Author: Tony Coveny, Ph.D

Rifle Rodeo Outbreak Sickens at Least 36 following a Private Event at the Garfield County Fairgrounds Earlier this Month According to Garfield County Public Health (GCPH) officials, several dozen of the more than 200 attendees of the Rifle Rodeo on or about June 5 became ill – likely from consumption of food. The event, which is a private show attended by about 200 individuals, served food and exposed attendees to livestock.  GCPH was notified on June 6 that a number of individuals were suffering from gastroenteritis and flu-like symptoms including nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.  The onset of symptoms followed attendance…

E. Coli Found in Columbus City well, the Million Dollar Beach in New York, and a 12th hole fountain at Erin Hall where the U.S. Open is Hosted Indiana Department of Environmental Management:  E. Coli in Columbus City Water Columbus City Utilities (CCU) was forced to disconnect a city well from the public water supply after a series of tests showed it contained contaminated E. coli bacteria.  CCU had issued a 24-hour boil-water advisory this last weekend, cautioning residents to boil any water before using to prevent eh spread of the dangerous bacteria.  Now, the tainted well is shut off…

Rojo Mexican Bistro Salmonella Outbreak?   26 Victims in 3 States The Detroit Free Press: Rojo Mexican Bistro Salmonella Outbreak in Michigan.  Local reports now mane to e restaurant at the center of an outbreak in which at least 26 people have been identified as victims of Salmonella Saintpaul. According to local reports, there are victims in nearby states as well, including Ohio and Illinois. According to the Oakland County Health Division in Pontiac, MI, the investigation is ongoing. The Chief of Medical Services at the Health Division, Pamela Hackert,  is encouraging residents to wash their hands thoroughly before every meal and…

Tuna Hepatitis A:  FDA and CDC Continue Investigation into  Tuna Hepatitis A Illnesses On May 1, 2017, the Hawaii Department of Health (HDH) identified the Hepatitis A virus in a sample of frozen Indonesian tuna, distributed in cubes.   HDH immediately reported the Tuna Hepatitis A finding to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).   By the next day, the FDA had identified Tropic Fish Hawaii LLC and Hilo Fish Company, and opened an investigation.  Tropic Fish Hawaii LLC immediately issued a initiated a limited recall of the product that had been distributed on Oahu, and state authorities issued an embargo of the implicated product. As…

Boston Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Two Popular Restaurants:  Café Med and Back Bay Sandwich May have Sickened as Many as a Dozen People Café Med and Back Bay Sandwich  restaurants were closed in May after a spat of salmonella cases emerged, all linked to the same building were both restaurants are located.   According to Ana Karina Vivas, who is the Media Relations Manager at the Boston Public Health Commission, there are eight confirmed cases with others reporting illness.   At least six of the confirmed cases ate at Cafe Med, and two ate at Back Bay Sandwich. The source has not yet been…

Ardent Mills Flour E. Coli Outbreak:  30 Victims Believed Linked to Consumption of the Flour Containing E. coli O121 Once again, flour is being recalled due to potential contamination with a food borne bacteria.  This time, a popular brand of flour has been recalled in Canada due to the presence of E. coli O121 – Ardent Mills.  The recall affects Robin Hood, Golden Temple, Purity, Brodie, and Creative Baker brands – a full list can be found here. The product recall includes products containing 450 gram to 20 kilograms of flour. The original source of the Ardent Mills Flour E.…

Dutch Veal E. coli Contamination: MRW Food Brokers Found to Have Imported Veal from the Netherlands that is Contaminated with a Rare Strain of E. Coli The U.S.D.A.’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has put the public on notice of Dutch Veal E. coli Contamination – according to the FSIS, the veal products are contaminated with a non-O157 strain of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC).  While STEC strain O157 is by far the most common E. coli to cause food borne illness in the U.S. and globally, and it is routinely tested for in stool cultures, the rare O103…

The E. coli lawyers at Ron Simon & Associates have filed a Chelsea’s Gentle Care E. coli Lawsuit in Maryland on behalf of three of the affected families. The lawsuit follows a confirmed E. coli outbreak at the  Chelsea’s Gentle Care Child Development Center, formerly located at 531 Old Westminster Pike, Suite 102, Westminster, Maryland, 21157, in Carroll County, Maryland.  At least 23 victims were identified, with one having to be hospitalized for over a month, and many more seriously injured.  Fortunately, there were no fatalities in this E. coli outbreak. Chelsea’s Gentle Care Child Development Center – About Two Dozen…

The Salmonella Lawyers at Ron Simon & Associates have just filed a new Boise Co-Op Lawsuit on behalf of three victims who purchased sandwiches tainted with salmonella from the Boise Co-Op in 2015.  As Idaho has a two year statute of limitations, the lawsuits were filed to preserve the represented victims’ claims.  Two of the victims purchased their sandwiches at the Boise Co-op in Boise, Idaho, while the third was one of the victims who purchased a sandwich at the Boise Airport, which is supplied by the Boise Co-Op. The salmonella lawyers at  Ron Simon & Associates have represented thousands of…

Adams Farm Slaughterhouse E. Coli Outbreak Over:  11 Victims Confirmed in the Athol, Massachusetts  E. coli Outbreak The CDC and USDA have published the outcome of the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak that sickened 11 victims in 5 states, including Connecticut (2), Massachusetts (5), Pennsylvania (2), Virginia, and West Virginia.  The illnesses were matched to a single outbreak when the PFGE analysis of their stool specimens was uploaded into PulseNet, the national subtyping network of public health and food regulatory agency laboratories. The first victim was identified on June 27, 2016, and the last on September 10, 2016. The victims ranged from…