Health officials in Canada’s Niagara and Halton Regions are investigating eight new possible cases of E. coli.  Four cases have been reported in each of the two regions and officials are collaborating to determine whether the cases are linked.  Neither Niagara nor Halton has confirmed a source in the outbreak.

“We’re trying to sort out, are there common suppliers?  Common linkages between the Jonathan’s restaurant in Burlington and especially the two main facilities that we’re dealing with in Niagara region?” said Dr. Doug Sider, Niagara’s associate medical officer of health.  Health officials in Halton are investigating 20 possible E. coli cases.  Of these 20 cases, two have been confirmed and 18 others are symptomatic.  Mary Anne Carson, Halton’s director of health protection services, said all 20 ate at Jonathan’s Deli and Restaurant in Burlington between October 13 and 30. (more…)

Eight Denver children between four and 12 years of age have all tested positive for the same Escherichia coli O157:H7 bacteria.  Officials are still unclear as to the connection and source of the outbreak.  The children live or have visited the Evergreen area of Denver, but they do not attend the same school.  Two children remain hospitalized.

State and County health officials are investigating deer or elk droppings, along with other behaviors in the area where the children might have all come in contact.  The first case was reported in July and the last case was reported late last month on October 22, health officials said. (more…)

The Johnathan’s Family Restaurant in Burlington, Ontario is the source of two confirmed cases of E. coli.  Three other possible cases have been reported in the Canada’s Halton Region.  The links to Johnathan’s were confirmed after it was found that dining at the restaurant was the common element in four cases, said Mary Anne Carson, director of Halton Region Health Protection Services.  A fifth person was still being interviewed, she said.

Johnathan’s “voluntarily closed” after being contacted by the health department, Carson said, adding that it will remain closed until the inspection is completed.  Restaurant owner Greg Tasoulis said he had no option, “A health department representative came and said ‘I want you to close the restaurant down,’” saying that the closure has put 30 employees out of work.  “How do they know it doesn’t come from the lettuce I got from our supplier,” Tasoulis argued.  “What if it’s not us? The cost is tremendous to us … over 5,000 people come through here in a week,” said Tasoulis. (more…)

Plainville’s Natures Fair Restaurant in Cicero, New York is closed until next Friday following a salmonella outbreak in which 20 people, including an employee, fell ill.  The outbreak began in mid-August and has continued through October 19.  Some of those who fell ill were hospitalized.

While the restaurant is closed, owner Mark Bitz says it will clean the place top to bottom, test their employees, and also review its practices. Onondaga County Health Commissioner Doctor Cynthia Morrow says she is not certain from where the salmonella originated, but noted that, “We do know that a similar strain, not an identical strain, but a similar strain was found in Minnesota turkeys.  We believe that it’s most likely associated with the turkeys but we don’t know that yet,” said Morrow.  Morrow said that she expects a few more cases.  Salmonella is often linked with turkeys, but health officials cannot confirm that turkeys are to blame in this case. (more…)

The E. coli outbreak in Canada’s Niagara Region has sickened up to 21 people, with six confirmed cases, and has resulted in two restaurant closures.  Over 100 food samples have been taken from Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Little Red Rooster restaurant, which was pinpointed as one possible source; two of six confirmed cases reported eating there.  The second restaurant—M.T. Bellies in Welland—voluntarily closed its kitchen yesterday; three confirmed cases ate at M.T. Bellies.  Both restaurants are located in the same province and are about 24 miles (40 kilometers) apart.  Neither restaurant has been officially linked to the growing outbreaks.

Investigators continue to work to locate the E. coli source and to determine if the restaurants are connected to the outbreak, they may share a single food supplier.  Health officials warned against jumping to conclusions.  “We need to keep an open mind and not focus on one particular food establishment as the source of illness at this stage of the investigation,” said Dr. Doug Sider, the associate medical officer of health in Niagara Region.  Dr. Sider also said that preliminary testing is indicating that the two concurrent outbreaks are not related; however, both outbreaks are of the same general strain E. coli O157:H7. (more…)

In yet another pet food recall, Mars Petcare US today announced it is recalling certain bags of SPECIAL KITTY® Gourmet Blend dry cat food sold, which was sold at Wal-Mart locations in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, and West Virginia. The pet food tested positive with Salmonella.  Owners are being advised not to feed the SPECIAL KITTY® Gourmet Blend dry cat food to pets and pet owners should dispose of the contaminated food in a safe manner, such as in securely covered trash receptacles.  Consumers should return the empty pet food bag to the store where purchased for a full refund.

