blood transfusions.
The little boy was left screaming in agony when his kidneys shut down following the outbreak. He was cared for in an isolation ward but is now understood to have begun talking.
His grandfather, from Redhill, who did not want to be named, said the three-year-old has since shown signs of improvement.
"It was like a dream come true, he has been in agony for nine days," he said.
The child and his six-year-old sister were taken to Godstone Farm on the August bank holiday – several days after the first case of E.coli was reported.
His mother, Gemma Weaver, said: "We deserve answers from the farm and the Health Protection Agency about this horrific bug. This farm should have been shut down earlier in August if kids tested positive for the bug then."
In Vancouver, where another dozen kids got sick from the petting zoo, the local paper can’t decide whether it was the food or the petting zoo.
Mark Neale writes in the Belfast Telegraph this morning that those who have investigated E. coli O157 "know the risk it poses on open or petting farms. A quick scan of the literature suggests one outbreak a year can be associated with open or petting farms. E.coli, particularly the virulent 0157 variant, has always been associated with farms and farm animals. Hand-washing, alcohol gels and all manners of materials used to remove the bacteria ultimately will prove useless."
I prefer the CAKE version of 'I Will Survive' over the E. coli O157 version
Best award for original song remake has to go to Cake’s 1996 version of the Gloria Gaynor disco classic, I Will Survive. Searing guitar solos, an infectious bass line, and the spoken word singing of John McCrea combine to make this an iPod workout favorite. And CAKE was the first concert Amy and I went to in Kansas City and was unexpectedly good.
Dr Karin Heurlier and colleagues at the Universities of Nottingham and Birmingham in conjunction with Biolog Inc of California told the Society for General Microbiology's meeting at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, today that pathogenic strains of E. coli could survive in different conditions compared to the standard laboratory, non-pathogenic strain.
Contamination by foodborne E. coli occurs in processed foods such as ready prepared salads, fermented sausages (e.g. salami), dairy products and fruit juices as well as more usually in raw and partly cooked meat products, indicating that the bacteria are able to survive modern food processing techniques. The researchers found differences between strains in how they responded to antimicrobial compounds, and in their reactions to oxygen availability, acidity and chemical stresses. They could also use different constituents in foods for their nutrition compared to standard laboratory E. coli strains.
"The laboratory E. coli strain K-12 is one of the best understood organisms on Earth," said Dr Heurlier, "But because it has become so used to being grown in laboratory conditions, it may not react to stresses in the same way as pathogenic strains – such as E. coli O157:H7 can. Our research shows that there are definite growth and nutrition differences between E. coli strains and therefore results obtained with laboratory strains may not be typical of what happens in the 'real' world."
11 sick in Japan with E. coli O157; steakhouse chain closes all 187 outlets
Pepper Food Service Co said Monday it has closed all of its 187 Pepper Lunch steakhouses in Japan the same day after at least 11 customers developed food poisoning to clean each outlet and ensure hygiene controls are in place.
At least 11 customers have been stricken with E. coli O157 in seven prefectures including Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto, according to the restaurant chain operator and local governments.
Kunio Ichinose, the company president, apologized, saying,
‘‘We will reopen the restaurants as soon as we are fully prepared to do so.’’
Nestle Toll House cookie dough returns; Linda Rivera still hospitalized
In Room 519 of Kindred Hospital, Linda Rivera can no longer speak.
Her mute state, punctuated only by groans, is the latest downturn in the swift collapse of her health that began in May when she curled up on her living room couch and nonchalantly ate several spoonfuls of the Nestlé cookie dough her family had been consuming for years. Federal health officials believe she is among 80 people in 31 states sickened by cookie dough contaminated with a deadly bacteria, E. coli O157:H7.
The impact of the infection has been especially severe for Rivera and nine other victims who developed a life-threatening complication known as hemolytic uremic syndrome. One, a 4-year-old girl from South Carolina, had a stroke and is partially paralyzed.
But good news. Two weeks ago, Nestle announced, in breathless PR-speak,
After almost two months of being out of the U.S. marketplace, Nestle USA is pleased to announce that Nestle Toll House refrigerated cookie dough is returning to stores this week.
To make it easy for both retail partners and consumers to identify the new batch of cookie dough, a blue "New Batch" label will appear on all new production cookie dough items. Nestle Toll House shipping cases also are marked in blue (rather than the previous black) to denote new production and will contain the statement: "Do not consume raw cookie dough." The adoption of this distinct labeling is the result of helpful discussions between Food & Drug Administration (FDA) officials and Nestle, following reports of E.coli O157:H7 illnesses that appeared to be related to the consumption of raw cookie dough.
