Unlicensed Mexican-style cheese blamed for salmonellosis outbreak in Kane County, IL

[Ian David]

GLIDE Number: BH-20070324-10494-USA
Date / time: 24/03/2007 21:30:02
Event: Biological Hazard
Area: North-America
Country: USA
State/County: State of Illinois
City: Unknow
Number of Deads: None or unknow
Number of Injured: None or unknow
Damage level: Minor

Description:

An unlicensed Mexican-style cheese sold at local Hispanic grocery stores has been identified as the probable cause of a salmonellosis outbreak in Kane County (IL), officials said Thu 22 Mar 2007.

The Kane County Health Department has pulled the cheese, usually labeled as "queso fresco" and "queso cotija", from grocery shelves across the county as a precautionary measure after a sample tested positive as a carrier of the foodborne illness.

Officials believe there may be more than 300 people affected who have yet to be confirmed as having salmonella. "We're seeing the tip of the iceberg," said Paul Kuehnert, deputy executive director of the Kane County Health Department.

Most of the sick are Hispanic; about half are Aurora residents and half live in the Elgin/Carpentersville/Dundee area, communities with large Hispanic populations. Kuehnert advised consumers to check their refrigerators for the cheese and other products that lack labels identifying their origin as that of a government-regulated manufacturer. County and state health department investigators still are trying to determine the illegal manufacturer.

More:
http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/woalert_read.php?lang=eng&id=10494

[msongs]

1. happens in SO CAL as well - this type of queso is very spoilable nt

[kestrel91316]

2. This cheese is known as "bathtub cheese" in some circles.

It's not a terrorism issue but rather one of ignorance and lack of basic common-sense hygiene.

But the MSM loves to scare people that it might have been deliberate when this sort of thing happens.

[Ian David]

3. This is the National Security forum, not Terrorism Forum. Food Security is National Security.

We lose more people to bad food each year than to terrorism.

[kestrel91316]

4. I know. I just have a hard time thinking of bathtub cheese as a

national security issue, lol.

[Ian David]

5. For some, Cheese is even more important than National Security

[kestrel91316]

6. Yeah, dude, NEVER try to get between me and a good Brie.