Denmark and Sweden are the latest countries to report outbreaks of norovirus linked to shellfish from France. At least 180 people in Denmark are sick since the start of the year and 70 are affected in Sweden, although some of these are thought to have fallen ill after eating Swedish oysters. In France, 1,033 people have been sickened and 21 needed hospital treatment. Italy and the Netherlands have also reported outbreaks linked to live oysters…

Salmonella has been knocked off the top spot by Listeria monocytogenes as the main hazard dealt with by an international food safety network. During the fourth quarter of 2019, the International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) was involved in four incidents involving Listeria out of 15 concerning 44 countries, according to a recent report. Salmonella was tied for second with E. coli while other outbreaks from October to December 2019 featured norovirus and Clostridium botulinum.…

Almost 90 people are part of an outbreak in Denmark from Campylobacter after eating chicken meat from one slaughterhouse. Statens Serum Institut (SSI), the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration (Fødevarestyrelsen) and DTU Food – National Food Institute investigated the Campylobacter jejuni outbreak. As part of a project this past year involving the Clinical Microbiology Department (KMA) in Aalborg, Danish Veterinary and Food Administration and SSI; Campylobacter isolates from patients diagnosed in Aalborg beginning in March…

The system for monitoring chemical contamination of food in France works well most of the time but has some gaps, according to ANSES. The French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) assessed the surveillance and control scheme in place between 2010 and 2014 for inorganic and organic contaminants excluding toxins, mycotoxins, marine biotoxins and plant toxins. Checks for monitoring chemical contamination of food such as trace metal elements in milk were…

The number of people in France who have become ill after eating contaminated raw shellfish has jumped to more than 1,000. The outbreak has spurred international recalls. A total of 1,033 people have been sickened and 21 needed hospital treatment, according to Santé publique France. A previous update listed the number of illnesses at 668. Sweden, Italy and the Netherlands have all also reported outbreaks linked to live oysters from France. Products have been…

There is growing interest in collecting wild fungi in Ireland but this is not supported by an appreciation of the associated dangers, according to researchers. The issue constitutes a growing national health threat, wrote Dr. Douglas Hamilton and Dr. Gerard Meagher, from the department of public health, HSE Midlands in the first edition of Epi Insight Volume 21, Issue 1 for 2020. They said there is currently no established coordination system for surveillance, public…

More than 650 people have fallen ill in France this past month after eating contaminated raw shellfish. Since the start of December 2019, Santé publique France has received 123 reports of collective food poisoning suspected to be linked to consumption of raw shellfish, mainly oysters. The majority, 87 of the 123 alerts, occurred from Dec. 23, 2019, and forward. A peak of illnesses hit from December 25 to 27. A total of 668 people were…