USDA creates new policy to help reduce salmonella in raw poultry
(NEW YORK) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has proposed a new rule that aims to protect consumers from foodborne illnesses by significantly reducing salmonella in poultry products that make it onto grocery store shelves and into shoppers’ kitchens.
After three years of reevaluating its strategy for controlling salmonella rates in poultry, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced a new proposal on Monday that would require poultry companies to keep salmonella levels under a certain threshold and ensure they test for six specific forms of bacteria in raw chicken and turkey products.
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said in a statement that the newly proposed framework “marks a historic step forward to combat” poultry-related Salmonella contamination and hopes it will keep contaminated meat out of stores to help lessen the number of recalls and illnesses.
“This proposed framework is a systematic approach to addressing Salmonella contamination at poultry slaughter and processing, which includes enforceable standards that will result in safer food for consumers and fewer illnesses,” he said.
Citing the Poultry Products Inspection Act, the FSIS said this rule would “establish final product standards based on these Salmonella levels and serotypes” and prevent adulterated raw chicken and turkey products from entering the retail supply.
FSIS also proposed revisions to regulations that would require all poultry slaughter establishments to “develop a microbial monitoring program to prevent pathogen contamination throughout the slaughter system.”
“The proposed Salmonella framework is grounded in data and rigorous scientific evaluation, and it reflects feedback from extensive stakeholder engagement,” USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. José Emilio Esteban said in a statement. “We encourage all interested stakeholders to submit comments and relevant data on the proposal as we work to finalize data-driven, science-based regulatory policies to address Salmonella in poultry.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, salmonella bacteria cause over one million human infections in the U.S. each year.
Food is the leading source of salmonella infections and poultry is among the leading sources of foodborne salmonella illnesses, the CDC has found.
The FSIS estimates there are 125,000 chicken-associated and nearly 43,000 turkey-associated foodborne salmonella illnesses per year. Despite agency data that indicates salmonella contamination in poultry products has been decreasing, the agency said there has not been an observed reduction in salmonella illnesses.
The CDC has published a list of safety tips to avoid food-borne illnesses on its website, which include washing hands for at least 20 seconds “with soap and warm or cold water before, during, and after preparing food and before eating” — especially after handling uncooked meat, chicken and other poultry, seafood, flour or eggs — as well as any utensils, cutting boards and countertops; avoiding cross-contamination; cooking foods to a safe internal temperature; and refrigerating food promptly afterward.
“Bacteria can multiply rapidly if left at room temperature or in the ‘Danger Zone’ between 40°F and 140°F,” the CDC states. “Never leave perishable food out for more than 2 hours (or 1 hour if exposed to temperatures above 90°F).”
The CDC also recommends washing hands thoroughly with running water and soap after touching pets and other animals or their belongings.
(NEW YORK) — A third death has been reported in connection to a multi-state outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections that has been linked to a Boar’s Head deli meat recall.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday that since a previous update on July 31, nine more cases of listeria had been reported, including one new death in Virginia.
In total, there have been 43 illnesses leading to hospitalization.
The announcement also stated that the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets’ Division of Food Safety and Inspection “collected unopened Boar’s Head liverwurst products from retail stores and the New York State Food Laboratory identified Listeria monocytogenes” and that “[whole-genome sequencing] determined it to be the same strain as the strain making people sick in this outbreak.”
Boar’s Head previously expanded its original July 26 recall on several types of deli meats to include an additional 7 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products that may be contaminated with listeria.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service initially announced that Boar’s Head Provisions Co. had recalled 71 products produced between May 10, 2024, and July 29, 2024, under the Boar’s Head and Old Country brand names.
The announcement was an expansion on a previous recall announcement amid an ongoing investigation by the CDC into an outbreak of listeria infections linked to meats sliced at delis that had sickened 34 people across 13 states.
ABC News’ Good Morning America has reached out to Boar’s Head for comment on the recall.
Details of Boar’s Head deli meat recall
The Virginia-based meat producer initially recalled approximately 207,528 pounds of products that were distributed to retail deli locations nationwide, including all liverwurst products and “additional deli meat products that were produced on the same line and on the same day as the liverwurst” that could be “adulterated with L. monocytogenes.”
