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(#1) 2011 Colorado Listeriosis Outbreak
The Outbreak: Listeria
The Source: Cantaloupes from Jensen Farms, Colorado.
Number of Casualties: 34 (including one miscarriage)
What Happened: During winter of 2011, 147 people across multiple states tested positive for listeria bacteria. The CDC reports that 28 states were affected. Eventually, investigations linked the outbreak to cantaloupes sold by Jensen Farms in Colorado.
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(#10) 1911 Boston Raw-Milk Outbreak
The Outbreak: Food Poisoning
The Source: Raw milk
Number of Casualties: 48
What Happened: In 1911, the city of Boston was wracked by a vicious food-poisoning outbreak that would eventually be traced to a batch of raw milk. Investigations found the milk likely carried either the staphylococci or streptococci bacteria, which ended up affecting 1,400 people. Initially mistaken as an outbreak of tonsillitis, doctors realized patients flocking into hospitals throughout Eastern Massachusetts all had septic sore throat, likely caused by excessive vomiting. The bacteria led to multiple diseases of the throat and tonsils, and the case helped end the practice of selling raw milk in the United States.
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(#5) 1992 Portland Raw Milk Outbreak
The Outbreak: Streptococcus bacteria
The Source: Raw milk.
Number of Casualties: 22
What Happened: All 22 victims of this streptococcus outbreak were children, each of whom had ingested raw milk from the same source. The first was a two-year-old whose death led to an investigation that uncovered over 500 cases of streptococcus. Investigators identified diseased cows kept in close quarters with healthy ones as the culprit. Throughout the city, dairy farm workers were often unsure which cows were safe to milk, leading to infected milk being sold to consumers. Experiments run on the tainted milk found a yellowish pus that became a marker of the disease. In the end, a single cow - dubbed "Cow 51" - was likely the sole source of the epidemic.
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(#2) 2009 Salmonellosis Outbreak
The Outbreak: Salmonella
The Source: Peanuts and peanut butter
Number of Casualties: 9
What Happened: A Peanut Corporation of America plant located in Georgia was the subject of intense scrutiny after their products were linked to a salmonella outbreak. The plant had a slurry of issues including poor hygiene standards, rodent infestations, and improper roasting of peanuts. These factors all contributed to an outbreak that would eventually take the lives of nine people. The FDA claimed that the corporation knowingly shipped out peanut butter that had tested positive for salmonella.
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(#8) 1924 Typhoid Epidemic
The Outbreak: Salmonella, which caused Typhoid fever
The Source: Oysters tainted by polluted water conditions.
Number of Casualties: 150
What Happened: At the time, this was considered the deadliest food poisoning event in United States history. In the 1920s, it was custom to remove oysters from the sea and let them float in brackish water sources near cities to give them a plumper, cleaner appearance. However, allowing oysters to float in contaminated water proved a major public health risk. Polluted waterways along the East Coast seeped into the local oyster crops, which became vessels for a species of salmonella linked to typhoid fever. It was the first time in American history that newspapers and radio broadcasters collaborated to warn the public of the health implications of a tainted food source.
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(#6) 1985 United States Salmonellosis Outbreak
The Outbreak: Salmonella
The Source: Milk from Hillfarm Dairy.
Number of Casualties: Up to 14 (2 confirmed, 12 suspected)
What Happened: In 1987, researchers pinpointed tainted milk from Melrose Park, Illinois as the source of a 1985 salmonella outbreak that was responsible for at least two deaths. As many as 12 other deaths are believed to be linked to this incident, and the outbreak affected nearly 200,000 Americans. This particular strain of salmonella showed heightened resistance to antibiotics, making it much more dangerous. According to findings published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the bacteria likely grew in piping used to mix skim and whole milk to make 2% milk.
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About This Tool
Food-borne disease is the most important public health problem in the world, and it is also a major factor affecting food safety. There have been many foodborne diseases in the United States history. Since food has played a vital role in the development of human civilization and society, once a food-borne disease breaks out and the root cause and solution cannot be found in time, it will soon become a serious deadly disease.
Many disease outbreaks are closely related to food. You could check the random tool if you want to know more about the deadliest food-borne illness outbreaks in United States history. Welcome to search for other things that you are interested in.
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