Gate Gourmet Shigella OutbreakMarler Clark commenced Shigella litigation against Gate Gourmet, a catering company that supplied Shigella-contaminated food to several airlines with flights departing from the Honolulu, Hawaii airport. The firm filed a lawsuit on behalf of a man who became ill in September 2004 after consuming a meal on board a return flight from Hawaii. Several hundred illnesses have been reported in over 22 States and at least three foreign countries. Marler Clark filed a second lawsuit on behalf of seven more ill individuals on June 22, 2005.

ACCORDING TO THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE ON September 2, 2006:

The San Diego county health department has shut down a fast-food Mexican restaurant after 10 customers came down with a bacterial infection.  Filiberto’s restaurant at 3446 University Ave. was closed Thursday and will remain closed until the health problems are addressed, the county Health and Human Services Agency said.

The agency said 10 customers who ate at Filiberto’s Aug. 24-28 came down with what appears to be the food-borne bacteria Shigella, which causes fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. It is infectious.  Three of the 10 were hospitalized with serious symptoms, county public health officer Dr. Nancy Bowen said.

Shigella is a bacterium that can cause sudden and severe diarrhea (gastroenteritis) in humans. Shigellosis is the name of the disease that Shigella causes. The illness is also known as “bacillary dysentery.” Shigella bacteria can infect the intestinal tract after the ingestion of relatively few organisms. This is why shigellosis is the most communicable of the bacterial-induced diarrheas.

Marler Clark has been involved in litigation on behalf of victims of numerous Shigella outbreaks.  For more information on prior outbreaks, see http://www.marlerclark.com/news-shigella.htm.  We have been contacted by 2 of the 10 customers of this San Diego Shigella outbreak.

07.sep.06 The China Post Associated Press

Beijing — Medical experts say a food poisoning outbreak that left at least 300 Chinese schoolchildren hospitalized was caused by shigella bacteria, a news report said Wednesday. Students and teachers fell ill after eating lunch Friday at the Chongzhou City Experimental Primary School in the southwestern province of Sichuan. Investigators have found shigella bacteria in the food, the official Xinhua News Agency said. The bacteria are spread through undercooked or contaminated food and poor hygiene, and cause diarrhea, fever, vomiting and stomach cramps.

Continue Reading Food-poisoning at school caused by shigella: report

UNION-TRIBUNE
September 2, 2006

CITY HEIGHTS – The county health department has shut down a fast-food Mexican restaurant after 10 customers came down with a bacterial infection.

Filiberto’s restaurant at 3446 University Ave. was closed Thursday and will remain closed until the health problems are addressed, the county Health and Human Services Agency said.

The agency said 10 customers who ate at Filiberto’s Aug. 24-28 came down with what appears to be the food-borne bacteria shigella, which causes fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. It is infectious.

Three of the 10 were hospitalized with serious symptoms, county public health officer Dr. Nancy Bowen said.

She said anyone with those symptoms who ate at the restaurant in that time period should go to a doctor. The symptoms typically begin within two days of exposure and last five to seven days.

“It is very important that anyone who may have been exposed and works in food handling, child care or health care stay home from work until they have been seen by their physician, so they do not spread the illness,” Bowen said.

–Pauline Repard

County Health Officials Say 10 People Affected
Jermaine Ong
Web Editor

SAN DIEGO — An outbreak of a food-borne illness has shut down a local restaurant, according to a press release from the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency.

According to an HHSA release, 10 people have been diagnosed with symptoms of Shigella, a known food-borne illness. The 10 cases have been traced to the Filbertos restaurant on 3446 University Avenue, investigators said.

Investigators said they believe people eating at the restaurant between Aug. 24 and Aug. 28 may have been exposed to Shigella.

San Diego County Department of Health officials closed the restaurant on Aug. 31, and it will remain closed pending further investigation of any violations.