I bet the discussions were helpful. Probably similar to the ones ConAgra had with the U.S. Department of Agriculture geniuses who said, safe cooking instructions for frozen $0.50 pot pies should tell consumers to use a thermometer to make sure the pie is safe. Food safety is a shared responsibility apparently means it’s the consumer’s responsibility, especially in foods that may be perceived as ready-to-eat.
This is what the new Nestle cookie label looks like, on a package I picked up at a local store on Saturday (front, above, right; back, below, left).
Labeling is a lousy way to provide information about food safety risks, but better than nothing. I’m sure Nestle and ConAgra, in the best interests of their consumers, will publicly release the evaluative data they (probably? maybe?) acquired to show that these particular labels have a positive impact on consumer food safety behavior.
The failure that is Food Safety Education month
Linda Rivera (right, pic from Washington Post) is the face of everything that is wrong with Food Safety Education month.
As The Washington Post reports this morning:
In Room 519 of Kindred Hospital, Linda Rivera can no longer speak.
Her mute state, punctuated only by groans, is the latest downturn in the swift collapse of her health that began in May when she curled up on her living room couch and nonchalantly ate several spoonfuls of the Nestlé cookie dough her family had been consuming for years. Federal health officials believe she is among 80 people in 31 states sickened by cookie dough contaminated with a deadly bacteria, E. coli O157:H7.
The impact of the infection has been especially severe for Rivera and nine other victims who developed a life-threatening complication known as hemolytic uremic syndrome. One, a 4-year-old girl from South Carolina, had a stroke and is partially paralyzed.
In a baffling waste of resources, groups like the International Food Information Council, have decided that food safety education month – that apparently starts today – is all about educating consumers with sanitized messages; that if consumers were only made aware they had a role to play in food safety, outbreaks related to contaminated peanut butter, produce and cookie dough would be reduced.
Whenever a group says the public needs to be educated – in this case about food safety -- that group has utterly failed to present a compelling case for their cause.
I cringe, and remember a Lewis Lapham column I read in Harper’s magazine in the mid-1980s about how individuals can choose to educate themselves about all sorts of interesting things, but the idea of educating someone is doomed to failure. Oh, and it’s sorta arrogant to state that others need to be educated; to imply that if only you understood the world as I understand the world, we would agree and dissent would be minimized.
Given all the outbreaks – produce, pet food, peanut butter, that have nothing to do with consumers, any food safety information – not education -- campaign should include what the World Heath Organization has been advocating since 2002: source food from safe sources. An evaluation of message effectiveness should also be a bare minimum and rarely happens.
An honest Food Safety Education month would include food safety stories, tragic or otherwise, and a rigorous evaluation of what has worked, what hasn’t worked and what can be improved, rather than a checklist of ineffective and often inaccurate food safety instructions with the cumulative effect of blaming consumers. Telling people to wash their hands isn’t keeping the piss out of meals.
But judge for yourselves in what I am sure is a completely spontaneous and unscripted video from IFIC on why ordinary consumers feel they should be doing more.
Two girls ill in UK E. coli outbreak; Facebook used to notify potential victims from UK dance camp
BBC News reports that two girls who attended a dance camp in Pembrokeshire have contracted E.coli, it has been confirmed.
An 11-year-old from the West Midlands is being treated in hospital and a seven-year-old from Denbighshire is recovering at home.
Both had attended Dance Camp Wales in Cresselly, which runs between 29 July and 9 August.
Social networking website Facebook is being used to try to contact about 650 people who attended a dance camp after two girls contracted E.coli.
Environmental health officials are also sending letters, e-mails and phoning, where they have contact details.
A spokeswoman said they had turned to Facebook because the event has its own group on the website.
People who experience symptoms are asked to contact Pembrokeshire council's public protection department on 01437 764551 (between 1000 BST and 1800 BST on weekends and between 0800 BST and 1800 BST on weekdays) or email foodsafety@pembrokeshire.gov.uk.
Groundhog Day continues for E. coli prof
Harold Ramis, right, the famed director of Groundhog Day – and writer of dozens of hit comedies, beginning with Animal House -- must be involved in this.
Professor Hugh Pennington (left, below), who authored reports following outbreaks of E.coli, in Scotland, in 1996, and in South Wales nine years later, yesterday told the Western Mail,
“It’s almost ‘Here we go again’.”
The professor, a member of the World Food Programme technical advisory group, said he hoped his last report on the outbreak in South Wales that killed five-year-old Mason Jones would reduce the incidence of E.coli.
