Outbreaks and Alerts: September 5, 2010

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

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United States

• Prudence Island, RI. September 3rd: The Rhode Island Department of Health (HEALTH) has issued a boil water advisory for customers of the Prudence Island Water District, after water system tests confirmed the presence of E. coli in the water supply. Until further notice, HEALTH recommends that water used for bathing of infants, drinking, making ice, brushing teeth or cooking be boiled for one minute and allowed to cool before using.
• Bakersfield, CA. September 4th: Four patrons of the Don Perico Mexican and seafood restaurant (4701 White Lane, Bakersfield) were diagnosed with Salmonella infections; two of the victims remain hospitalized. All four victims ate at the restaurant during the same time period in the past two weeks. The restaurant has been closed temporarily. Kern County health officials report that the outbreak does not appear to be linked to the national egg recall.
• Vernon County, WI. September 4th: Eggs are suspected in an outbreak of Salmonella poisoning among 30 people who attended a party in August, but the Vernon County Health Department reports that the outbreak is unrelated to the national egg recall.
• Middletown, RI. September 4th: Due to a water main break, the Rhode Island Department of Health issues a precautionary boil water advisory for Middletown water customers. The boil water advisory is in effect until further notice.
• Middletown, RI. September 5th: The Rhode Island Department of Health has lifted the precautionary boil water advisory (issued on September 4) for Middletown water customers. Portsmouth customers along West Main Road who are supplied by the Newport Water System remain on a precautionary boil water advisory.

Canada

• Lethbridge, AB. September 3rd: Alberta Health Services has confirmed a case of hepatitis A in a food handler working at the Scenic Drive McDonald’s, located at 217 3rd Avenue South, in Lethbridge. Patrons who consumed food or beverage from the Scenic Drive McDonald’s from August 20th to 22nd inclusive may have been exposed to hepatitis A. AHS will be offering hepatitis A vaccine to all patrons who consumed food or beverage from this location on those dates.
• Nova Scotia. September 4th: Nova Scotia's Emergency Management Office offers general food safety tips from the Department of Agriculture in the wake of power outages caused by Hurricane Earl.

Europe

• Cumbria, UK. September 3rd: Officials were forced to cancel the Cumbria Great North Swim after toxin-producing blue-green algae were found in the water.
• Denmark. September 3rd: Teepølser sausages from Højer Sausages in Jutland are suspected to be behind at least some of the cases of Salmonella Typhimurium U323 illnesses that have been confirmed in more than 150 Danes in recent months. Teepølser is a short sausage stuffed with cooked, high-fat pork. Højer Sausages issued a recall promptly after having been informed for the possible involvement of their product in the Salmonella outbreak.
• County Armagh, Northern Ireland. September 5th: The Public Health Agency has confirmed E. coli O157 in seven children in County Armagh. All of the children attended Holly House nursery in Lurgan. The nursery has closed temporarily while the source of the infection is investigated.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

• Lanzhou, China. September 4th: Eighty-seven children were hospitalized after eating yoghurt at a kindergarten in Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu province.
• N'Djamena, Chad. September 4th: At least 600 people are infected with cholera and 41 people have died in Chad, a Central African neighbor of Nigeria and Cameroon, both of which also have been struggling to contain outbreaks of the debilitating water-borne disease.
• Beijing, China. September 5th: Thirty-eight people in Anhui province have contracted cholera since August 16th; five people remain in hospital. The outbreak has been traced to a soybean milk shop in Mengcheng city.
• Osun, Nigeria. September 5th: Seventy people in Osun state have been hospitalized with cholera. Some of the victims are in intensive care. Health authorities in the state are urging residents to boil water before drinking, to ensure proper hygiene while cooking, and to keep their environment clean.