H5N1

Finland: Stomach bug epidemic traced to Kesko rucola

Via Yle Uutiset: Stomach bug epidemic traced to Kesko rucola. Excerpt:

The source of a stomach bug epidemic that has affected close to 200 people in Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen who attended functions two weekends ago was found to be an Espoo-based catering company, said the National Institute for Health and Welfare, THL.  

Daily Helsingin Sanomat first reported the wave of illnesses on Thursday and identified the firm as Kupli Catering.  

According to the THL, persons who ate food provided by the caterer experienced symptoms about 24 hours after their meals. Symptoms included vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pains and headache. Stool samples taken from more than 80 the affected persons confirmed the presence of E.Coli bacteria, also known as EHEC. 

The majority of people who came down with the stomach bug came from Helsinki, some 189. Officials said that they have already contacted patients who belong to high-risk groups, such as children under the age of five, elderly persons, pregnant women and persons who work in the food industry.  

Kesko sold product to industrial kitchens  

The source of the epidemic has been traced to rucola or rocket salad sold in bulk by major retailer Kesko. Kesko’s corporate responsibility vice president Matti Kalervo told Yle that the rucola in question was grown in Denmark and packaged in Sweden. It has only been part of wholesale lots sold to industrial customers. 

"This product is exclusively for industrial kitchens," he noted. 

The affected rucola came in a batch of 189 kilograms, enough to feed several hundred customers, Kalervo added.

Canada: Outbreak of E. coli with possible link to leafy greens

Via the Public Health Agency of Canada: Public Health Notice - Outbreak of E.coli infections with possible link to leafy greens. Excerpt:

The Public Health Agency of Canada is collaborating with federal and provincial public health partners to investigate an outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7, commonly called E.coli, with a possible link to leafy greens. A specific product has not been identified yet, and the investigation is ongoing. 

At this time, the risk to Canadians is low. However, Canadians are reminded to follow safe food handling practices to avoid illness. 

E. coli are bacteria that live naturally in the intestines of cattle, poultry and other animals. Most E. coli are harmless to humans, but some varieties carry genes that allow them to cause illness. 

While most people made ill by E. coli experience a few days of upset stomach and then recover fully, infections can sometimes be life threatening. 

Ongoing Investigation 

There have been 12 cases of E.coli with a matching genetic fingerprint reported in Alberta (9), Saskatchewan (1), Ontario (1), and Newfoundland and Labrador (1). The illness onset dates range from March 13 to March 31, 2015. 

Based on the investigation findings to date, exposure to leafy greens has emerged as a possible source of illness. Leafy greens can include all varieties of lettuces and other green leaf vegetables such as kale, spinach, arugula, or chard. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s investigation into the food source is ongoing. If products are identified, the Agency will inform the public and ensure that they are promptly removed from the marketplace. 

The Public Health Agency routinely investigates multi-provincial gastro-intestinal illness outbreaks, including E.coli, in an effort to determine if illnesses are linked to the same source. The Agency will update Canadians when new information becomes available.

This can be serious: Four years ago, Europe dealt with an outbreak of enterohemorrhagic E. coli, or EHEC, which killed a lot of people and sickened over a thousand. It also caused quite an upheaval in European agriculture before the source was found.

China: Bad things in the Three Gorges Reservoir

Thanks to China Medical News for tweeting the link to this report in Journal of Environmental Sciences (China): Occurrence and infection risk of waterborne pathogens in Wanzhou watershed of the Three Gorges Reservoir, China. Via PubMed.gov, here is the abstract:

The Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR), formed by China's Yangtze Three Gorges Project, is the largest lake in the world, but there is too little information available about fecal contamination and waterborne pathogen impacts on this aquatic ecosystem. 

During two successive 1-year study periods (July 2009 to July 2011), the water quality in Wanzhou watershed of the TGR was tested with regard to the presence of fecal indicators and pathogens. According to Chinese and World Health Organization water quality standards, water quality in the mainstream was good but poor in backwater areas. Salmonella, Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC), Giardia and Cryptosporidium were detected in the watershed. Prevalence and concentrations of the pathogens in the mainstream were lower than those in backwater areas. 

