Staph food poisoning responsible for 46 illnesses in Jessup, Maryland Department of Health says
Maryland health officials identified a cause that sickened some four dozen people in Jessup.
BALTIMORE —
Maryland health officials identified a cause that sickened some four dozen people in Jessup.
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The Maryland Department of Health sent a statement to 11 News on Tuesday, saying the state's public health lab determined Staphylococcus aureus (Staph) food poisoning as the cause of the gastrointestinal illnesses experienced by 46 workers at the NAFCO Wholesale Fish Distribution facility on Oct. 21.
Staph food poisoning is caused by toxins made by the bacteria, MDH said. Foods that are not cooked after handling, or are cooked thoroughly, can cause illness if contaminated with Staph. While cooking can kill Staph, it does not destroy the toxin in the food. Staph food poisoning is not transmitted from person to person.
MDH said it collected and tested clinical specimens from people who were ill, as well as from remnants of a food item consumed by those individuals.
No ill individuals were hospitalized, and none of the implicated food was distributed beyond employees at the facility.
Investigators said they do not believe the contaminated food came from NAFCO. Rather, someone brought in a noodle dish to share with coworkers.
Stanley Pearlman Enterprises, NAFCO's parent company, released a statement last week reiterating that the food in question did not come from its facility stating, in part: "NAFCO operates under the highest health and safety standards in the industry. Our headquarters and facilities are regularly inspected and monitored by the relevant health authorities to ensure compliance with all health and safety regulations."
Health officials believe this is an isolated incident and there is no further risk to the public.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the following steps can help prevent Staph food poisoning:
Always wash your hands before preparing or serving food.
Keep food out of the "danger zone," which is between 40 and 140 degrees.
Refrigerate perishable food after two hours (or one hour if in 90 degrees or hotter temperatures).
From the website:
Maryland health officials identified a cause that sickened some four dozen people in Jessup.Archive video above: 46 people taken to hospital are OK, officials sayThe Maryland Department of Health sent a statement to 11 News on Tuesday, saying the state's public health lab determined Staphylococcus aureus (Staph) food poisoning as the cause of the gastrointestinal illnesses experienced by 46 workers at the NAFCO Wholesale Fish Distribution facility on Oct. 21.| MDH LINK: Staphylococcus aureus | Food safety tipsStaph food poisoning is caused by toxins made by the bacteria, MDH said. Foods that are not cooked after handling, or are cooked thoroughly, can cause illness if contaminated with Staph.
While cooking can kill Staph, it does not destroy the toxin in the food. Staph food poisoning is not transmitted from person to person.MDH said it collected and tested clinical specimens from people who were ill, as well as from remnants of a food item consumed by those individuals.No ill individuals were hospitalized, and none of the implicated food was distributed beyond employees at the facility.Investigators said they do not believe the contaminated food came from NAFCO. Rather, someone brought in a noodle dish to share with coworkers.Stanley Pearlman Enterprises, NAFCO's parent company, released a statement last week reiterating that the food in question did not come from its facility stating, in part: "NAFCO operates under the highest health and safety standards in the industry.
Our headquarters and facilities are regularly inspected and monitored by the relevant health authorities to ensure compliance with all health and safety regulations."Health officials believe this is an isolated incident and there is no further risk to the public. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the following steps can help prevent Staph food poisoning: Always wash your hands before preparing or serving food. Keep food out of the "danger zone," which is between 40 and 140 degrees. Refrigerate perishable food after two hours (or one hour if in 90 degrees or hotter temperatures).