Outbreaks and Alerts: May 17, 2010

A daily digest of international outbreaks, alerts and food safety news

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United States

• Baton Rouge, LA. May 16: Louisiana Dept. of Heath & Hospitals closes oyster harvesting bed areas 19 and 21 as a precautionary response to the BP oil spill in the Gulf.

Europe

• Norway. May 16: Nineteen passengers on the cruise ship King Harald are reported to be suffering from gastroenteritis, thought to be caused by Norovirus. The sick passengers have been confined to their cabins.
• United Kingdom. May 16: At least 30 passengers on the Grand Princess cruise ship have been stricken with Norovirus gastroenteritis while on a Mediterranean cruise.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

• Uttar Pradesh, India. May 16: At least 100 attendees at a wedding party have been hospitalized with suspected food poisoning; a dozen of the outbreak victims are reported to be in critical condition.
• Uvda Cliffs, Israel. May 16: Approximately 100 soldiers at the Uvda Cliffs military base north of Eilat have been diagnosed with dysentery.
• Nairobi, Kenya. May 16: A burst sewer pipe that was repaired two weeks ago apparently leaked sewage into the drinking water system, causing an outbreak of diarrheal disease in the Upper Hill area of Nairobi.
• Surkhet, Nepal. May 16: Health authorities are warning that the mid-western part of Nepal is at risk of another outbreak of diarrhea, which has already claimed nine lives so far this year.
• Kampong Cham, Cambodia. May 17: Last week's outbreak of diarrhea that sickened 252 people and caused two deaths was "simple diarrhea" and not cholera, according to the provincial health authorities.
• Hong Kong. May 17: Department of Health reports that 17 people have fallen sick after consuming fresh scallops and are suspected of suffering from paralytic shellfish poisoning since May 15. Consumers are being urged to avoid eating fresh scallops.
• Kozhikode, India. May 17: Twenty passengers, including five children, on the Hazrat Nizamuddin (Delhi)-Ernakulam Duronto Express were admitted to a hospital in Kozhikode after suffering from food poisoning. The passengers began to feel ill approximately one hour after eating breakfast on the non-stop train.
• Taiwan. May 17: The Department of Health warns consumers that some products sold as health foods may contain drugs that can produce harmful side-effects. Anyone who experiences an adverse reaction after using a "health food" should report the incident to the “Unexpected Adverse Reaction to Health Food and Tablets Reporting System” at http://hf.doh.gov.tw.

Latin America and the Caribbean

• Patagonia, Argentina. May 16: Outbreak of gastroenteritis forces postponement of quarter-final playoff basketball game in best-of-seven series between San Isidro and San Francisco in Córdoba.