Health officials say a NY man has died from a listeria infection from tainted cantaloupes—and they warn that the outbreak will likely spread even more. Altogether, 21 people have died from the infection, and 109 people have become seriously ill in 23 states. The western NY man who died, whose name hasn't been released, was the first in the state to die from the infection. more ›

Careful with the cantaloupes! Though no cases have been reported in New York, yet, the CDC says that as many as 16 people have died from listeria-related illnesses traced to cantaloupes grown in Colorado, making it the deadliest food-related outbreak in more than a decade. more ›

Earlier this week the USDA warned that it had connected 77 illnesses and one death in 26 states to turkey contaminated with an antibiotic-resistant strain of salmonella called Heidelberg. At the time they weren't sure where the bad turkey was coming from, but they seem to have a better idea now. Arkansas-based Cargill Meat Solutions has announced a recall of approximately 36 million pounds of ground turkey products. more ›

Planning on cooking up a nice, juicy turkey burger for dinner tonight? Do make sure that you cook it all the way through. The USDA has issued a public health alert for frozen, fresh and ground turkey products after testing connected 77 illnesses and one death in 26 states to bad turkey contaminated with a salmonella strain called Heidelberg. more ›

Nobody panic or anything, but the Department of Health says there have been an increase in the number of measles cases in NYC this year, prompting them to send an alert to city doctors. And it's not just happening here: Vermont, Arizona and Utah have also all reported new measles cases this year. So why is it happening, and what can we do to prevent 28 Days Later from coming to be? more ›

Another day, another twist in the ongoing deadly E. coli outbreak across Europe: first, everyone blamed Spain and their dirty cucumbers, but then, it looked like German bean sprouts were going to be culprit. Until today, when the test results came back and cleared the bean sprouts from wrongdoing. more ›

After the CDC announced that over 1,500 cases of the mumps have been reported in the NY-NJ area—the majority in the Orthodox Jewish community—the NYC Health Department has announced mumps vaccination clinics. About half of the cases are in NYC (44% in Brooklyn), and the Health Department says, "Young men in Williamsburg, Crown Heights and Borough Park have experienced high levels of mumps for several months. Most cases have occurred in males and an increasing number of cases have been in young adults, ages 18 to 30." Details for clinics are here. more ›

With many cases stemming from an outbreak at a Jewish boys' summer camp upstate, more than 1,000 in New York and New Jersey are infected with the mumps, most of them Orthodox Jews. One camper—who caught the old-fashioned childhood disease in England where more than 4,000 are infected—spread the sickness to 25 of his bunk-mates, who then brought it home to their Orthodox communities. Many came from Borough Park, Brooklyn, where in October, 79 mumps sufferers were counted, reports CNN. But the numbers keep growing! more ›

Back in December the Department of Health issued an alert regarding rabid raccoons taking over Central Park. Their warning stemmed from having serious intel on at least three rabid raccoons in the area. They warned New Yorkers to stay away from any raccoons, skunks, bats, stray dogs and cats—because the rabies could be spreading and we'd pretty much be looking at an I Am Legend scale outbreak if it crossed over to humans. (The last human case of rabies in the city was back in 1953.) more ›

The same disease that caused the Irish Potato Famine in the 1840s is spreading with an “explosive” rate of infection through Northeast tomato farms. Called "late blight" disease, the fungus causes white-mold-encircled gray spots on leaves, blackened stems, wilting and death. Organically grown crops are particularly vulnerable, and some farmers in Rhode Island have plowed tomato fields under at the first sign of blight. Vegetable pathologist Meg McGrath tells Newsday why everyone should probably be hoarding tomatoes: "People need to realize this is probably one of the worst diseases we have in the vegetable world." Yikes, this makes last year's Salmonella tomato scare seem like a leisurely Bloody Mary brunch! more ›

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into...any place serving food, a new outbreak of Salmonella has brought back the fear, sickening at least 372 people in 42 states, and possibly felling an elderly woman in Minnesota who had the infection when she died. The Centers for Disease Control [CDC] says 18% of the Salmonella victims have been hospitalized since this outbreak was first noticed back in the beginning of September. more ›

It was the jalapeno all along. Yesterday the F.D.A. announced that after a three month investigation into a salmonella outbreak that has sickened at least 1,251 people in 43 states, officials have finally been able to match the bacteria strain to a single Mexican-grown jalapeno pepper handled by a small Texas produce shipper. Fresh tomatoes were previously believed to be the culprit, and an F.D.A. warning against certain tomato varieties has cost growers an estimated $450 million. Oopsy! more ›

Although the F.D.A. has been unable to pinpoint the source of a recent salmonella outbreak that infected over 1,190 people in 42 states, officials have announced that all varieties of tomatoes currently in the fields and in stores are safe to eat. more ›

As if mocking the inadequacy of federal investigators, a ruthless army of salmonella-tainted tomatoes continues to sicken Americans, and the FDA seems utterly helpless to pinpoint the source. Frustrated officials admitted yesterday that the trail had run cold, and the agency's food safety chief, Dr. David Acheson, told reporters “maybe we were being too optimistic” in earlier statements about cracking the case. more ›

Everybody relax: New York grown tomatoes are perfectly safe to eat raw, at least according to the government. Yesterday the State Department of Agriculture tried to calm a jittery public with an announcement that a recent salmonella outbreak is not linked to tomatoes grown in the Empire State. At least 23 people have been hospitalized across the country, mostly in New Mexico and Texas, where the first fatality was reported yesterday. more ›

Panic is gripping stomachs nationwide as news spreads about a salmonella food poisoning outbreak caused by certain varieties of tomatoes. The FDA has not been able to pinpoint the source of the poisoning, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports at least 23 people, mostly in New Mexico and Texas, have been hospitalized since mid-April, with no fatalities… yet. The main symptoms are diarrhea and extreme abdominal pain. more ›