But just four years on the bug has left 32-year-old Karen Morrisroe-Clutton seriously ill in hospital. Three-year-old Abigail Hennessey is recovering at Liverpool’s Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.
Professor Pennington, now 71, and living in Aberdeen where before his retirement he was a specialist in bacteriology at the city’s university, said,
“One was hoping that the recommendations would see an end to those food-borne outbreaks or lead to a very significant reduction. A lot of the things we had talked about, people had already started to do on the back of the outbreak of 2005 because it was pretty obvious what had gone wrong. Now it’s almost ‘Here we go again’, unfortunately.”
The face of E. coli O157
Three-year-old Abigail Hennessey, right, is recovering from an E. coli O157 outbreak in Wales that struck at least four people, including a 32-year-old librarian and new mother who remains in a medically induced coma after suffering kidney damage as a result of the infection.
Abigail’s grandfather, Ronald Hennessey, of Gresford, said that thanks to superb medical treatment from the staff at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool, Abigail was now steadily improving.
“It is great to know she is making excellent progress. Day by day she is getting better and stronger in her recovery.”
Mr Hennessey said the situation was in stark contrast to last week when Abigail fell seriously ill after contracting E.coli.
“Then it was almost as if she was in a kind of trance. She was just staring right ahead. But now she is up talking and laughing. I don’t know when she will be coming home. I would very much like to thank Alder Hey for its tremendous work. They have been magnificent.”
Three-year-old recovering from E coli but woman still in coma
A three-year-old girl who needed dialysis after being caught up in an E coli outbreak is beginning to recover in hospital, her parents said today.
Abigail Hussey suffered kidney failure after eating from a takeaway in Wrexham, north Wales, and is one of two people undergoing hospital treatment after the outbreak last month. Karen Morrisroe-Clutton, a new mother who also had kidney failure, remains in a medically induced coma at Wrexham Maelor hospital. The North East Wales NHS trust said she was in a serious but stable condtion.
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She is in Alder Hey Children's hospital in Liverpool, which today released a statement from her mother, Sarah, who also fell ill, and her father, Jeff.
"Abigail's condition deteriorated and she was eventually referred to Wrexham hospital, who transferred her immediately to Alder Hey on Monday 27 July. She tested positive for E coli and was placed on dialysis. We are very relieved that Abigail is beginning to recover, is off dialysis and is eating and drinking quite well."
Sharon Mills, the mother of E. coli victim Mason Jones (left) said the latest Wales outbreak has brought horrific memories flooding back.
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“It’s terrible that more people are having to go through this. Mason fought for two weeks until he couldn’t fight any more and ever since I have fought on for him as I don’t want his death to be in vain.”
While the cause of the North Wales outbreak remains under investigation, Mills said she believes both the authorities and the public still fail to fully appreciate the terrible consequences of E.coli infection.
The Llay Fish Bar was allowed to continue business even though environmental health inspectors found poor hygiene conditions and was awarded the lowest rating of no stars during the August 2008 inspection.
Mills said:
“The threat of E.coli is not being taken on board. People really need to start listening and they need to start listening now. The message needs to be drummed home that E.coli is serious and can affect anyone, not just those with underlying health problems. it’s such a powerful bacteria.”
Woman on life-support, 3-year-old suffering renal failure after E. coli O157 outbreak in Wales
Two people are being treated in hospital after a suspected E coli O157 outbreak in north Wales.
One woman is on a life-support machine, according to her family. Health officials say a total of four people have been taken ill.
The Llay Fish Bar in Llay, Wrexham has been closed.
The BBC has named one of the patients as Karen Morrisroe-Clutton, who has an 11-week-old baby being cared for by its grandparents. Her husband, Paul, is at her bedside at Wrexham Maelor hospital.
Rose Morrisroe, her mother, told the BBC her daughter had bought a veggie burger at the premises being investigated. She had been in intensive care since last week and was being kept in a medically induced coma. She was on a dialysis machine and had shown slight improvement.
A three-year-old girl is also being treated for renal failure in Alder Hey hospital in Liverpool.
UK toddler's relative dies of E. coli O157
A relative of a north-east Fife toddler who contracted E. coli O157 has died of the infection.
The Courier reports that the child, who became ill around a month ago, was treated at home.
NHS Fife, whose public health department was investigating the case, confirmed that no one outside the family had contracted the illness and that a woman—an older relative of the child—had died in Ninewells.
UK family farm closes after 8 get E. coli O157
Another reminder to play safe on the farm.
An open farm in West Lancashire has been temporarily closed after eight people, including three children, were struck down with E.coli O157.
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One of the children affected is currently in hospital and is described as ‘poorly but stable’.
