Protecting families from contaminated food and water
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Protecting families from contaminated food and water
Posted in E. coli,Our Blog,Outbreaks & Recalls on June 8, 2020
According to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) a new outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 investigation has begun. So far 10 people have fallen ill with the same strain of E. coli. As of June 8, 2020 traceback investigation has been initiated.
When you are diagnosed with a foodborne illness, your doctor will have your sample tested. The results of these tests are uploaded into a network. This network is used by healthcare providers and health departments across the country in an effort to link strains of foodborne illnesses. This helps investigators identify a foodborne outbreak as early as possible.
An outbreak is defined as two or more people who become sick with the same illness from the same contaminated food or drink. While the two or more people can be in the same household, generally speaking a bigger outbreak involves people in different households, and for the case of consumer goods can even span multiple states across the country.
In the United States, outbreaks are investigated by an organization known as CORE. CORE stands for Coordinated Outbreak Response and Evaluation.
Established in 2001, CORE is comprised of experts in medicine, public health, and science. The goal is to find, stop, and prevent illness outbreaks. To date, CORE teams have identified 959 potential outbreaks, responded to 234 outbreaks potentially linked to foods regulated by the FDA, successfully identified a specific food in 100 outbreaks, and issued more than 400 public notifications to warn consumers of potential harmful foods.
The CORE Signals and Surveillance Team is the eyes in the field. They evaluate emerging outbreaks and disease surveillance trends in collaboration with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), FDA field offices, and state agencies. They continuously comb through data from sampling results, past inspections, product distribution and sourcing information among other information such as past incidents with similar pathogens and food pairs. If an FDA-regulated food appears to be the source of an outbreak, they pass that information onto a Response Team that works with the FDA to continue the investigation.
If the Signals and Surveillance Team is the eyes in the field, the Response Team are the boots on the ground. These experts work directly with the CDC, FDA field offices, FDA subject-matter experts, and state partners to determine a response strategy. This team coordinates the investigation which involves inspections and sampling to trace product distribution. Their relationship with the FDA, CDC, as well as state and local public health and agriculture departments are key to stopping an outbreak.
The CORE Communications Team is the voice to the public. This team monitors emerging and active investigations and issues public warnings as necessary. They also prepare statements and responses to FDA stakeholders and the media about the outbreak.
Two CORE teams are responsible for the lessons learned aspect of the outbreak. These teams break down all aspects of the outbreak. From ingredient sourcing, contributions to the outbreak from a production or distribution standpoint. They gather all of this information to recommend preventative measures the firm can integrate to prevent it from happening again.
The current E. coli outbreak is currently moving from the CORE Signals and Surveillance Team to assembling the Response Team. At this time, 10 individuals have been linked to the same illness. This means they have not only be sickened with E. coli, which is a common foodborne bug, but the same strain of E. coli.
This is determined by Whole Genome Sequencing to identify the exact strain of E. coli in the patient. The E. coli in each of these linked patients is either the exact same or nearly the same, in this case the exact strain of E. coli O157:H7.
At this time we do not know what specific food this outbreak is linked to. This information will be inferred though extensive patient interviews, where they will be asked to recount what they have had to eat or drink over the last several weeks. This data will be compared against all those interviewed to see what they may have in common. Did they all eat at the same restaurant? Did they eat the same food purchased from a grocery store?
If a common food item exists, the Response Team will be reaching out to food manufacturers or restaurants to conduct sampling activities. Food samples and environmental samples from the facilities of interest will be analyzed. If positive results are found, they too will undergo Whole Genome Sequencing to determine if there is a match.
This trail will continue until a root cause is found. A statement may be issued and a recall likely initiated well before a complete root cause is determined in order to protect against more people falling ill.
According to the FDA’s Outbreak page, until a source is determined and a recall initiated preventative measures are advised to reduce the risk of all foodborne illness.
There are an estimated 48 million cases of foodborne illness each year in the United States which is the equivalent to 1 in 6 Americans. This results in an estimated 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths.
Most symptoms of foodborne illness will occur within 1 to 3 days of consuming the contaminated food. Though depending on the particular bug it can be anywhere from 20 minutes up to 6 weeks before you feel the symptoms.
