Beef recalled after more than 20 fall ill at Mass. camp
By Stephen Smith, Globe Staff
A wave of gastrointestinal illness at a Plymouth camp has been linked to bacteria-tainted ground beef, forcing the supplier of the meat to institute a recall, state public health authorities said tonight.
More than 20 schoolchildren and adults from Rhode Island became ill after visiting Camp Bournedale the week of Oct. 13, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health said. No deaths or life-threatening illnesses have resulted from the infections, a state health spokeswoman said.
Tests of ground beef obtained from the nature camp showed that the meat carried a dangerous strain of E. coli that has caused deaths in other outbreaks. The exact same O157:H7 strain of the bacterium was present in two ill children who were tested.
South Shore Meats Company of Brockton voluntarily recalled certain ground beef and other beef products, according to an announcement from the state health agency. Company officials could not be immediately reached for comment.
Massachusetts authorities are continuing to investigate the outbreak in conjunction with disease trackers from Rhode Island and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Massachusetts health investigators and authorities from the US Department of Agriculture are still attempting to identify all of the potentially infected beef products that will need to be recalled and did not have a list of product names and lot numbers available last night, said Jennifer Manley, spokeswoman for the state Department of Public Health. Additional information on the recalled products will be posted on the Agriculture Department's website.
Cooking meat until it reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees will kill E. coli germs, which can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration, and, in the worst cases, kidney failure and death.
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Elizabeth Cooney is a former
health reporter for the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, where she also was a
business reporter and an editor. Earlier in her career, she edited medical
books and journals at Little, Brown, and worked for Boston magazine.Boston Globe Health and Science staff:
- Gideon Gil, Health and Science Editor
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