SQ Warden's Bulletin ~ botulism

[IceBlueSparkle]

Hello...I thought i would share a bulletin i received today from S.Q. !!! I hope it wasn't against protocol for me to share this with you all.

Anyways...heres' what it says:

August 27/04
San Quentin Warden's Bulletin
TO: All staff and inmates
RE: Disease Alert - Foodborne Botulism from Drinking "Pruno"

An outbreak of foodborne botulism recently occured in a California State Prison affecting four inmates who drank "pruno", the suspect cause of the outbreak. Botulism is a paralytic disease that can be fatal. All inmates are advised not to drink or make "pruno" due to risk of botulism.

The CDC, in collaboration with the California Department of Health Serives, has been investigating an outbreak of foodborne botulism affecting four inmates who made and drank "pruno" a few days before becoming ill. All were hospitalized and two had to be put on respiratory support. Except for the two inmates still on respiratory support, the others have since been released back to their prison. Laboratory tests have confirmed the presence of botulism as the cause of this outbreak. It is suspected that this batch of "pruno" produced botulism toxin when its raw ingredients were fermented, and then caused botulism among those who drank it.

As shown in this outbreak, "pruno" can produce botulism toxin during the fermentation process and is therefore, even life-threatening food. All inmates are advised not to drink or make "pruno" due to the rist of botulism.

If you have questions , please contact the Warden's office at extension XXXX.

Jill. L. Brown
Warden (A)


I am not sure what pruno even is...but definately something to avoid. It boggles my mind that stuff like this doesn't get any media coverage...makes ya wonder how much goes on no one knows about ! The explanation didn't really satisfy the dozens of questions that popped into my head when i first read the headline....seems they really dumbed it all down and aren't too sure of the cause...the "pruno" is only suspected .

I hope everyone involved has a speedy recovery.

[GC]

Toxin drug runs short

INLAND: When five inmates need botulism treatment, the Southwest's antidote supply is strained.

02:00 AM PDT on Thursday, August 5, 2004

By DOUGLAS E. BEEMAN / The Press-Enterprise

Treating five inmates at Ironwood State Prison near Blythe temporarily wiped out the botulism antitoxin supply for the southwestern United States.

The inmates contracted botulism from pruno, an illegal prison-made alcoholic drink, said Barbara Cole, Riverside County's disease control chief.

One of the five prisoners given the antitoxin in late June later tested negative for botulism, Cole said. One inmate remains hospitalized, according to the California Department of Corrections. None has died.

Food-borne botulism is a rare but potentially lethal paralytic illness that can rob its victims of their ability to breathe. Nationally, 263 people contracted food-borne botulism between 1990 and 2000, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Eleven died.

Cole said this is the largest food-borne botulism case she's seen.

Treating the outbreak eliminated the supply of antitoxin for the southwestern United States for a day. Getting the antitoxin early can limit, but not reverse, the neurological damage, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

The botulism antitoxin is kept at U.S. Public Health Service quarantine stations at eight international airports, including Los Angeles International. The Los Angeles station typically keeps 10 or more doses on hand, said the duty officer, who declined to give his name. The station gets a half-dozen requests a month from as far away as Texas and Colorado, he said.

When Riverside County health officials called to request antitoxin for the five inmates, the Los Angeles quarantine station had three doses left in stock and was awaiting delivery of more, the duty officer said.

"We gave what we had," the duty officer said. Riverside County health officials ordered the rest from the quarantine station at San Francisco International Airport. Doses from both locations were delivered by air cargo to Ontario International Airport that day.

The nation's quarantine stations back up each other whenever one station runs out of the antitoxin, he said. Los Angeles received more doses the next day, he added.

Prison alcohol
Illicit alcohol is a persistent problem in state prisons, but officials said this is the first instance they can recall of botulism in prison alcohol. Inmates fermented the pruno from bread crusts, fruit scraps and potato peels, said California Department of Corrections spokeswoman Margot Bach.