Boar’s Head deli meat recalled product information
“On July 30, Boar’s Head expanded their July 26 recall to include all deli products, including prepackaged deli products, in shelf life from this establishment,” the CDC stated previously. “Look for “EST. 12612” or “P-12612″ inside the USDA mark of inspection on the product labels.”
The items “include meat intended for slicing at retail delis as well as some packaged meat and poultry products sold at retail locations,” FSIS stated Wednesday. “These products have ‘sell by’ dates ranging from 29-JUL-2024 through 17-OCT-24.”
Click here for the full list of product details with item numbers, brand names and sell by dates.
The ready-to-eat liverwurst products were produced between June 11, 2024, and July 17, 2024, and have a 44-day shelf life.
Recalled liverwurst products include 3.5-pound loaves in plastic casing, or “various weight packages sliced in retail delis,” according to the FSIS, and are labeled “Boar’s Head Strassburger Brand Liverwurst MADE IN VIRGINIA.”
The products, which the FSIS said were shipped to retailers, bear sell by dates ranging from July 25 to Aug. 30, 2024. Sell by dates are printed on the side of the packaging.
Additional ready-to-eat deli meats subject to recall
9.5-pound and 4.5-pound full product, or various weight packages sliced in retail delis, containing “Boar’s Head VIRGINIA HAM OLD FASHIONED HAM” with sell by date “AUG 10” on the product packaging.
4-pound, or various weight packages sliced in retail delis, containing “Boar’s Head ITALIAN CAPPY STYLE HAM” with sell by date “AUG 10” on the product packaging.
6-pound, or various weight packages sliced in retail delis, containing “Boar’s Head EXTRA HOT ITALIAN CAPPY STYLE HAM” with sell by date “AUG 10” on the product packaging.
4-pound, or various weight packages sliced in retail delis, containing “Boar’s Head BOLOGNA” with sell by date “AUG 10” on the product packaging.
2.5-pound, or various weight packages sliced in retail delis, containing “Boar’s Head BEEF SALAMI” with sell by date “AUG 10” on the product packaging.
5.5-pound, or various weight packages sliced in retail delis, containing “Boar’s Head STEAKHOUSE ROASTED BACON HEAT & EAT” with sell by date “AUG 15” on the product packaging.
3-pound, or various weight packages sliced in retail delis, containing “Boar’s Head GARLIC BOLOGNA” with sell by date “AUG 10” on the product packaging.
3-pound, or various weight packages sliced in retail delis, containing “Boar’s Head BEEF BOLOGNA” with sell by date “AUG 10” on the product packaging.
The recalled products bear establishment number “EST. 12612” inside the USDA mark of inspection on the product labels.
The above products were produced on June 27, 2024, according to Boar’s Head.
What prompted the Boar’s Head recall
According to the USDA, the problem was discovered when the FSIS “was notified that a sample collected by the Maryland Department of Health tested positive for L. monocytogenes.”
“The Maryland Department of Health, in collaboration with the Baltimore City Health Department, collected an unopened liverwurst product from a retail store for testing as part of an outbreak investigation of L. monocytogenes infections,” the agency stated previously. “Further testing is ongoing to determine if the product sample is related to the outbreak. Anyone concerned about illness should contact a healthcare provider.”
Details of listeria outbreak linked to deli meats
The FSIS is currently working with the CDC as well as state public health partners to investigate a multi-state outbreak of listeria infections linked to meats sliced at delis, USDA officials said.
According to the CDC, “All 43 people have been hospitalized and three deaths have now been reported, one from Illinois, one from New Jersey, and, as of this update, one from Virginia.”
As of Aug. 8, states involved in the outbreak included Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts.
“Samples were collected from sick people from May 29, 2024, to July 12, 2024,” the USDA stated, adding that “the investigation is ongoing.”
In a notice published July 19, the CDC stated that many of those sickened in the outbreak had reported eating meat that they had sliced at deli counters.
“Investigators are collecting information to determine the specific products that may be contaminated,” the CDC stated.