General symptoms include:
If you feel you have become ill with foodborne bacteria, whether you feel really bad or not it is a good idea to seek medical attention. While you may not feel terrible, your help in traceback activities could lead to a faster end to the outbreak.
Many cases of foodborne illness go unreported because generally healthy individuals often recover without medical attention. Those in the more vulnerable groups suffer more severe symptoms and are at higher risk of death. Helping with the traceback efforts helps to reduce the spread infection.
Regardless of outbreak source, there are a few simple steps that be taken in safe food handling to help protect you and your family from foodborne illness. Appropriate steps in cleaning, separating, cooking, and chilling will help reduce the risk of foodborne illness.
Wash your hands and food contact surfaces often is the first step in preventing foodborne illness.
Wash your hands with warm water and soap before and after handling food, after you change diapers or use the restroom, and after handling pets.
Food surfaces and tools such as cutting boards, dishes, utensils, and counter tops should be cleaned with hot soapy water after preparing each food item. Paper towels are recommended to clean up kitchen surfaces such as counter tips. If cloth towels are used, they should be laundered in the hot wash cycle.
Fresh fruits and vegetables should be rinsed under running tap water, even those with skins and rinds that are not meant to be consumed. Firm produce should be scrubbed with a clean produce brush.
Clean lids of canned goods prior to opening so contaminants do not make their way into the can from the can opener puncturing the lid or the lid dipping into the contents.
Raw foods should always be kept separate from ready-to-eat foods. While shopping in the shopping cart, in grocery bags, and in your refrigerator.
Keeping separate cutting boards for fresh produce and meats such as raw meat, poultry, and seafood will help prevent cross contamination.
Do not place cooked food on a plate that held raw food such as raw meat, poultry, seafood, or eggs unless the plate was since washed in hot, soapy water to help prevent cross contamination.
Leftover marinade that was in contact with meats or even vegetables should not be reused unless it has been brought to a boil to kill any potential foodborne bacteria to prevent cross contamination.
Cooking to the correct internal temperature is a key step in reducing foodborne illness. Color and texture are unreliable at best and misleading at worse when it comes to determining if a food is cooked to a safe temperature.
A food thermometer is the only true way to identify safe minimum internal temperature to destroy harmful bacteria.
Eggs should be cooked until the yolk and white are firm. Recipes that include eggs that are raw or undercooked are illness waiting to happen and not worth the risk.
Microwave cooking requires even cooking. Cover food and rotate for even cooking. If there is no turntable, the dish can be rotated by hand once or twice during the cooking time. Always allow the required standing time, which can be anywhere from one minute to five minutes to allow cooking time to complete prior to checking internal temperature with a food thermometer.
When reheating sauces, soups, or gravies, they should be brought to a boil to destroy any lurking foodborne bacteria.
Chilling food properly is another step to reducing the risk of foodborne illness. Refrigerating food promptly and at a minimum within 2 hours of cooking or purchasing or within 1 hour if the ambient temperature is above 90o F.
Refrigeration temperatures should be consistently below 40o F and freezers should be below 0o F. An appliance thermometer is recommended to monitor the temperatures in these areas.
Food should never be thawed on the countertop. The FDA recommends food to be thawed in the refrigerator, in cold water, or in the microwave. Food thawed in the microwave or refrigerator should be cooked immediately.
Food should be marinated in the refrigerator and treated as raw food. Keep raw, marinating food separate from ready-to-eat foods.
When refrigerating leftovers, large amounts should be divided into smaller, shallow containers so that they can been cooled more quickly in the refrigerator. This reduces the risk of foodborne bacteria multiplying into harmful quantities before reaching safe storage temperatures.
MakeFoodSafe.com will continue to monitor for updated information as it is available to bring you the latest information on this E. coli outbreak. The investigation is in the early stages at this time and information is limited. As the Response Team starts traceback activities we expect to have a source and potential recalls soon.
If you have become seriously ill from this E. coli outbreak and wish to make a legal claim for compensation,
The Lange Law Firm, PLLC has successfully won millions of dollars in products liability and food poisoning cases and they can help you too!
Call (833) 330-3663 or send an email for a free, no obligation consultation.
By: Heather Van Tassell (contributing writer, non-lawyer)