The Food and Drug Administration is investigating four foodborne illness outbreaks, including a new outbreak of infections from Listeria monocytogenes.
There are few details available about the new Listeria outbreak, which has infected 20 people across an unrevealed number of states. The FDA reports that it has initiated a traceback investigation, but did not announce what food or foods are being traced.
In other outbreak news, the FDA reports that an outbreak of infections from Salmonella Typhimurium has been declared over. At least 31 people in four states were sickened. Laboratory testing and patient interviews showed the most likely source was packaged salads from BrightFarms.
The table below shows ongoing outbreak investigations being managed by FDA’s CORE Response Teams. The investigations are in a variety of stages. Some outbreaks have limited information with active investigations ongoing, others may be near completion. The table below has been abbreviated to show only active investigations.
The Food and Drug Administration will issue public health advisories for outbreak investigations that result in “specific, actionable steps for consumers — such as throwing out or avoiding specific foods — to take to protect themselves,” according to the outbreak table page.
Not all recalls and alerts result in an outbreak of foodborne illness. Not all outbreaks result in recalls.
Outbreak investigations that do not result in specific, actionable steps for consumers may or may not conclusively identify a source or reveal any contributing factors, according to CORE’s outbreak table page. If a source(s) and/or contributing factors are identified that could inform future prevention, FDA commits to providing a summary of those findings, according to CORE officials. Click here to visit the FDA page that has a complete list of outbreak investigations and links to outbreak information.
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