May 24, 2013
CDC reports 391 cases in Salmonella outbreaks tied to pet turtles
A set of continuing Salmonella outbreaks linked to pet turtles has increased to a total of 391 cases in 40 states and Washington, DC, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported today. Twenty-nine percent of the patients have been hospitalized, but none have died. Most of the patients have been children, with 71% of them under age 10 and 33% just 1 year old or younger. Also, 45% of patients have been Hispanic. Seventy percent of those infected reported contact with turtles before they got sick, and 89% of that group reported exposure to small turtles (shells less than 4 inches long), the sale of which has been banned in the United States since 1975. Four of the eight outbreaks remain under active investigation. The CDC reported a total of 20 new cases in three of the outbreaks.
May 24 CDC update
Alaska reports second raw milk Campylobacter outbreak
Alaska health officials are investigating another Campylobacter outbreak in patients who drank raw milk from a Kenai Peninsula cow-share program that was linked to an event in February that sickened 31 people. In a media release yesterday, the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (ADHSS) said five people have been sickened so far in the latest outbreak. Testing of samples in the recent outbreak identified the same strain of Campylobacter jejuni found in cow manure earlier this year at the farm that distributed the milk. Joe McLaughlin, MD, MPH, state epidemiologist, said in the statement that the genetic fingerprint of the strain is unique and has never been seen in the United States before. "These outbreaks are an unfortunate reminder of the inherent risks associated with raw milk consumption and underscore the importance of pasteurization."
May 23 ADHSS press
release