Symptoms of Shigella include fever, watery or bloody diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. According to San Diego County Public Health Officer Nancy Bowen, symptoms usually begin within two days of eating or drinking infected items and usually last five to seven days.

HHSA investigators said although the Shigella outbreak was traced to Filbertos, the exact cause of the outbreak has not yet been determined.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers more information on Shigella on its Web site – www.cdc.gov. Also, see www.about-shigella.com

BEIJING, Sept. 7 — Experts have discovered the bacterium that caused a food poisoning outbreak at a school in Southwest China’s Sichuan Province that affected hundreds of children and teachers.

The bacterium has been identified as shigella sonnei, which causes dysentery, said Liu Jun, deputy chief of Chengdu Municipal Health Bureau, at a press conference yesterday.

The announcement of the cause of the outbreak, which occurred at Chongzhou City Experimental Primary School, 40 kilometres from Chengdu, follows complaints from parents that the local government was slow at giving out information.

Lab experiments showed that shigella sonnei was found in a sample of cold pork dressing that was served to pupils at the school last Friday, Liu said.

Continue Reading EXPERTS IDENTIFY BUG IN FOOD POISONING CASE

11.aug.06
WOWT (NE)
Health officials say more than 30 probable cases of shigella have occurred in Lancaster County in the past two weeks. Fourteen cases have been confirmed.
Shigella is a parasitic infection that can cause severe diarrhea — a danger for younger and older patients because of possible dehydration.
Tim Timmons of the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department says the cases have been reported in children and adults, but three day-care providers have been especially affected.
He says that to avoid the infection, people should wash their hands thoroughly after using the toilet, changing diapers and before eating.
The infections are usually spread in fecal material.

By MARK ANDERSEN / Lincoln Journal Star
More than 30 probable cases of shigella, the parasitic infection associated with prolonged and often severe diarrhea, have been identified in Lancaster County over the past two weeks.
Dehydration, usually in the very old and young, is the biggest danger of this highly contagious organism, said Tim Timmons of the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department.
There have been 14 lab-confirmed cases of the disease.
The cases were reported across the community, in children and adults, but three day care providers have been especially affected. They were not identified.

Continue Reading Shigella happens

August 8, 2006
Devil’s Lake Journal (ND)
DEVILS LAKE, N.D. – There are now a total of 44 cases laboratory-confirmed cases of shigellosis in North Dakota; 34 from Rolette County, six from Benson County, two from Ramsey County, one from Burleigh County and one from McKenzie County. Thirteen of these were previously reported from Rolette County in July 2006. Most cases are children younger than 18, and there have been 10 hospitalizations statewide.
Point of source of the bacteria is unknown, but evidence indicates person-to-person transmission. Health officials are continuing to investigate how the shigellosis is spreading in the community.
Shigella sonnei, the bacteria that causes shigellosis, are shed in the stools of infected people, both in those showing symptoms and those not appearing to be ill. Most people who have shigellosis develop diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps starting a day or two after they are exposed to the bacteria. The diarrhea may be bloody.

