Outbreaks and Alerts: September 30, 2010

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

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United States

• Clatsop County, OR. September 28th: A public health advisory has been issued due to higher-than-normal levels of bacteria in ocean waters at Seaside Beach in Clatsop County.
• Sacramento, CA. September 29th: Effective June 11, 2011, all food handlers in California will be required to be certified in safe food handling procedures. Currently, restaurants are only required to have one certified person on staff – usually the manager. Only employees working at temporary facilities will be exempt from this requirement, which could form a model for other states to follow.
• San Diego County, CA. September 29th: The Boil Water Order has been lifted for Potrero County Park Water System.

Europe

• Brookenby, UK. September 29th: Company boss Roland Saldanha and Allen Rich Seafoods Ltd. were found guilty of six breaches of hygiene between August and November 2008. Saldanha also was convicted on four charges under the animal by-product regulations. During the court hearing, environmental health officers testified that the premises were infested with rats and some frozen stock was covered in dead maggots. Sentencing will take place next month.
• Glasgow, Scotland. September 29th: Fifteen guests and four staff members at The Marriott hotel in Glasgow's city center have developed gastroenteritis, thought to be due to Norovirus. The affected guests have been asked to stay in their rooms to limit potential spread of the virus, and ill staff members are remaining at home until they have recovered.
• Elche, Spain. September 30th: The Department of Public Health is investigating the cause of food poisoning that has affected 14 people who attended a wedding in an Elche restaurant on Saturday night. The restaurant is cooperating in the investigation.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

• Hong Kong. September 29th: The Centre for Food Safety reports that nine out of 179 meat samples tested as part of a targeted surveillance program contained sulphur dioxide, a preservative that is not permitted in fresh, chilled or frozen meat.
• Hong Kong. September 29th: The Centre for Food Safety released the findings of its food safety report for August. Fourteen out of 3,900 were found to be unsatisfactory.
• Taiwan. September 29th: Twenty-two people have been arrested for the sale and adulteration of non-prescription slimming products; 22,000 pills were confiscated as part of the police action.
• Iloilo City, Philippines. September 29th: The public is warned of high coliform levels in the water at Villa Beach.
• West Africa. September 29th: An epidemic of cholera which began earlier this summer has caused approximately 20,000 illnesses and 1171 deaths so far this year in Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria. Medecins Sans Frontieres has set up 18 treatment centers in the four countries.

Latin America and the Caribbean

• Cape Froward, Chile. September 29th: A fisherman was rushed to hospital with symptoms of red tide poisoning after consuming three snails collected on the village beach.