E. Coli Outbreak Linked to Costco Chicken Salad, C.D.C Says

[bananas]

Source: New York Times

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday that public health officials were investigating an outbreak of E. coli that had sickened 19 people in seven states. The outbreak is thought to be linked to chicken salad from Costco, the C.D.C. said.

Five people had been hospitalized, and two developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a type of kidney failure, the centers said in an update on Tuesday. No deaths have been reported, and most of the cases have involved people living in the Western United States.

The agency said that consumers who purchased rotisserie chicken salad from any Costco store on or before Nov. 20 should not eat it. Throw it away.

The strain of E. coli linked to the chicken salad, STEC O157:H7, can be fatal, especially in children. In 1993, hundreds of people became sick and four children died after an outbreak from undercooked Jack-in-the-Box hamburgers.

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Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/26/us/e-coli-outbreak-linked-to-costco-chicken-salad-cdc-says.html?_r=0

[bananas]

1. E. Coli Tied to Costco More Dangerous Than Chipotle Outbreak

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/19-people-ill-coli-linked-costco-chicken-salad-35406932

E. Coli Tied to Costco More Dangerous Than Chipotle Outbreak

By DONNA GORDON BLANKINSHIP, ASSOCIATED PRESS SEATTLE — Nov 25, 2015, 12:26 PM ET

The strain of E. coli linked to Costco chicken salad that sickened 19 people in seven states is more likely to be life-threatening than a recent outbreak that closed some Chipotle restaurants in the Northwest.

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The strain of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli can be life-threatening, but no deaths have been reported. Five people have been hospitalized and two have developed a type of kidney failure, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

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The CDC said the illness reports began on Oct. 6 and involved people from age 5 to 84.

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Seattle attorney Bill Marler, who is representing people sickened in the Chipotle outbreak, said the problem appears serious because two people have developed kidney failure. People were hospitalized in the Chipotle outbreak, but no one developed kidney failure.

Marler said the new case shows why food safety is so crucial.

"Costco has always been a leader in food safety at retail, it just goes to show you how important controlling your supply chain is," Marler said.

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[bananas]

2. Costco chicken salad pulled over concerns it makes people sick

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/11/24/costco-chicken-salad-pulled-shelves-over-concerns-make-people-sick/76334842/

Costco chicken salad pulled over concerns it makes people sick

Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY 9:45 a.m. EST November 25, 2015

DENVER — An outbreak of E. coli infections that’s sickened at least 19 people across seven states has been tentatively linked to chicken salad sold at Costco stores.

Costco Wholesale has pulled the “chicken salad made with rotisserie chicken” from its shelves, and investigators are interviewing ill people and using DNA analysis to track the path. No deaths have been reported, the CDC said, but five people got so sick they had to be hospitalized, and two suffered kidney failure.

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More than 48 million people are sickened by the food they eat each year in the country, causing about 3,000 deaths and 125,000 hospitalizations, costing our economy $14.1 billion, the CDC says.

Salmonella is the leading cause of food-bourne illnesses and hospitalizations, usually traced to eggs, chicken and raw ground tuna. Listeria in recent years has caused the most deaths, largely due to an outbreak caused by contaminated cantaloupe in 2011 that killed 33 people, the CDC said.

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

3. I'm just glad that I reach for chicken as a last resort...

... as a personal rule. Too much natural farmer in me. The way they raise commercial chickens now days is a big turn off. RIP grandpa and grandma.

[NJCher]

4. don't buy prepared foods

It's hard for some people because they work a lot and also have kids, but buy a 4- or 5-ingredient cookbook (easy cooking) and learn to whip together simple dishes on your own.

There are so many points in a prepared food production chain that it's a wonder it doesn't happen more often.


Cher

[DebJ]

5. I worked for a chain called "Chicken Out" for several years.

It was rotisserie chicken, and we used the leftovers to make several different chicken salad recipes (I think it might have been 7).

But the best selling recipe, the one customers would sometimes ask me 'what's the secret'...was this:
low-fat mayo and pulled white breast meat.

That's it.

How much simpler could it be to do at home?

[HuckleB]

6. This is not good at all.

This is an actual health concern.