Hell´s Kitchen

Food poisoning can be fatal


Food poisoning in the UK is increasing. The number of cases of Salmonella has remained high in the past few years, and Campylobacter cases have doubled.
Better training of food handlers needs to take place, and better care must be taken to ensure food is kept at the proper temperatures. Cross contamination is also a big problem which needs to be addressed.

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Bacillus cereus


This is a spore forming bacteria which is often found in rice from take-away restaurants. Symptoms of Bacillus cereus include diarrhoea and abdominal cramps between 6-15 hours after consumption of contaminated food. Nausea may occur and symptoms usually last 24 hours.


Source of Bacillus cereus


You can contract the disease from meat, milk, vegetables and fish, but outbreaks have normally been associated with rice, potato, pasta and cheese products. Sauces, puddings, soups, casseroles, pastries and salads can also be contaminated.


Campylobacter


Campylobacter is a group of spiral-shaped bacteria that can cause disease in humans and animals. Most human illness is caused by Campylobacter jejuni. Birds carry this illness without becoming ill themselves. Proper cooking, milk pasteurising and chlorination of water will all kill bacteria. This is the most common cause of acute bacterial diarrhoea in the UK. Symptoms include diarrhoea, cramping, abdominal pain and fever within 2-5 days after exposure, and can include nausea and vomiting.


Sources of Campylobacter


Raw or undercooked meat and poultry, offal, contaminated water or milk. Contamination is usually from excreta of birds, cattle and family pets. 40,000 cases are reported annually in the UK.


Clostridium perfringens


This is distributed throughout the environment and is normally found in human and animal intestines. The illness is caused by bacteria releasing toxins in the digestive canal. Symptoms include intense abdominal cramps and diarrhoea, and usually lasts less than 24 hours. It can last up to two weeks in severe cases. The illness can be mistaken with 24-hour flu.


Food sources


Meat, meat products and gravy are usually implicated with food poisoning caused by clostridium perfringens. The young and the elderly are most at risk.


Clostridium botulinum


Clostridium botulinum causes severe food poisoning, and is caused by the ingestion of foods containing the neurotoxin formed from bacteria. The illness is rare but can be fatal and can be destroyed by heating at 80ºC for at least 10 minutes. Symptoms can show up 4 hours to 8 days after ingestion, and include weakness, vertigo, double vision, difficulty in speaking, swallowing and breathing, muscle weakness and constipation. Paralysis and death can follow between 18 and 36 hours later if untreated.


Food source


Incriminated foods include: tinned or vacuum-packed food.


Cryptosporidium parvum


Members of this family are parasites from the intestinal tracts of fish, reptiles, birds and mammals. Cryptosporidium is passed in the faeces and is common in drinking water which originated from drainage of agricultural land. Symptoms usually include short term diarrhoea unless you suffer from a compromised immune system which can make the illness more severe.


Escherichia coli (E coli)


Normally found in animal and human intestines, E coli can be serious. One group of bacteria cause severe infantile diarrhoea and another cause traveller´s diarrhoea. Food sources include undercooked minced beef and unpasteurised milk. The elderly or very young can develop anaemia and renal failure. Symptoms include abdominal pain, fever, diarrhoea and vomiting and normally show between 10 and 72 hours after ingestion and last between 1 and 5 days.


Avoid E.coli


Ensure all meat is cooked thoroughly and juices run clear when spiked. Always avoid unpasteurised milk and separate raw and cooked foods to prevent cross contamination. Disinfect all surfaces and utensils used for food preparation. Wash hands regularly and always use a disinfectant hand wash.


Food source



Foods often incriminated include soft cheese, but the main contamination comes from food handlers.


Giardia lamblia


Giardia lamblia is a parasite which exists in two forms and lives in the small intestine, and is passed through faeces. Symptoms include severe diarrhoea from contaminated food or water.


Listeria monocytogenes


Listeria monocytogenes is a food-borne illness which is often transmitted to ready-to-eat foods, and is widely found in sewage and decaying vegetable matter. To avoid listeria always wash salads before use, never eat chilled products after the sell by date, and ensure your fridge is kept at the correct temperature. The onset of symptoms is normally 8 days to 3 months, and they include nausea, vomiting and diaereses. Meningitis and blood poisoning can occur in pregnant women. Antibiotic treatment is effective.



Food source


Foods known to cause listeria include: salads, sandwiches, paté, cooked meat and ready meals. Other suspected foods include milk, ice cream, raw and smoked fish and soft cheese.


Salmonella


Salmonella is found in animals, including poultry and pigs and environmental sources include water, soil, insects, kitchen surfaces, animal faeces, raw meats and raw seafood. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhoea, fever and headache and normally start 6 to 48 hours after infection.


Shigella


Shigella is found in the intestine of man and other animals, and is also known as bacillary dysentery. Symptoms include diarrhoea, fever, vomiting and abdominal pain and can start 12 hours to 2 days after infection. Foods incriminated include salads, raw vegetables, milk and dairy products, poultry and contaminated water.


Norwalk Virus


Norwalk Virus is an intestinal infection which occurs in outbreaks and is normally associated with shellfish. The virus is passed in the stool of infected persons and people get infected by swallowing stool-contaminated food or water. Other sources of infection include salads, eggs, ice and ready to eat foods. Norwalk is more common in adults and older children and symptoms normally appear within 10 days. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and stomach
cramps.

