Salmonella -tainted cereal sickens 21 in 13 states
Editor’s note: The numbers in this story were revised on Apr 15 to reflect a correction issued by the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA originally said the outbreak involved 23 cases in 14 states, but on Apr 15 the agency said the correct numbers were 21 cases in 13 states.Apr 14, 2008 (CIDRAP News) – The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has linked at least 21 illnesses in 13 states to a Salmonella strain that triggered a recent recall of puffed rice and puffed wheat cereals made by Malt-O-Meal, based in Minneapolis.According to federal and state public health officials, the outbreak involves the same uncommon strain, Salmonella enterica serotype Agona, that caused an outbreak 10 years ago that was linked to toasted oats cereal produced at Malt-O-Meal’s Northfield, Minn., plant.The FDA, in an Apr 12 statement, said the products—originally recalled on Apr 5—include unsweetened puffed rice and puffed wheat cereals that were distributed nationally under the Malt-O-Meal label, as well as several other private-label brands such as Acme, America’s Choice, Food Club, Giant, Hannaford, Jewell, Laura Lynn, Pathmark, Shaw’s, ShopRite, Tops, and Weis Quality. The products have “best if used by” dates that range from Apr 8, 2008, to Mar 18, 2009.Malt-O-Meal said in an Apr 11 press release that routine sampling revealed Salmonella on a product that was produced on Mar 24, and a follow-up investigation determined additional products may have been exposed to the pathogen.In a statement issued Apr 11, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the Minnesota Department of Health had confirmed that an S Agona isolate obtained from the state’s Malt-O-Meal plant had the same pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) pattern as isolates from people who were ill.According to the CDC’s most recent count, as of Apr 11 the outbreak had sickened 21 patients in 13 states, including California, Colorado, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Illness onset dates were known for 9 patients and ranged from Jan 22 to Mar 2. Patients’ ages range from 1 to 95 years, and 62% are female. Three hospitalizations have been reported, but no deaths.The CDC said the PulseNet system notified its outbreak team on Apr 7 about a cluster of human S Agona isolates from several states that had the same genetic fingerprint. Three days later, several state health departments notified the CDC that patients who had S Agona infections had eaten Malt-O-Meal cereal products.State health departments, the CDC, and the FDA are in the process of identifying additional cases and are investigating what led to the outbreak, according to the CDC statement. However, Malt-O-Meal said its own investigation into the source of the Salmonella had “determined a root cause of this situation and corrective measures have been taken to ensure that there is no reoccurrence of this issue.” The company did not specify what the root cause was.Chris Neugent, Malt-O-Meal’s president and chief executive officer, said in the press release that the company has had a strong food safety record with systems that exceed industry standards, including a new program that requires suppliers to use third-party audits to prove they have effective food safety programs.”We will take any additional measures necessary to preserve our customers’ confidence in the safety and wholesomeness of the products we offer to consumers,” he said.In April and May of 1998, at least 209 people from 11 states were sickened in an S Agona outbreak involving Malt-O-Meal’s toasted oats cereal, according to a Jun 12, 1998, report in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). At least 47 patients were hospitalized. According to the MMWR report, the outbreak only involved the Millville brand of toasted-oats cereal made by Malt-O-Meal.In the MMWR report, the CDC said S Agona is an uncommon serotype that accounts for about 1.5% of human Salmonella isolates and is found in several animal reservoirs, including poultry, cattle, and pigs, and in animal feed. Other outbreaks involving S Agona have been linked to dried milk and a commercial peanut-flavored snack.Craig Hedberg, PhD, a foodborne disease expert and associate professor of environmental health sciences at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health in Minneapolis, told CIDRAP News that there may an environmental source of S Agona at the plant, despite the steps that Malt-O-Meal reportedly took in response to the previous outbreak in 1998.”My guess is that the bug may have been in the plant the whole time, but that to have enough contamination to cause