July 2005

By Pam Mellskog
The Daily Times-Call
LONGMONT ó Tossing cow pies in a public pool after hours seemed like fun for somebody in CaÒon City several summers back.
The culprit likely hoped the fecal patties floating like ugly lily pads overnight would shock and disgust pool staff and swimmers.
But the prank backfired and created the worst outbreak of cryptosporidium ó ìcryptoî for short ó in recent Colorado history, said Glenn Bodnar, a drinking water expert with years of swimming pool experience at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
State regulations mandate public pools to filter all their water, which could be tens of thousands of gallons, at least once every six hours.
That process, he said, dissolved the offending fecal flotsam in the CaÒon City pool by the time the doors opened. However, the pool water that day was still teeming with crypto, Bodnar said.Continue Reading Balancing Act: To disinfect, pools must have the right amount of chlorine, ph levels

CASES AMONG ADULTS RAISE CONCERN
By Barbara Isaacs
HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER
Fayette County’s ongoing shigellosis outbreak is no longer just related to kids sickened in day care, the county’s health commissioner said yesterday.
“This is a community-wide outbreak going on,” said Dr. Melinda Rowe, commissioner of the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department. “It’s probably going to get worse before it gets better.”
The number of confirmed shigellosis cases has doubled during the past month, bringing the total since May to 111. Shigellosis is a form of dysentery that causes diarrhea, fever and vomiting.
A month ago, the majority of shigella infections — 49 of 55 cases — were among children 4 and under who attend day care.Continue Reading CASES AMONG ADULTS RAISE CONCERN

By Barbara Isaacs
HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER
Fayette Countyís ongoing shigellosis outbreak is no longer just related to kids sickened in day care, the countyís health commissioner said today.
ìThis is a community-wide outbreak going on,î said Dr. Melinda Rowe, commissioner of the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department. ìItís probably going to get worse before it gets better.î
The number of confirmed shigellosis cases has doubled during the past month, bringing the total since May to 111. Shigellosis is a form of dysentery that causes diarrhea, fever and vomiting.
A month ago, the vast majority of shigella infections ó 49 of 55 cases ó were among children 4 and under who attend day care.Continue Reading Shigellosis outbreak spreads

Tuesday July 26, 2005
DETROIT, July 26 /PRNewswire/ — Whether you’re planning a family reunion at a local park or preparing some lunch for a gathering at a backyard pool, some simple picnic preparation tips from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network will help keep everyone cool, calm and well all season long.
“If you’re packing a picnic, the recipe for perfect outdoor events includes preparing your food properly. Unless you freeze dishes, don’t prepare your picnic items more than one day ahead,” says George Kipa, M.D., deputy corporate medical director for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. “Be sure foods like potato salad are quickly cooled after making to retard bacteria growth.”
Once at the site, keep this and other mayonnaise-based foods cold. One way is to serve it in a bowl kept on ice. The two more common bacteria that cause food poisoning, salmonella and shigella, are always waiting for an opportunity to become uninvited guests and ruin a good time outdoors.Continue Reading Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network Provide ‘Food for Thought’ for Safe Summer Picnics

Preventing Foodborne Illness
July 21, 2005
What is foodborne illness?
Food contaminated by bacteria, viruses and parasites can make you sick. Many people have had foodborne illness and not even known it. It’s sometimes called food poisoning, and it can feel like the flu. Symptoms may include the following:
ï stomach cramps
ï nausea
ï vomiting
ï diarrhea
ï fever
Symptoms can start soon after eating contaminated food, but they can hit up to a month or more later. For some people, especially young children, the elderly, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems, foodborne illness can be very dangerous.Continue Reading Shigella Food Safety Facts

Preventing Foodborne Illness
Ottawa / Ontario, July 21 /PR Direct/ –
What is foodborne illness?
Food contaminated by bacteria, viruses and parasites can make you sick. Many people have had foodborne illness and not even known it. It’s sometimes called food poisoning, and it can feel like the flu. Symptoms may include the following:
ï stomach cramps
ï nausea
ï vomiting
ï diarrhea
ï fever
Symptoms can start soon after eating contaminated food, but they can hit up to a month or more later. For some people, especially young children, the elderly, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems, foodborne illness can be very dangerous.
Every year in Canada about 10,000 cases of foodborne illnesses are reported, but food safety experts believe that an estimated two million people become ill without knowing or reporting it. Each year, about 30 cases are fatal.
Most cases of foodborne illness can be prevented by using safe food handling practices and using a food thermometer to check that your food is cooked to a safe internal temperature!Continue Reading Shigella Food Safety Facts

When diners become ill and blame something they ate, state experts start sleuthing. They interview the victims, conduct food lineups and try to narrow down the suspects.
By Scott Joseph
Sentinel Restaurant Critic
July 20, 2005
Sometimes people think it’s just a touch of the flu, a 24-hour bug. Upset stomach, cramps and diarrhea might be some of the discomforts they experience. But on occasion, these are actually indicators of a food-borne illness, and, for epidemiologists such as Dean Bodager, they aren’t symptoms, they’re clues.
Whenever there is an outbreak of food-borne illnesses, it falls to Bodager and other members of the Florida Department of Health to track down the source. Sometimes it’s simple. Most outbreaks occur at the point of preparation — a restaurant employee who didn’t wash his or her hands properly, food that wasn’t kept at the correct temperature to prevent bacteria growth, or some sort of cross-contamination.Continue Reading Food detectives

Cases of shigellosis linked to lake at state park in Carbon County.
By Chris Parker
Of The Morning Call
Dirty diapers may be the source of an outbreak of bacterial illness in at least five people who swam at Beltzville State Park in Carbon County during the Fourth of July weekend, officials said Friday.
Nine other cases of shigellosis, which causes fever, diarrhea and stomach cramps, are suspected but have not been confirmed by laboratory tests, according to the state Health Department.
Recent tests have shown low levels of bacteria in Beltzville Lake’s water, so it’s open for swimming.Continue Reading Diapers may be cause of Beltzville outbreak

July 15, 2005
State health officials have confirmed five cases of shigellosis, a bacterial illness, in people who swam at Beltzville State Park in Carbon County during the July Fourth weekend.
Nine others cases of the ailment, which causes fever, diarrhea and stomach cramps, are suspected but have not been confirmed by laboratory tests, the state Health Department said Thursday.
All of the victims, who come from Lehigh, Northampton and Carbon counties, are recovering, the department said.Continue Reading Five cases of shigellosis linked to Beltzville Lake

7/14/05
Public restrooms – they’re convenient but using them could leave you vulnerable to illnesses. Then there are those who don’t wash their hands after using the bathroom.
“I think a lot of people are in a hurry and they can’t see anything on their hands, they can’t feel anything, they’re dry,” says Amy Legg, a nursing student. But what they don’t know is harmful bacteria can survive on hands and when they turn the knob to leave they’re also leaving behind those germs for you to touch on the door.
“The next person that comes along could actually come in contact with the bad bacteria,” says Rita Yee, specialist in microbiology at University Medical Center tells us organisms left on public restrooms could be dangerous, like fecal bacteria and strains of Staph and Shigella.Continue Reading Hidden Hazards: Public Restroom Cleanliness