“Listeria spreads easily among deli equipment, surfaces, hands and food,” the agency added. “Refrigeration does not kill Listeria, but reheating to a high enough temperature before eating will kill any germs that may be on these meats.”
Symptoms, side effects of listeria
According to the CDC, listeria can cause severe illness “when the bacteria spread beyond the gut to other parts of the body” after a person consumes contaminated food. Those at higher risk include pregnant people, those aged 65 or older, or anyone who has a weakened immune system, the CDC says.
“If you are pregnant, it can cause pregnancy loss, premature birth, or a life-threatening infection in your newborn,” the CDC states on its website. “Other people can be infected with Listeria, but they rarely become seriously ill.”
According to the CDC, anyone infected with listeria may experience “mild food poisoning symptoms” such as diarrhea or fever, and many recover without antibiotic treatment.
An estimated 1,600 people get listeria food poisoning each year and about 260 die, according to the CDC.
An earlier version of this story was originally published July 26, 2024.
(NEW YORK) — As the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris came to an end this weekend, most of the conversation surrounded the number of medals won, and the number of records broken.
However, there was also another topic at hand: the presence of COVID-19 at the Olympics.
At least 40 athletes tested positive for COVID, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), including several Australian swimmers, a British swimmer and a German decathlon competitor.
Additionally, American track and field star Noah Lyles won bronze in the 200-meter race after testing positive for COVID-19 two days prior.
Despite the number of cases, public health experts told ABC News that the Paris Games were actually a success and a testament to how far the world has come since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
“COVID-19 was so less disruptive in Paris than it was in Tokyo or Beijing because of what science and medicine have done over the past four years,” Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease physician and senior scholar at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told ABC News.
“That should be the story, that we went from something that was disrupting the entire world to something that is now kind of a rank-and-file respiratory virus. I think that’s the real story. Here is the success of humanity with tackling this scientific problem, and the minds that went to work on this problem and made it something that is no longer a major concern for a lot of the population,” Adalja said.
How the Paris Olympics were different
The Paris Olympics were billed as the first games with some sense of normalcy after the strict restrictions seen during the 2021 Summer Games in Tokyo and the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing.
Athletes were under strict testing and quarantine protocols and had to follow stringent mitigation measures to participate in the 2021 or 2022 Games. No spectators were allowed at the Tokyo Games while a limited number were allowed at the Beijing Games.
Comparatively, there were no formal requirements for regular COVID-19 testing or reporting for the Paris Games, either in general or for specific events.
An athlete testing positive did not require them to sit out from an event either. Participating following a positive test was left up to the discretion of the athlete, team and medical staff. Additionally, there were no restrictions regarding spectators.
“The Paris Olympics were something that really resembled pre-COVID Olympics, nothing like what we saw in Beijing, nothing like what we saw in Tokyo,” Adalja said. “And I think that reflects the fact that the context regarding the virus that causes COVID-19 has changed a lot over the past four years.”
COVID at the Paris Games
Only about 40 COVID-19 cases were confirmed among athletes at the 2024 Summer Games. Experts say it’s not out of the ordinary that cases would occur and that, likely, the total is an undercount of cases.
“I am sure that that is a gross under-representation of the actual number of cases,” Dr. Pedro Piedra, a professor in the Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology and Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, told ABC News.
“[COVID] testing is not required, and testing for other respiratory viruses has really not been required either, and whenever you have such an event, it is an excellent ground for viruses to transmit. And that’s not just unique to the Olympics. That’s anytime you have a lot of individuals cluster over time together,” he continued.
The Australian Olympic Committee said last week that 16 athletes tested positive for COVID, at least seven of whom were swimmers.
The British Olympic Committee said swimmer Adam Peaty tested positive for COVID-19 less than 24 hours after winning silver in the men’s 100-meter breaststroke final.
Perhaps, most famous, Lyles — the American sprinter — revealed after winning bronze in the 200-meter men’s final that he had tested positive two days beforehand. Lyles drew a great deal of criticism for running the race unmasked and not publicly revealing his diagnosis before the competition.
However, experts said that COVID-19 is beginning to be considered an endemic virus, meaning it is typically present, and should be treated like other endemic viruses, like the flu.