The estimated risk of infection with Salmonella, EHEC, Cryptosporidium, and Giardia per exposure event ranged from 2.9 x 10(-7) to 1.68 x 10(-5), 7.04 x 10(-10) to 2.36 x 10(-7), 5.39 x 10(-6) to 1.25 x 10(-4) and 0 to 1.2 x 10(-3), respectively, for occupational divers and recreational swimmers exposed to the waters. The estimated risk of infection at exposure to the 95% upper confidence limit concentrations of Salmonella, Cryptosporidium and Giardia may be up to 2.62 x 10(-5), 2.55 x 10(-4) and 2.86 x 10(-3), respectively. 

This study provides useful information for the residents, health care workers and managers to improve the safety of surface water and reduce the risk of fecal contamination in the TGR.

I've added China Medical News to the Bloggers list.

Finland: E. coli outbreak in Oulu

Via Yle Uutiset: Friday's papers: Last-minute preparations in Sochi, neo-pagan religion becomes official and an E.coli outbreak in Oulu. Oulu is a city of 192,000 at the 65th parallel with a thriving high-tech industry and a couple of big universities. Excerpt:

Kaleva reports that even more children have fallen ill with an E. coli infection in the Oulu region. Most of the seriously affected children are being treated in the Oulu University Hospital. Eight different cases of the food-borne disease Enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) were reported after December 13, all in children between the ages of 4 and 10. 

“Five of them have symptoms of the life-threatening haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS)”, says Epidemiologist Ruska Rimhanen-Finne of the National Institute for Health and Welfare. 

In addition, two children have become ill with HUS with no clinical confirmation of an E. coli infection. Doctor of paediatric infections at the Oulu University Hospital Terhi Tapiainen says they still don’t know what caused the epidemic, but warns children to avoid raw ground beef and unpasteurised milk. 

“Some restaurants offer their customers hamburgers that are cooked medium. Hamburger patties should always be cooked all the way through to avoid bacterial infection,” she says.

Planning for the next food-safety crisis

Via Bionity.com: EHEC and other crises know no boundaries. Excerpt:

The EHEC outbreak 2011 resulted in over 50 deaths and was one of the most severe food-borne crises in Europe for a long time. Incidents like these can reoccur at any time. 

How can crises be overcome? What can be done to prevent them? What lessons are learned by government and society from crises in the past, and what form and shape should cooperation at the various government and supranational levels take? 

These questions are discussed by representatives from the worlds of politics, economy, science, public institutions as well as other stakeholders at the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) in Berlin-Marienfelde on 13 and 14 September 2012. 

“The EHEC outbreak clearly showed that crises do not stop at borders”, says Professor Dr. Dr. Andreas Hensel, President o f the BfR. “All those involved must effectively cooperate at the international level and they must be willing to constantly learn from the crisis.” 

The BfR is organising the symposium “Handling and Prevention of Crises” together with the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES) and the National Food Institute of the Danish Technical University. 

Despite the fact that food safety standards are very high in Europe, those responsible must always be prepared for possible incidents. There is a wide variety of different triggers for crises. Only through the coordinated efforts of all involved parties is it possible to avoid crises and / or to ensure their adequate and quick management. 

A number of stakeholders are involved in this internationally oriented event which the BfR is organising with its French counterpart ANSES and the National Food Institute of the Danish Technical University. 

On the two event days, experts from Germany, other European countries, the European Union and the World Health Organisation WHO will grapple with the following questions: responsibilities in times of national and international food crises; the role of governments and other institutions; institutional and scientific cooperation in times of crisis; and instruments of crisis management and crisis prevention in the food industry. 

Thus the different perspectives from politics, business, public institutions and science in the event of a crisis are all represented and discussed. On the second day, representatives of the civil society and other stakeholders will discuss the possibilities of crisis prevention and institutional cooperation. 

As part of these discussions, they will exchange ideas on what courses of action are most effective and what preventative measures are acceptable to ensure food safety.