an outbreak also required an amplifying event,” he said.Hedberg said that if this is, in fact, the same strain that caused the previous outbreak, it would be interesting to review PulseNet data see if health officials have missed other cases involving the outbreak strain over the past 10 years.This latest Salmonella outbreak underlines a finding the CDC released a few days ago in its annual FoodNet update, he said. “We haven’t made much progress in controlling Salmonella,” Hedberg said. Data from the CDC’s 10-state FoodNet surveillance system suggested that in 2007 rates of infection with Campylobacter, Listeria, Salmonella, Shigella, E coli O157, and Yersinia did not decline significantly compared with the previous 3 years.Of 17,883 foodborne infections that were reported through FoodNet in 2007, up slightly from the 17,252 reported in 2006, Salmonella led the list, with 6,790 confirmed cases (38% of the total).See also:Apr 12 FDA press releasehttp://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/2008/ucm116880.htmCDC Salmonella Agona pagehttp://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/agona/CDC. Multistate outbreak of Salmonella serotype Agona infections linked to toasted oats cereal—United States, April-May, 1998. MMWR 1998 Jun 12;47(22):462-4 [Full text]Apr 10 CIDRAP News story “Foodborne disease rates changed little in 2007”
But, Vinesh emphasised that the sudden decision to get engaged was not a result of the controversial reports doing rounds in the media.“No, it was nothing like that. For me, that article involving Neeraj didn’t exist. Somvir and I are friends for 7-8 years and the whole country knows about our relationship,” Vinesh was quoted by the TOI. Vinesh Phogat won the elusive gold in the 50kg freestyle category as she defeated Japan’s Yuki Irie by 6-2 to bag the shiny gold. For all the Latest Sports News News, Asian Games News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Indian wrestling superstar Vinesh Phogat exchanged rings with her longtime friend Somveer Rathi at the Delhi airport as she got engaged after winning a historic gold medal at the ongoing 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia. The selection of a rather odd venue for the engagement raised some eyebrows as the Asian Games gold medallist put an end to the controversial media reports surrounding her and Somveer’s relationship.ALSO READ: Asian Games 2018, Day 11 LIVE: India eye more medalsVinesh Phogat marked her name in the history books as she became the first ever Indian woman to win a gold medal in wrestling at the Asian Games. However, her name has been constantly making rounds among the media outlets as recently she was romantically linked with another Asian Games gold medallist and star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra. Vinesh criticised the report that alleged closeness between the two and expressed her displeasure.However, she has now buried all the rumours following her engagement with Somveer Rathi, who is also a Greco Roman wrestler.ALSO READ: Cristiano Ronaldo wins UEFA Goal of the Season for overhead kickVinesh later took to Instagram and posted photographs of her engagement.”Thank you everyone for making me feel special with your warm and beautiful birthday wishes. I am really touched and humbled with all the blessings showered on us. This birthday will always be a memorable one,” she wrote. 
ROCK FALLS — Authorities say the search continues for an Illinois man last seen earlier this month at a campground near Rock Falls.The Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Department says 48-year-old Lawrence Howlett of Sandwich Illinois was last seen at about 10 o’clock on the night of June 1st near his camper along the Shell Rock River at Camp of the Woods northwest of Rock Falls.Howlett is 5-foot-5, weighing about 160 pounds, and was last seen wearing blue jean shorts, a gray tank top and tan work boots.Since he was reported missing, the Sheriff’s Department says authorities have conducted ground and water searches in the area where Howlett was last seen.The Sheriff’s Department asks for the public’s help, and anybody that has information is asked to call them at 641-421-3000.
RTE broadcaster John Creedon recently did a super series for the national broadcaster on the Wild Atlantic Way.DonegalTV caught up with the broadcaster on his travels to the county and he explained the things he likes best about Donegal. Simply click on the video to play.DDTV: SO JUST WHY DOES RTE BROADCASTER JOHN CREEDON LOVE DONEGAL? was last modified: October 25th, 2015 by StephenShare this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window) Tags:DDTVdonegalJohn CreedonRTEWild Atlantic Way