OTTAWA, ONTARIO–(CCNMatthews – Aug. 3, 2006) –
Shigella bacteria are found naturally in the intestinal tracts of humans and other primates. People who eat food or drink water contaminated by Shigella can become ill with shigellosis.
What are the symptoms of shigellosis infection?
Like other foodborne illnesses, the symptoms of shigellosis can feel like the flu. Symptoms can appear within 12 to 50 hours after eating contaminated food, but usually don’t appear until three to seven days later. People who have shigellosis are usually ill for three to 14 days. Others infected with the bacteria may not get sick or show symptoms, but they can carry the bacteria and spread the infection to others.
How do the bacteria spread?
Shigellosis is most often spread from person-to-person. Shigella can also be transferred by flies. People infected with the bacteria can be carriers. Therefore, proper hygiene, safe food handling and preparation practices are key to preventing foodborne illness. If you think you are infected with Shigella or any other gastrointestinal illness, do not prepare food for other people unless you wear disposable gloves and follow safe food handling procedures. About 20 per cent of shigellosis infections come directly from contaminated food and water.
Where has Shigella been found?
Food is most commonly contaminated with Shigella from water polluted by human sewage. Food can also become contaminated if it is handled by a person infected with Shigella or by cross-contamination because of unsanitary food handling practices. The following listed below have been responsible for foodborne illnesses:
– salads (pasta, potato, shrimp, tuna, – produce such as
chicken, turkey, macaroni, fruit, strawberries,
lettuce) spinach, fresh daikon
– chopped turkey (a type of radish)
– rice balls – raw oysters
– beans – deli meats
– pudding – unpasteurized milk
Will cooking destroy the bacteria?
Like many other harmful bacteria that could be in our food, Shigella
are destroyed when food is cooked to a safe internal temperature.
Use a food thermometer to measure the internal temperature of your
food. See table.
Defeating Shigella Bacteria: A 4-Point Plan
1. Get off to a CLEAN start!
– Handwashing is one of the best ways to prevent the spread of
foodborne illness. Do you wash your hands for at least 20 seconds
with soap and warm water before and after handling food? Wash again
when you switch from one food to another.
– Are your countertops and utensils clean and sanitized? Sanitizing
reduces bacteria and can prevent foodborne illness.
———————————————————————
BLEACH SANITIZER
– Combine 5 mL (1 tsp) of bleach with 750 mL (3 cups) of water in a
labelled spray bottle.
– After cleaning, spray sanitizer on the surface/utensil and let
stand briefly.
– Rinse with lots of clean water, and air dry (or use clean towels).
———————————————————————
Foodsafe tip: Use only clean water to water vegetable/fruit/herb
gardens. Shigella bacteria can live in contaminated water and
might contaminate the food you eat.
2. CHILL your food and stop bacteria cold!
– Bacteria can grow in the danger zone between 4 C and
60 C (40 F to 140 F). Keep cold food cold at or below
4 C (40 degrees F).
– Refrigeration at or below 4 C (40 F) slows down most bacterial
growth. Freezing at or below -18 C (0 F) can stop it completely.
(But remember: chilling won’t kill bacteria. Only proper cooking
will do that!)
Foodsafe tip: Use appliance thermometers to check that your
refrigerator and freezer are cold enough.
3. SEPARATE! Don’t cross-contaminate!
– Keep raw foods away from other foods while shopping, storing and
preparing foods.
Foodsafe tip: When shopping, place raw meat in a plastic bag,
then place it in your shopping cart away from other foods.
4. COOK safely!
– Have you cooked your food to a safe internal temperature? Use a
digital food thermometer to check the temperature of your food.
See table.
– Bacteria can grow quickly in the danger zone between 4 C and
60 C (40 F to 140 F), so keep hot food at or above 60 C (140 F).
Foodsafe tip: The only way to be sure that your food is cooked
properly is to use a food thermometer to check.
———————————————————————
When is my food ready to eat?
———————————————————————
Food Temperature
———————————————————————
fully cooked and ready-to-eat You can eat it cold or you can heat it.
meats (e.g. ham, roast)
———————————————————————
beef and veal steaks and roasts 63 degrees C (145 degrees F) medium-rare
71 degrees C (160 degrees F) medium
77 degrees C (170 degrees F) well done
———————————————————————
pork chops, ribs, roasts; ground 71 degrees C (160 degrees F )
beef, ground pork and ground
veal, including sausages made
with ground beef/pork/veal
———————————————————————
stuffing and casseroles, 74 degrees C (165 degrees F)
hot dogs, leftovers, egg dishes;
ground chicken and ground
turkey, including sausages made
with ground chicken/turkey
———————————————————————
chicken and turkey breasts, legs, 74 degrees C (165 degrees F)
thighs and wings
———————————————————————
chicken and turkey, whole bird 85 degrees C (185 degrees F)
———————————————————————