The eight people are from two families that both recently visited Windmill Animal Farm, on Red Cat Lane, in Burscough.
The farm is being considered as one possible source of the infection and the farmer is co-operating fully with the investigations.
Should food safety inspectors get fired if they screw up? Welsh parents say yes
Ya can’t inspect your way to a safe food supply.
For all those in Canada and America clamoring for more inspectors, please, read the report Bill-Murray-in-Groundhog-Day impersonator Professor Hugh Pennington wrote after the 2005 E. coli O157 outbreak in Wales, which sickened 160 and killed 5-year-old Mason Jones (right).
The Western Mail reports this morning that the parents of those kids want the inspectors – the environmental health officers who failed to shut down the butcher responsible for the E .coli outbreak – fired.
Julie Price, 44, whose son Garyn, 13, was left fighting for his life after his kidneys failed when he contracted E.coli O157, said:
“At the end of the day, the buck stops with (butcher) Tudor, but these people were in place to protect our children and they didn’t. I would like to see them sacked.”
Jeanette Thomas, 37, from Mountain Ash, whose sons Garyn ,10, and Keiron ,13, both contracted the bug, said,
“These environmental health officers shouldn’t be allowed to get away with it, especially considering what these poor kids have been through."
Pennington’s report noted that the inspectors, could and should have stopped Tudor using a single vacuum-packing machine for raw and cooked meat.
The butcher was HACCP-trained, inspected and in the business for 30 years, but apparently didn't know or care about cross-contamination between raw and cooked product. Neither did the imspectors.
E. coli report: lots of blame to go around in Wales
Five-year-old Mason Jones died a painful and unnecessary death.
Mason (right) died Oct. 4, 2005, from E. coli O157 as part of an outbreak which sickened 161 -- primarily schoolchildren -- in south Wales.
Mason’s mother, Sharon Mills, said in 2005 that her son's death was "avoidable" and that lessons "have to be learnt."
"There was nothing wrong with him, only that he ate a dinner - an innocent child eating a dinner. I never thought you could die from E. coli. Never. I had heard of E.coli and I just thought it was food poisoning. I never ever thought Mason would die from it."
Today, Professor Hugh Pennington concluded that serious failings at every step in the food chain allowed rogue butcher William Tudor to start the 2005 E.coli O157 outbreak, and that while the responsibility for the outbreak, “falls squarely on the shoulders of Tudor,” there was no shortage of errors, including:
• local health types did not sufficiently assess or monitor John Tudor & Son’s food safety management or HACCP plan;
• the abattoir was allowed to continue slaughtering despite longstanding and repetitive failures, in breach of legislative requirements and without significant improvements; and,
• the procurement process was “seriously flawed in relation to food safety”
Prof Pennington said he was disappointed that the recommendations he made more than 10 years ago, following the E.coli O157 outbreak in Wishaw, Scotland, which killed 17 people had failed to prevent the South Wales Valleys outbreak.
“I was very disappointed that the more we looked into what happened in South Wales, the greater the number of parallels between Scotland and Wales. That was disappointing for me personally because I had spent a lot of time coming up with the recommendations in 1996 and 1997 – they were implemented but somewhere things fell down in the way they were implemented. I am looking for these recommendations to be implemented as soon as possible because E.coli is as powerful a threat now as it was in 2005.”
Memories of Walkerton: Drinking water in Scotland wells sickens 15 with E. coli O157
Up to 15 people – including children – were this afternoon being treated for E.coli after an outbreak of the bug near Aberdeen.
Seven cases have already been confirmed with a further eight people showing symptoms.
Public health chiefs believe the source is a shared private water supply to eight homes in South Auchinclech, near Westhill.
Aberdeen-based Prof Hugh Pennington, said the source of the contamination was likely to be cattle manure, adding,
“There is quite a strong possibility it got washed into the water supply by heavy rain. The water purification system probably got overwhelmed. … Once somebody’s been affected, we’ve just got to keep our finger crossed.”
E. coli O157 outbreak in Sweden associated with locally produced lettuce
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Soderstrom et al. do a nice job in the current Foodborne Pathogens and Disease describing a 2005 outbreak of E. coli O157 in Sweden."A total of 135 cases were recorded, including 11 cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome. The epidemiological investigations implicated lettuce as the most likely source of the outbreak, with an OR of 13.0 (CI 2.94–57.5) in the case–control study. The lettuce was irrigated by water from a small stream, and water samples were positive for Stx 2 by PCR. The identical VTEC O157 Stx 2 positive strain was isolated from the cases and in cattle at a farm upstream from the irrigation point."
Watch that irrigation water.