Prison officials first discovered the outbreak June 30 when an inmate complained of feeling ill after drinking pruno at an inmate birthday party, said Ironwood Prison Lt. Dale Dorman. Prison staff thought the man had food poisoning and monitored him for several hours. But when the man grew sicker, he was transferred to a hospital, Dorman said.

After guards alerted prisoners to the man's plight, three more inmates from his housing unit said they also were ill, Dorman said. The fifth inmate sought care the next day.

Dorman said the cost of medical care for the five has exceeded $352,000, including helicopter transport for one or two of the sickest inmates.

Prison officials frequently search for illicit alcohol and can add three or four months to an inmate's prison time if he is caught with it, Dorman said.

Reach Douglas E. Beeman at (951) 368-9549 or dbeeman@pe.com

[Kittie]

Inmate alcohol made in prison with fruit and other things.

The Warden's extension number is 6000.

Originally Posted by GC

Toxin drug runs short

INLAND: When five inmates need botulism treatment, the Southwest's antidote supply is strained.

02:00 AM PDT on Thursday, August 5, 2004

By DOUGLAS E. BEEMAN / The Press-Enterprise

Treating five inmates at Ironwood State Prison near Blythe temporarily wiped out the botulism antitoxin supply for the southwestern United States.

The inmates contracted botulism from pruno, an illegal prison-made alcoholic drink, said Barbara Cole, Riverside County's disease control chief.

One of the five prisoners given the antitoxin in late June later tested negative for botulism, Cole said. One inmate remains hospitalized, according to the California Department of Corrections. None has died.

Food-borne botulism is a rare but potentially lethal paralytic illness that can rob its victims of their ability to breathe. Nationally, 263 people contracted food-borne botulism between 1990 and 2000, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Eleven died.

Cole said this is the largest food-borne botulism case she's seen.

Treating the outbreak eliminated the supply of antitoxin for the southwestern United States for a day. Getting the antitoxin early can limit, but not reverse, the neurological damage, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

The botulism antitoxin is kept at U.S. Public Health Service quarantine stations at eight international airports, including Los Angeles International. The Los Angeles station typically keeps 10 or more doses on hand, said the duty officer, who declined to give his name. The station gets a half-dozen requests a month from as far away as Texas and Colorado, he said.

When Riverside County health officials called to request antitoxin for the five inmates, the Los Angeles quarantine station had three doses left in stock and was awaiting delivery of more, the duty officer said.

"We gave what we had," the duty officer said. Riverside County health officials ordered the rest from the quarantine station at San Francisco International Airport. Doses from both locations were delivered by air cargo to Ontario International Airport that day.

The nation's quarantine stations back up each other whenever one station runs out of the antitoxin, he said. Los Angeles received more doses the next day, he added.

Prison alcohol
Illicit alcohol is a persistent problem in state prisons, but officials said this is the first instance they can recall of botulism in prison alcohol. Inmates fermented the pruno from bread crusts, fruit scraps and potato peels, said California Department of Corrections spokeswoman Margot Bach.

Prison officials first discovered the outbreak June 30 when an inmate complained of feeling ill after drinking pruno at an inmate birthday party, said Ironwood Prison Lt. Dale Dorman. Prison staff thought the man had food poisoning and monitored him for several hours. But when the man grew sicker, he was transferred to a hospital, Dorman said.

After guards alerted prisoners to the man's plight, three more inmates from his housing unit said they also were ill, Dorman said. The fifth inmate sought care the next day.

Dorman said the cost of medical care for the five has exceeded $352,000, including helicopter transport for one or two of the sickest inmates.

Prison officials frequently search for illicit alcohol and can add three or four months to an inmate's prison time if he is caught with it, Dorman said.

Reach Douglas E. Beeman at (951) 368-9549 or dbeeman@pe.com

[IceBlueSparkle]

I purposely left out the warden's number... I figured it was an internal number...*shrugs* But FYI it says extension 5000

[Kittie]

Your right it's 5000. Got my numbers mixed up.

Originally Posted by IceBlueSparkle

I purposely left out the warden's number... I figured it was an internal number...*shrugs* But FYI it says extension 5000