Sunday, August 28, 2016

Doug Powell praises London health unit


Dr. Doug Powell, a food safety communications expert, is praising the Middlesex-London Health Unit for speaking up, rather than waiting for more information, about a rash of salmonella cases.

Jennifer O’Brien of the London Free-Press reports that 14 cases of salmonella in a week -- compared to a monthly August average of nine — has mystified health inspectors who couldn’t find a “common thread” among those affected.

Stephen Turner, director of environmental health and infectious diseases said, “We look for relationships — common restaurants, grocery stores, a common workplace . . . whether they’ve purchased a common product.

“We haven’t found that. That is why it’s raised our eyebrows so we are investigating diligently.”

Usually health units wait until they can confirm the source of an outbreak of food poisoning, usually saying they don’t want to alarm the public.

But Powell has consistently argued that they ought to tell the public as soon as possible so people can take precautions.