Midwest cyclospora outbreak

waltky · Jul 31, 2013

possum don't wanna eat his salad...

Q&A: Tracking the source of stomach bug outbreak
31 July`13 WASHINGTON (AP) State and federal investigators are trying to figure out the source of a stomach bug that has sickened 372 people in 15 states. Iowa and Nebraska have linked some cases in their states to eating pre-packaged salad mix, but the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration have said the mix is not linked to all of the cases.

Some frequently asked questions about the infection and the outbreak:

Q: What are cyclospora infections and how do people contract them?

A: Cyclospora infection, or cyclosporiasis, is caused by parasites that are spread when people ingest food or water contaminated with feces. People who are exposed usually become sick after about a week and have bad diarrhea and other flu-like symptoms that can last from a few days to a month or longer if untreated. It's common to feel tired and relapse is possible. It's not generally contagious and can be treated with antibiotics. Deaths from the infection are rare.

Q: Who is usually at risk?

A: People who live or travel in tropical or subtropical countries are most at risk, according to the CDC. The infections are rare in the United States but have been linked in the past to imported fruits and vegetables.

Q: Am I at risk in this current outbreak? How do I know if I have it?

A: You are probably OK if you have not already gotten sick. The CDC reports that most of the illnesses were reported between mid-June and early July. Fifteen states have so far reported illnesses: Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Texas and Wisconsin.

Q: How does the government trace the source of illnesses like this?
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waltky · Aug 1, 2013

Granny ain't makin' possum eat his salad...

Critics: Consumers should know more about outbreak
1 Aug.`13 Food safety advocates say they are alarmed by a lack of information being disseminated about the spread of a nasty intestinal illness that has sickened nearly 400 people nationwide, including cases in two states that have been linked to prepackaged salad.

The outbreak of the rare parasite cyclospora has been reported in at least 15 states, and federal officials warned Wednesday it was too early to say that the threat was over. But if you're looking to find out exactly where it came from, you may be out of luck. Health officials in Nebraska and Iowa say they've traced cases there to prepackaged salad, but they haven't said which brand or where it was sold, explaining only that most if not all of it wasn't grown locally.

The lack of information has fueled concern from consumers and others who argue that companies should be held accountable when outbreaks happen and that customers need the information about where outbreaks originated to make smart food choices. "If you want the free market to work properly, then you need to let people have the information they need to make informed decisions," said Bill Marler, a Seattle attorney who specializes in class-action food-safety lawsuits. Heath officials in California, which provides much of the nation's leafy green produce, said Wednesday that the state hadn't received any reports of cyclospora cases. "Based on the most currently available information, the leafy greens being implicated in this outbreak were not grown or processed in California," Corey Egel, a California Department of Public Health spokesman, said in a statement to The Associated Press.

Mark Hutson, who owns a Save-Mart grocery store in Lincoln, Neb., said the lack of specific brand information threatened to hurt all providers, including the good actors. "I think there was so little information as to what was causing the problem, that people just weren't sure what to do," he said. "Frankly, we would prefer to have the names out there." Authorities said they still hadn't determined whether the cases of cyclospora in the different states are connected. "It's too early to say for sure whether it's over, and thus too early to say there's no risk of still getting sick," said María-Belén Moran, a spokeswoman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Only Iowa and Nebraska officials have directly linked the outbreak in their states to a salad mix of iceberg and romaine lettuce, carrots and red cabbage. But consumers far from known outbreak areas have acknowledged it was a factor as they shopped for produce. "I can't say I really want to go and buy particularly any lettuce right now," said Laura Flanagan, 35, who was shopping at a Whole Foods in Dallas with her two young children. "I'm being pretty cautious about it." The product was widely distributed in Iowa by wholesalers who could have supplied the bagged salad mix to all types of food establishments, including restaurants and grocery stores, said Iowa Food and Consumer Safety Bureau chief Steven Mandernach.

More http://news.yahoo.com/critics-consumers-know-more-outbreak-122758971.html
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waltky · Aug 4, 2013

Granny growin' her own garden now so's possum can eat his vegetables...

Cause of stomach illness difficult to detect
3 Aug.`13 WASHINGTON (AP) — Donna Heller thought she had cancer. But multiple visits to the doctor after a month with debilitating nausea and diarrhea didn't yield any answers. Convinced she was dying, she met with her lawyer to get her will in order.