Anyone can get Norwalk virus infection, but it may be more common in adults and older children. Illness normally lasts 24 to 60 hours.

Five star holiday hell in Egypt

A couple are mounting a legal action over a holiday nightmare in Egypt.

David and Judith Harle were expecting to spend two weeks in luxury at the Hazua Beach Hotel in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, but instead found themselves battling against sickness bugs which ruined their holiday.


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David, who works for TMD in Hartlepool, and Judith, a medical receptionist, spent £2,000 on the holiday of a lifetime in May, and quickly fell ill with stomach pains.

The couple are now taking action against Tour Operators, Thomas Cook.
Said David: “It was an absolute nightmare, and the holiday was totally ruined.

“I had never been to Egypt before and based on this experience, I won´t be going back.”

He also added: “My symptoms were so bad they left me dehydrated and I had to get an injection from the on-site clinic.
“We were both stuck at the hotel, and watching other people falling ill around us.”

It is claimed that undercooked food caused the food poisoning outbreak.A spokesman for Thomas Cook UK and Ireland said: “We take all reports of illness very seriously so we were very concerned to hear that Mr and Mrs Harle became unwell whilst they were on holiday.

“As a priority we are undertaking a full investigation with the hotel and our resort team and are liaising with the solicitor representing the couple.”

Holiday illness nightmare in Turkey

A family has told of their holiday illness nightmare at a Turkish hotel, where four of them fell ill within a few days.

For more information how to make a no win no fee no obligation compensation claims phone 08000 154321 or click here for www.roseclaims.co.uk


Viven Hingley, fiancé Stephen Woodcock and their three children jetted off for a dream holiday to the Holiday Village in Turkey on 22nd June.

By the second week, holiday illness had affected Stephen, 43, Caris 14, Aiden 13 and Alisha, 8.The family soon discovered that other people at the same hotel had the same symptoms, and salmonella poisoning was suspected.

Viven, 42 said: “It was strange because the hotel was lovely. There were inspectors always checking around and the place looked spotless.“The only thing my children noticed was food left uncovered and people tipping fresh food over the leftover food rather than using fresh dishes.“Then in the second week my daughter started to feel off-colour, had a sore throat and felt lethargic.“Then my other daughter, son and fiancé got it and we were also rushing to the toilet with diarrhoea, feeling dizzy and had terrible stomach pains. It was a nightmare.”

When the family returned home they contacted a holiday illness solicitor specialising in travel law, and cases of salmonella were reported at the same hotel from as far back as 2005.

A spokesman for First Choice, the tour operator responsible for sending people to the hotel said: “At First Choice the health and safety of our customers is our primary focus.

“We closely monitor all the hotels which we operate to ensure the strictest health, safety, hygiene and comfort levels are maintained.”Vivien said: “I would advise people to be careful and to do some research before going to this hotel. It needs to be closed down and cleaned properly.”

8 Hurt after airline engine fire in Paris

Eight passengers were injured on Wednesday after an airbus caught fire at Orly Airport, Paris.

One of the engines caught fire just before takeoff, and the Vueling flight to Alicante was grounded.

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No information was available about the age of the plane or when the last maintenance check was carried out.An airport spokesman said fire crews reached the aircraft quickly and put out the blaze. All 165 passengers got out safely, but airport medical personnel treated the injured passenger for minor injuries, sustained when they were sliding down the evacuation slides.

“People were pushing, and I landed in a slide and I injured myself, but it is nothing,” Sylvie Rousseau, a passenger on the plane, told Reuters. “I think I pulled a ligament.”

Vueling said the affected passengers boarded another plane which left Paris Orly at 3 p.m. and landed in Alicante at 5 p.m.

If you have suffered illness or injury on holiday abroad, you can claim compensation when you return to the UK with specialist holiday illness and personal injury claim solicitors, Farnworth Rose.

E.coli outbreak linked to local restaurant near Wrexham

New mother, Karen Morrisroe-Clutton was admitted to Maelor Hospital, Wrexham on Monday after a blood test showed she was infected with E.coli.

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Karen Morrisroe-Clutton, 32, and a vegetarian, had to be placed in a medically-induced coma after contracting a serious strain of the infection.A three-year-old girl is also being treated for renal failure at Alder Hey children's hospital in Liverpool, after contracting E.coli 0157.

Two other people have been diagnosed with E.coli but not admitted to hospital, and the outbreak is being linked to a takeaway restaurant in the village of Llay near Wrexham.

Paul Clutton, husband of Karen, said she had eaten a vegetarian burger from Ali´s Takeaway in Llay a week before falling ill.

Mrs Morrisroe-Clutton´s mother, Rose said: “Karen´s health has improved slightly but she is not out of danger yet.”

An official closure notice was put on the door of the small takeaway shop which read that the business had been “implicated in an outbreak of food poisoning.”

Mrs Morrisroe-Clutton developed diarrhoea, sickness and then began passing blood, which turned out to be the most virulent form of E.coli 0157.

She was immediately admitted to hospital suffering dehydration, followed by seizures. Her breathing stopped temporarily. After a marginal improvement, the sedation was lightened on Saturday.

Said Mr Clutton: "I said something to her and she opened her eyes and tried to respond, which the doctors said was a good sign.