Outbreaks and Alerts: August 5, 2010

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

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United States

• Springfield, IL. August 4: Illinois Department of Public Health reminds the public how to avoid contaminating recreational water and how to protect against water-borne infections when swimming.
• Jefferson County, OR. August 4: Oregon Public Health has issued

  a health advisory prompted by high algae levels found in Haystack Reservoir, located 10 miles from Madras in the Crooked River National Grassland in Jefferson County.
• Meade County, KS. August 4: The Kansas Department of Health and Environment is continuing to advise the public to avoid contact with water in Meade Lake in Meade County, due to the presence of a toxic blue-green algae bloom.
• Jewell County, KS. August 4: The Kansas Department of Health and Environment is continuing to advise the public to avoid contact with water in Lovewell Reservoir in Jewell County, due to the presence of a toxic blue-green algae bloom.
• Lane County, OR. August 5: Oregon Public Health has issued a health advisory prompted by high algae levels found in the main pond in Golden Gardens Park located in northwest Eugene, north of Barger Drive.

Canada

• Nanaimo, BC. August 5: Three new hospital-acquired cases of Clostridium difficile were reported at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital in the last week. Since March 29th, when this outbreak began, 48 patients have become infected with hospital-acquired Clostridium difficile, and 13 of them have died. The last death was recorded three weeks ago.

Europe

• Scarborough, UK. August 5: Scarborough Hospital reports that an outbreak of Clostridium difficile, which sickened 11 patients in June, is now fully under control.
• United Kingdom. August 5: Research from the Health Protection Agency has revealed a higher incidence of listeriosis in pregnant women from ethnic minority groups and, overall, in people living in more deprived areas.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

• Gorkha, Nepal. August 5: Four more people have died of cholera in this remote region of Nepal.
• Angola. August 5: Angola has recorded 1,467 cases of cholera during the first half of 2010.
• Borno, Nigeria. August 5: Seventy-five people have become infected with cholera after heavy rains were experienced in the region. At least 15 of the victims have died.
• Malaysia. August 5: The Malaysian health ministry is stepping up scrutiny on imported 'Wang Wang' rice crackers and collecting its samples for laboratory tests, following a report that coliform and Escherichia coli bacteria were detected in the product in China.