Then she saw a television report about an outbreak of cyclospora possibly linked to bagged salad mix. The stomach illness matched all her symptoms and is easily treatable with antibiotics. She told her doctor she suspected that could be the cause, and tests showed she was right. "It went so long and nobody was able to give me answers," said Heller, a 54-year-old teacher in Crowley, Texas. "It didn't seem like anybody wanted to take you serious because there are so many stomach problems that resemble each other."

A mysterious outbreak of the parasitic illness usually found abroad is growing, with more than 400 confirmed cases in 16 states. FDA officials said Friday they had discovered the source of some of the illnesses, but not all of them. The agency said that the illnesses from Iowa and Nebraska are linked to salad mix from a Mexican farm that was served at Olive Garden and Red Lobster restaurants. Those make up around half of the cases. The rest of the illnesses — many of them in Texas — are still a mystery, state and federal officials say.

The source of this outbreak has proved particularly hard to trace. Doctors have to test specifically for cyclospora and many don't because it is relatively rare. So they may not order the correct tests, at least not at first. The parasite is so tiny that it's often difficult to confirm that a person has the illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Tests often have to be repeated with fresh samples.

Heller said initial tests from her doctor showed up as inconclusive, but she later received a call from the CDC telling her she definitely had the illness. Doctors or labs may not notify state health departments as quickly as they would for a more common foodborne illness like salmonella. And there are different rules in different states about whether cyclospora has to be reported to federal health authorities. All those obstacles are making it harder for state and federal officials. It also means there are probably many people who have the disease and don't know it. The illness is rare — roughly 150 cases are reported in the United States annually. Scientists only identified it in the early 1990s. In comparison, there are tens of thousands of lab-confirmed cases of salmonella food poisoning in this country each year, and officials believe there are hundreds of thousands more that are not confirmed.

More http://news.yahoo.com/cause-stomach-illness-difficult-detect-122657705.html
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Salads served at Olive Garden, Red Lobster tied to cyclospora outbreak in 2 states, FDA says
August 2, 2013, Salads produced by Taylor Farms de Mexico and sold at U.S. restaurants appear to be the source of the cyclospora outbreak that has sickened hundreds in at least two states, Iowa and Nebraska, federal officials confirmed Friday night.

The Food and Drug Administration said an investigation revealed illness clusters at four restaurants that were traced to a common supplier, Taylor Farms de Mexico. "As a result of the current investigation FDA is increasing its surveillance efforts on green leafy products exported to the U.S. from Mexico," the FDA said in a statement. The FDA told CBS News the restaurants include Olive Garden and Red Lobster restaurants in Iowa and Nebraska. Those two chains are owned by Darden Restaurants.

Darden issued a statement saying, "Nothing we have seen prior to this announcement gave us any reason to be concerned about the products we've received from this supplier. Iowa and Nebraska health authorities have said this is not an ongoing outbreak and the product is no longer in the food supply in those states. The health and safety of our guests is our top priority, and it is completely safe to eat in our restaurants." A statement from Taylor Farms said, "The Mexico facility is state of the art and has an exceptional food safety record including an exceptional facility audit in 2011 by the FDA. The company is also working with the FDA on an environmental facility assessment of Taylor Farms de Mexico and is cooperating with the FDA in their ongoing investigation."

Health officials from Nebraska and Iowa had previously honed in on a particular prepackaged bagged salad mix that contains iceberg and romaine lettuce, along with red cabbage and carrots. Taylor Farms also produces bagged salad mixes for purchase by consumers, but the FDA said in a statement it has not implicated consumer packages sold at grocery stores in the outbreak. Nationwide, cyclospora infections have been reported in at least 16 states and have sickened at least 400 people as of August 1st. It is not yet clear whether the cases reported from other states are all part of the same outbreak or whether these salads are implicated in other affected states besides Nebraska and Iowa. "The investigation of increased cases of cyclosporiasis in other states continues," the FDA said.

The infections, called cyclosporiasis, have been reported by health departments in Iowa, Texas, Nebraska, Florida, Wisconsin, New York City, Georgia, Illinois, Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Connecticut, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York and Ohio. Louisiana became the latest state added to the list, with two cases confirmed there. Health officials say those two illnesses occurred in early July. Taylor Farms has 11 processing plants in the United States and one in Mexico, according to the company's website. The Mexico farm is located in San Miguel.

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Midwest cyclospora outbreak

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