Salmonella can cause serious infections in dogs and cats, and, in the event of cross-contamination, can cause serious infections in people, especially children, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems.  Healthy people could experience nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping, and fever.  Sometimes, Salmonella can result in more serious health problems, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms.  Pets infected with Salmonella may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting, although some pets may only experience decreased appetite, fever, and abdominal pain.  Also, animals can carry the salmonella infection without exhibiting any visible symptoms and can potentially infect other animals or humans.  Pet owners who have questions about the recall should call 1-877-568-4463 or should visit the firm’s Website at www.petcare.mars.com. (more…)

Last week we reported that a boil water advisory was in place in Fulton, New York when it was discovered that the water system there was contaminated with the E.coli bacteria.  Now, Fulton Mayor Ron Woodward believes that the E. coli contamination might have occurred due to water-main breaks during routine hydrant flushing.  “We had three water main breaks during the flushing on the east side,” Mayor Woodward said during a common council meeting last week. “We have 63 miles of water line in the city and some of them are 100 years old.”  The mayor also noted that if water pressure falls below 20 pounds during a water-main break, a boil-water advisory must be implemented.

Fulton flushes hydrants twice annually—in the spring and autumn.  Woodward pointed out that Fulton uses its supply of water from the Onondaga County Water Authority during its flushing program, and that supply can often remain untouched for six months to a year.  “Ninety-nine percent of the time, we never get a hit,” Mayor Woodward said. “Sometimes, you get one hit or something and we have to follow the protocol of the health department.”  E. coli was discovered in Fulton’s Sixth Ward and a sampling was delivered to the health department.  “It takes 24 hours for that test to react,” the mayor noted. “(Last) Friday, we were notified that there was a very small colony.”  The city then took water samples from the surrounding area.  “The county health department did the culture and Saturday we were notified,” he said. (more…)

A salmonella outbreak at several preschools in the San Fernando Valley and East Los Angeles have left 15 Head Start students hospitalized and over two dozen children and adults sickened, according to county officials.

The outbreak was traced to a North Hollywood kitchen that supplies food to the 29 preschools that are run by the Volunteers of America (VOA) of Greater Los Angeles.  The group is a faith-based nonprofit organization, said David Dassey of the L.A. County Public Health Department.  County public health officials inspected the kitchen, which voluntarily closed at the end of last week.  The kitchen reopened Tuesday, according to Bob Pratt, president of the VOA group.  Letters were sent to parents advising them of the salmonella outbreak and urging frequent hand-washing and other healthy practices, Pratt said.  “The highest priority is the health of our children,” Pratt said. “We want to err on the side of caution.” (more…)

Earlier this week we reported on a rapidly increasing E.coli outbreak that is linked to the Harvey’s chain restaurant in the North Parry area of Ontario, Canada.  Now, the figures for those who have fallen ill from lab-confirmed E. coli infections has reached 36, according to the Ontario region’s health authority.  The total number of E. coli cases under investigation is now at 190, an impressive increase from the number of reported cases earlier this week. Those sickened range in age from one-year-old to 90 years old.

“We believe the increase in the number of cases is largely due to people who are still reporting their symptoms and are within the expected time frame of the outbreak,” the statement released late Wednesday said.  Included are eight cases in other Ontario health unit districts, as well as one in Quebec.  Most were linked to the North Bay Harvey’s restaurant, which has been closed since last Sunday.  Investigators continue to investigate if undercooked beef served at Harvey’s may have been contaminated with E. coli and the Public Health Agency of Canada was examining patients’ stool samples.  Food samples taken from Harveys on the night it closed have tested negative for E. coli. (more…)

The Ixtapa Mexican restaurant in Lake Stevens, Washington, which has been linked to the E. coli outbreak that sickened 19 people in Snohomish County, received approval to reopen yesterday.  The restaurant voluntarily closed to allow health department investigators time to determine the source of the contamination as well as for the restaurant to undergo intense disinfection.

Most of the people sickened in this outbreak ate at the Ixtapa restaurant and 17 of the 19 confirmed cases have been linked to Ixtapa by the Snohomish Health District, according to agency spokeswoman Suzanne Pate.  The first of the E. coli cases was reported last week.  Ixtapa received approval Monday to reopen Wednesday after the restaurant was fully disinfected and all open containers of food there were disposed.  In a news release, the Snohomish Health District said the restaurant planned to reopen as soon as shipments of menu ingredients arrive.  Meanwhile, the source of the outbreak remains unknown and investigators continue to interview all of those people who became ill to determine if any of them ate any common dishes or dishes with common ingredients.  Narrowing the investigation is a complicated task, Pate said, because “the menu is complex and many ingredients appear in a variety of dishes.” (more…)