Stomach bug hits new Iowa patients in outbreak linked to salad mix

By Karen Brooks

(Reuters) - A severe stomach illness linked to prepackaged salad has struck two new patients in Iowa, state health officials said on Wednesday, as the bug spread through 16 states.

The salad mix has been blamed for most of the 145 total cases in Iowa and the 78 in Nebraska of the rare parasite cyclospora, which causes gastrointestinal illness. The two states account for nearly two-thirds of at least 378 cases in the United States since mid-June.

The cause of outbreaks in other states is still under investigation, but officials with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said they are working to determine whether the prepackaged salad mix, the brand name of which has not been released, is responsible for outbreaks in states from New York and New Jersey to Florida and Texas.

At least 21 people have been hospitalized in three states with the bug, CDC officials said.

Symptoms caused by the one-cell parasite include watery diarrhea, vomiting and body aches. The virus is commonly associated with contaminated fresh produce and can be difficult to wash off.

Officials in Iowa and Nebraska said the salad mix was distributed nationally and there is no indication that local produce was involved in the outbreak.

The mix, sold as prewashed and ready to eat, was described by health officials as a combination of iceberg lettuce, carrots and red cabbage.

The product has been pulled from the shelves in Iowa and appears to have been consumed by the stricken residents in mid-June, health officials said. It was unclear whether the product had been removed from distribution in Nebraska.

Nebraska health officials said earlier this week that the same salad mix appeared to be responsible for the outbreak there as well.

New cases are being reported in Nebraska daily, officials there said, but it is unlikely that the same batch is still on shelves or in refrigerators, as the product's shelf life is short.

Cyclosporiasis symptoms usually manifest within several days of eating the contaminated food, and include diarrhea, cramps, nausea and fatigue. If not treated, the illness may last from a few days to a month or longer and patients have been known to relapse, the CDC said.

The first cases were reported in Iowa in late June, with the majority of the illnesses logged in early July. The CDC has not released the age range of those infected, but said it was working closely with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and state officials to gather more information.

(Reporting by Karen Brooks in Austin, Texas; Editing by Greg McCune and Richard Chang)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stomach-bug-hits-iowa-patients-outbreak-linked-salad-195805766.html

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Massive explosions rock central Fla. gas plant

TAVARES, Fla. (AP) ? Massive explosions rocked a central Florida propane gas plant, sending seven people to area hospitals.

All the workers at the plant were accounted for early Tuesday after officials initially could not account for more than a dozen employees.

John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff's Office said there were no fatalities despite massive blasts that ripped through the Blue Rhino propane plant late Monday night.

"At this point we have no fatalities being reported," he said. "Management is comfortable saying all of those they knew were there tonight have been accounted for."

One person injured in the explosion was listed in critical condition at University of Florida Health Shands Hospital. Two others were listed in critical condition at Orlando Regional Medical Center and a spokeswoman there said a third patient was en route, also listed as critical.

Herrell said some others drove themselves to area hospitals.

The Blue Rhino plant refilled propane tanks typically used for barbecues and other uses.

Herrell said a crew of 24 to 26 people was working at the plant on an overnight shift when the explosions occurred around 11 p.m.

Video footage on WESH-TV in Orlando showed fires burning through trucks used to transport propane tanks, which were parked at the plant. The fire was sending plumes of smoke into the air hours after the blast. Emergency crews could also be seen massing nearby.

Herrell said an evacuation zone was initially a one-mile radius but had been reduced to a half-mile radius. No injuries have been reported from residents in the neighborhood and residents were later allowed to return to their homes.

Herrell said officials believe the fire is contained and won't spread to another part of the plant but they could not guarantee that.

Herrell said the plant usually has 53,000 20-pound propane tanks.

According to the Leesburg Daily Commercial, the plant was built in 2004 and employs fewer than 50 people.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/massive-explosions-rock-central-fla-gas-plant-071913944.html

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