Outbreaks and Alerts: October 27, 2010

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

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United States

• Canton, KS. October 23rd: The boil water advisory for the City of Canton has been rescinded.
• Lansing, MI. October 27th: The departments of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Environment remind hunters and retail food establishments to follow food safety processing guidelines when handling and preparing deer and other wild game.
• Wilmington, NC. October 27th: There have been 32 confirmed cases of shigellosis in the Wilmington area since September 20th, according to a report in today's StarNews Online.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

• Mesra, Algeria. October 23rd: As many as 324 people have been stricken with food poisoning after consuming cakes purchased from a pâtisserie located in the commune of Mesra. A crisis center has been established to coordinate the outbreak response.
• Assam, India. October 27th: At least 16 people have died of cholera in Assam and 150 others are suffering from the disease. Most of the illnesses are reported from the tea plantation areas, according to the Times of India.
• Hong Kong. October 27th: The Centre for Food Safety has released the findings of its food safety report for September 2010. Of the 5,500 food samples tested, 22 were found to be unsatisfactory.
• Abu Dhabi. October 27th: The Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA) has visited 27 food establishments in Madinat Zayed. The inspectors issued 13 warnings and ordered the destruction of 25 Kg of food items during the campaign. Of the 27 establishments visited by inspectors, only 14 were fully compliant with the ADFCA standards and specifications.
• Beijing, China. October 27th: China has begun a nationwide campaign to evaluate the country's food safety system, according to an article in Food Safety News.
• Sichuan, China. October 27th: China's food safety agency has ordered health authorities to investigate the food poisoning of almost 400 people at a wedding in Sichuan Province. The incident took place this past weekend. Lab tests carried out by the Chengdu disease control and prevention center determined that the source of the outbreak was undercooked soft-shelled turtles and crabs served at the wedding banquet. The pathogen responsible for the illnesses was not mentioned in the news report.
• Uganda. October 27th: Ugandan health officials have confirmed that cholera was responsible for 5 deaths and 103 illnesses in the country's Nakapiripirit region last week.
• Xiamen, China. October 27th: Some 70 college and university students were stricken with food poisoning on October 25th; 16 of them were hospitalized for treatment and observation. All of the ill students reported having eaten Peilesi sandwich bread. The Peilesi Food Co. denied any connection with the incident.

Latin America and the Caribbean

• Arcahaie, Haiti. October 26th: The death toll in Haiti's cholera epidemic has reached 284, with 3,612 people hospitalized. Several countries have announced that they are sending aid shipments.