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Fears of an E.coli outbreak following illness to five children in Napa county have forced authorities to initiate recall of 100,000 pounds of frozen ground beef patties in five US states. Officials confirmed that the children fell ill eating hamburgers at two Little League concessions stands on Saturday.
The suspected ground beef patties are distributed across five states including California, Arizona, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. Produced by Richwood Meat Co. Inc of Merced, the patties were processed between April and May 2006. The food poisoning with E. coli was reported on April 3 and 4, according to Napa County's health officer Karen Smith.
Escherichia coli or (E. coli) is a bacterium normally found in the gut of human beings. Under normal circumstances, the bacteria play an important role in waste processing, vitamin K production, and food absorption from the large intestine.
However the E. coli strain O157:H7 is associated with a host of illnesses in man. Prime among these diseases are food poisoning, urinary tract infections, peritonitis, meningitis and septicemia.
The O157:H7 strain of E.coli was linked to the outbreak caused by fresh bagged spinach in late 2006. In the very young and the very old, E.coli can prove to be a fatal infection. E.coli is also found in raw and undercooked beef, infected water and milk.
Symptoms of E.coli infection include bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps. Most E.coli infections are linked to consuming undercooked, contaminated ground beef, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Consumers can prevent E. coli O157:H7 infection by cooking ground beef thoroughly and by avoiding drinking unpasteurized milk. Additionally washing hands carefully before preparing or eating food is also advised.
In the present case though, Theresa Richmond, a spokeswoman for the Napa County Health and Human Services Division, says consumers must simply throw away the contaminated beef. "It doesn't matter if you cook it to a cinder," she said. "It has to be considered unsafe. Throw it away."
Suspected brands include Fireriver, Chef's Pride, Ritz Food, Blackwood Farms, California Pacific Associates, C&C Distributing, Golbon and Richwood, it is reported. Steve Wood, the vice president of Richwood Meat said that they had received information about the contaminated patties, but were unaware of the E.coli strain involved.
Dr. Karen Smith revealed all children suffering from E.coli infection have now recovered. They suffered from bloody diarrhea for three to five days, but the infection was controlled and did not progress enough to cause complications, she added
The U.S. Agriculture Department said the California Department of Health Services had sampled the ground beef earlier this week and found possible E.coli contamination.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has the following guidelines to prevent E.coli infection,
* Cook all ground beef and hamburger thoroughly
* If you are served an undercooked hamburger or other ground beef product in a restaurant, send it back for further cooking.
* Wash fruits and vegetables under running water, especially those that will not be cooked.
* Make sure that persons with diarrhea, especially children, wash their hands carefully with soap after bowel movements to reduce the risk of spreading infection.
Following simple guidelines can prevent E.coli infections. However in the ground beef recall presently underway authorities are advising consumers to either throw away or return the suspected products.
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