October 22, 2013 7:29 pm Canada’s food safety watchdog orders fourth E. coli beef recall this month.

However, "there are NO REPORTED illnesses"(THAT IS, EXCEPT FOR THE NINE CASES REPORTED IN ONTARIO, PLUS; THOSE THAT OCCURRED IN OTHER PROVINCES, AND THE COQUITLAM BOY; WHO IS VERY LUCKY TO BE ALIVE.) from the ground beef, the CFIA said. The E. coli was detected by tests done by Canadian inspectors within a shipment of 6,350 kilograms of beef imported from the U.S.

Port Coquitlam family says Eagle Ridge Hospital misdiagnosis almost took their son’s life

A Lower Mainland mother is upset with Eagle Ridge Hospital after her son was misdiagnosed with the flu during two separate hospital visits, and then found to have E.coli O157.

Last Monday, 17-year-old Luka Savovic was feeling ill; nauseous and vomiting, with bloody diarrhoea.

On Wednesday, an ambulance took him to Eagle Ridge Hospital, where he was diagnosed with the flu and sent home. The hospital was experiencing a level 3 overcapacity at the time.

Even though he was given pain medication, Luka was in intense agony so the family returned Thursday night to Eagle Ridge Hospital. He was diagnosed again with the flu again and sent home.

By Thursday night, he was in severe pain, so his parents took him to Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster where they drew blood and stool samples. It turned out he had e.coli o157, the most dangerous strain there is.

Luka’s parents say Eagle Ridge Hospital failed their son.

“They didn’t look at my son like he was a human being; like he was someone’s son,” says Luka’s mom, Nevena Savovic. “I was crying for someone to help my son and they still don’t see him as someone’s son.”

The head of emergency services at Eagle Ridge Hospital says patients coming to the hospital’s emergency rooms often suffer from similar symptoms in the winter months.

“E.coli O157 is a disease that is relatively uncommon, and does start out looking like a lot of other conditions, like viral stomach flu. We call it gastroenteritis, or it can be very mild and you can have nausea, diarrhoea and it can go away on its own. We see a lot of patients like that. On any day, five per cent of our patients are presenting with diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting, so this is a very common thing, especially during the winter season,” says Dr. Neil Barclay of Eagle Ridge Hospital.

In the most extreme cases, E.coli O157 can cause kidney failure or even death, particularly in young people or the elderly.

Luka’s condition is improving at Royal Columbian Hospital and he should be released from hospital soon.

EDMONTON – Canada’s food safety watchdog has ordered another beef recall over possible E. coli contamination – the fourth this month, including one linked to at least nine people getting sick in Ontario.

“The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said Thursday the recalls show that government safeguards are working and that consumers are not at greater risk of getting sick as long as they handle and cook meat properly.”

“It shows the system works,” said Fred Jamieson, an agency spokesman from Ottawa. “I wouldn’t say there is any increase or greater risk.”

The latest “health hazard alert” recall involves Kirkland Signature brand lean ground beef sold at a Costco store in Lethbridge, Alta.

The food inspection agency and Costco are warning people not to eat the product because it may contain E. coli bacteria. The agency classifies the risk to consumers as moderate; but an Independent review cites lax attitude by plant staff, CFIA for beef recall

The agency said this is an expansion of a similar recall earlier this month of Kirkland Signature brand organic lean ground beef sold at Costco stores in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

Earlier this month, the agency recalled Compliments brand Super 8 Beef Burgers sold in Sobeys, Foodland, Freshco and Price Chopper stores in Ontario and Atlantic Canada.

The Ontario Ministry of Health said Thursday that the Compliments beef has been linked to NINE CONFIRMED CASES of people getting sick from E. coli in the province, two probable cases and four suspected cases.

The Compliments recall was later expanded to include some President’s Choice Beef Burgers and Webers Bucket of Burgers sold in Loblaw stores that may have been distributed across Canada.

The agency said ground beef from the recalls was processed at Toronto-based Belmont Meats Ltd. and could be from Canadian, U.S. or other imported beef.

Judge approves class-action lawsuit against XL Foods

The CFIA has designated the two recalls as Class 1, or high risk.

“‘Class 1′ is a situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of, or exposure to, a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death,” according to the agency’s website.

The CFIA said the E. coli in the recalls was discovered after people got sick and inspectors traced where the beef they ate originated.

The agency said the cause or source of the E. coli is still under investigation.

“There is a lot of rigorous testing, but, in all cases, if it is a small low-level sporadic type of contamination it can get through the system,” Jamieson said.

Prof. Rick Holley, a University of Manitoba food safety expert, said the recalls should be treated as warnings that Canada’s food safety system is not as effective as it should be.

Holley said more research needs to be done to prevent E. coli from getting into meat-processing plants and from being transferred between cattle on farms and feedlots.

He said the CFIA needs to explain how E. coli is getting into beef products despite testing and better monitoring of meat plants.

“In my opinion, we don’t have adequate control over the problem yet,” Holley said from Winnipeg.

“Regardless of all the safeguards that are in place we need to do more thinking about how we can better stop this organism from coming into the plant on the animals in the first place.”

Last fall, an E. coli outbreak from beef processed at the XL Foods plant in Brooks, Alta., made 18 people sick, threw more than 2,200 people temporarily out of work and led to the largest meat recall in the country’s history.

A review of the outbreak blamed a lax approach to safety by both plant workers and federal inspectors. It recommended better training for CFIA staff and tighter enforcement of oversight responsibilities.

In June, federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz announced the government would spend $16 million over three years to establish inspection verification teams to ensure rules and standards are followed.