“A lot has changed, and this virus is now what we would call an endemic virus; it’s basically part of the new respiratory viruses that circulate within our community,” Piedra said. “We don’t try to test every virus for every illness that we have. If we did, I think it would cost significantly, and on many occasions, we don’t have any form of treatment or prevention methods.”
Adalja said because COVID-19 is being considered an endemic respiratory virus, each individual case is less significantly important.
“We have so many tools that science and medicine have given us that make COVID-19 so much more manageable in 2024 than it was in 2020, 2021, 2022,” he said. “So, in that sense, the fact that you’re not hearing about every case as it occurs is just like you don’t hear about every case of influenza that occurs.”
He continued, “I think that the fact that people are back to their lives, that people are winning medals when they have COVID-19 really shows that despite all of the obstacles the governments put in place to deal with COVID appropriately, scientists, physicians delivered and developed so many tools that were able to now live our lives in the midst of COVID-19 and not have It be as disruptive as it once was.”
(MADISON, Wis.) — Health officials are warning of the dangers of mosquitoes infected with West Nile virus after three recent deaths were recorded across Wisconsin and Illinois.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) confirmed on Thursday that two people have died and another was hospitalized due to the effects of the virus.
The cases were reported in Outagamie, Fond du Lac and Brown counties, according to the state’s DHS. Wisconsin officials did not release the identity of the individuals.
An average of 18 cases of illness from West Nile virus are reported in Wisconsin every year, according to DHS officials.
Earlier this week, health officials in Illinois announced the first death in the state from West Nile virus after a Lake County resident in their 80s had an onset of symptoms in mid-August and died soon after.
There were six West Nile virus deaths recorded in Illinois in 2023.
“Sadly, Illinois is reporting our first death of the year attributed to West Nile virus,” Illinois Department of Public Health director Dr. Sameer Vohra said in a statement Tuesday.
“This death — and the six that occurred last year in Illinois — are a stark reminder that West Nile virus poses a serious risk, especially to older people and those with weakened immune systems,” Vohra added.
What is West Nile virus?
West Nile virus is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the continental United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
There have been 289 human West Nile virus disease cases in 2024, according to the CDC.
Cases of the virus occur during mosquito season, which starts in the summer and continues through fall, according to the CDC. It was first introduced in the Western Hemisphere during the summer of 1999 after people were diagnosed in New York City.
Mosquitoes typically become infected with the virus after feeding on infected birds and then spread it to humans and other animals, the federal health agency said.
The majority of people with the virus do not have symptoms, but about one in five will experience fever along with headaches, body aches, joint pain, diarrhea, vomiting or a rash. Most symptoms disappear, but weakness and fatigue may last for weeks or months.
About one in 150 will develop severe disease leading to encephalitis, which is inflammation of the brain, or meningitis, which is inflammation of the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord — both of which can lead to death.
To best protect yourself, the CDC suggests using insect repellant, wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants, treating clothing and gear and taking steps to control mosquitoes. This last step includes putting screens on windows and doors, using air conditioning and emptying out containers with still water.
Warnings of safety and awareness surrounding mosquito-spread illnesses are being heeded by health officials across the country.
On Tuesday, health officials in New Hampshire said a resident died from a rare but serious case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus, also called Triple E.
The patient was hospitalized due to severe central nervous system disease and died of their illness, according to the state’s Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS).
There have been cases reported in at least five states: Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Vermont and Wisconsin.
The U.S. averages 11 human cases of eastern equine encephalitis each year, according to the CDC.
Between 2003 and 2023, there have been at least 196 cases, including 176 hospitalizations and 79 deaths from EEE.
In Massachusetts, 10 communities were designated as being under high or critical risk of Triple E, according to the state’s Department of Public Health. Many of the areas began implementing targeted mosquito spraying to protect residents.
Similar to West Nile virus, Triple E can pose a significant health risk.
Symptoms can range from a febrile illness to more severe neurological problems, according to the CDC.
The disease is particularly dangerous if it leads to encephalitis, or inflammation in the brain, with approximately 30% of people with encephalitis dying.
Many survivors experience long-term neurological issues, according to the CDC, which notes there are no human vaccines or specific treatments available, making prevention crucial.