Outbreaks and Alerts: August 3, 2010

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

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United States

• Douglas County, OR. August 2: A health advisory prompted by high algae levels found in Lemolo Lake, located about 60 miles east of Roseburg, was lifted today by Oregon Public Health and Douglas County Health Department officials, after test results confirmed a reduction in the level of blue-green algae.
• Jackson County, OR. August 3: A health advisory prompted by high algae levels found in Diamond Lake, located seven miles north of Crater Lake National Park on Highway 138, was lifted today by Oregon Public Health and Jackson County Health Department officials, after test results confirmed a reduction in the level of blue-green algae.
• Washington, DC. August 2: Chairmen Henry A. Waxman (Committee on Energy and Commerce) and Bart Stupak (Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations) sent a letter to Kellogg Company President and CEO A.D. David MacKay requesting information regarding the July 25, 2010 recall of 28 million boxes of Kellogg's cereal products.

Canada

• Ottawa, ON. July 31: Twenty-six Canadians, most of them more than 70 years old, have been infected with Salmonella Chester after consuming Freybe brand headcheeses. Twenty-three of the victims are residents of British Columbia; Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario have each reported a single case.
• Ottawa, ON. August 3: Health Canada reminds Canadians not to drink raw (unpasteurized) milk because it could contain pathogenic bacteria, including Salmonella, E. coli and Listeria. The sale of raw milk is strictly prohibited under the Food and Drug Regulations. Raw milk cheese is allowed for sale and considered safe because the manufacturing process for cheese helps to eliminate many pathogens found in raw milk.

Europe

• Houilles, France. August 2: Seventy people – many of them children between 3 and 12 years of age – were victims of a massive food poisoning incident on Monday afternoon. The victims included both attendees and staff at a recreation center in Houilles. Three children and one adult were hospitalized for observation; an additional ten or so victims also were taken to hospital. It is believed that the food poisoning originated with a shared meal that was supplied from a central kitchen. Lab tests are in progress to determine the microbe responsible for the outbreak of vomiting and diarrhea.
• Lviv, Ukraine. August 2: Ten people have been hospitalized with hepatitis-like symptoms since July 19th. Hepatitis A virus has been confirmed in four patients, including one child.
• North Lanarkshire, UK. August 3: Two children who attend a North Lanarkshire nursery are being treated for E. coli O157. The first child was diagnosed on 26 July and the second child was diagnosed on 2 August. Both children attend the Step by Step Nursery in Cumbernauld and are said to be recovering at home.
• Lanarkshire, UK. August 3: A 17th case of cryptosporidiosis has been identified following an outbreak in Lanarkshire. Cryptosporidium, which causes diarrhea, was found in the bathing water at the Tryst Sports Complex in Cumbernauld. Five of the 17 outbreak victims reported having used the Tryst pool.