Measles case confirmed in Portland, about 500 people possibly exposed

PORTLAND, Ore. – Multnomah County officials say approximately 500 people were exposed to a confirmed case of measles in the Portland area Wednesday.

Of those 500 people, the Multnomah County Health Department Communicable Disease Services team is monitoring 40 people who were exposed and considered non-immune.

So far, no other cases have been identified.

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Hopkins cancer research buildings evacuated after frozen tuberculosis spilled

BALTIMORE —

A tuberculosis exposure scare on the campus of Johns Hopkins Hospital prompted evacuations Thursday afternoon.

Two cancer research buildings on Jefferson Street were evacuated as Baltimore City fire crews assessed those who may have been exposed.

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More than 200 people ill from parasite in Del Monte vegetable tray recall

(CNN) An outbreak of cyclosporiasis has sickened 212 people in four states since May, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. Seven of those individuals have been hospitalized.
The outbreak is linked to Del Monte vegetable trays with fresh broccoli, cauliflower, celery sticks, carrots and dill dip. A recall of these 6-,12- and 28-ounce trays in clear, plastic clamshell packaging that contain these items was issued on June 15. The trays have a "Best if used by" date of June 17, 2018 and were sold at Kwik Trip, Kwik Star, Demond's, Sentry, Potash, Meehan's, Country Market, FoodMax Supermarket, and Peapod stores in Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.

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Multnomah County reports 2nd person diagnosed with measles

The recent diagnosis comes nine days after measles was found in the initial carrier, who contracted the virus while traveling outside the United States, according to the county's health department. More than 500 people may have been exposed to measles by that person.

The county hasn't publicly identified the Gresham business where this occurred, but said some of the people who were exposed have been notified and offered a vaccine. Anyone with questions should contact the Multnomah County Health Department at 503-988-3406.

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Updated:


More Than 200 People Infected by Parasite Linked to Del Monte Vegetables


Two hundred twelve people have been infected with an intestinal parasite in four upper Midwest states after reportedly eating pre-packed vegetable trays under the Del Monte Fresh Produce brand, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The trays were purchased at various retailers including Kwik Trip or Kwik Star convenience stores.

The outbreak was first tracked by the CDC in mid-June, and is most severe in Wisconsin. As many as 54 cases have also been reported in Minnesota, along with a handful in Iowa and Michigan. Seven victims have been hospitalized, according to the CDC.

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Updated:


More Than 200 People Infected by Parasite Linked to Del Monte Vegetables


Two hundred twelve people have been infected with an intestinal parasite in four upper Midwest states after reportedly eating pre-packed vegetable trays under the Del Monte Fresh Produce brand, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The trays were purchased at various retailers including Kwik Trip or Kwik Star convenience stores.

The outbreak was first tracked by the CDC in mid-June, and is most severe in Wisconsin. As many as 54 cases have also been reported in Minnesota, along with a handful in Iowa and Michigan. Seven victims have been hospitalized, according to the CDC.

From the article:

Cyclosporiasis is caused by Cyclospora cayetanensis, a single-celled protozoa most commonly transmitted on produce contaminated with human fecal matter, particularly from tropical or subtropical regions where the parasite is native

What effective regulations and inspections do we have to stop this?

If we do have regulations and inspections. Were they applied to this and similar situations?

I don't have an answer Clyde. Below are some agencies who over see food.

USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is responsible for ensuring the safety, wholesomeness, and accurate labeling of meat, poultry, and processed egg products.

FSIS enforces the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA), the Poultry Products Inspection Act, and the Egg Products Inspection Act, which require Federal inspection and regulation of meat, poultry, and processed egg products prepared for distribution in commerce for use as human food. FSIS also verifies and enforces industry compliance with the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, which requires that all livestock inspected under the FMIA are humanely handled.

FSIS employs 8,000 in-plant and other frontline personnel who protect public health in 6,200 federally inspected slaughter and processing establishments, in laboratories, and in commerce nationwide.

http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2010/12/who-inspects-what-a-food-safety-scramble/#.W0Qco8Jrz3g

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Scientists Find New Tricks For Old Drugs

Most drugs have side effects, but sometimes they're actually good news.

Researchers are now exploring whether some cheap and common drugs have side effects that could help people fight off the flu and other lung infections.

This idea has a passionate advocate: Dr. David Fedson. About 10 years ago, this infectious disease specialist had a disturbing thought. He was working in the vaccine industry in France, and he started to wonder what would happen if, all of a sudden, the world was gripped with a flu pandemic.

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First death confirmed in Indiana’s hepatitis A outbreak

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Indiana’s department of health has confirmed the state’s first death related to the multi-state outbreak of hepatitis A.

The highly contagious disease of the liver has caused nearly 4,000 illnesses in 10 states and resulted in multiple fatalities nationwide.


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Citizen Scientists Collect 16,000 Ticks For Research - July 12, 2018
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/07/12/628491294/researchers-study-thousands-of-ticks-collected-by-the-people-they-bit

Could the tick that just bit you carry a pathogen that causes Lyme disease or another ailment? If you're worried, you could ship the offending bug to a private testing service to find out. But between August 2016 and January 2017, you could have gotten a free analysis by sending it to Nathan Nieto's lab at Northern Arizona University. You'd get back info on the critter that bit you and, if applicable, a pathology report.

Nieto's project wasn't just a goodwill gesture: It was an unprecedented attempt to include the public in tick research. Nieto, a microbiologist at Northern Arizona University, and his team published the results of their brief tick-collecting experiment Thursday in PLOS One. They say it shows the potential of citizen science to fill in gaps in research—and that data gathered this way could ultimately help form a more proactive public health response when it comes to identifying and preventing tick-borne disease.

(...) A(...) limitation is that people who never hear about a citizen science initiative can't participate, and the study wasn't advertised beyond an initial PR campaign conducted by the Bay Area Lyme Foundation, which funded the project. Socioeconomic barriers to the internet may also have limited participants, and there's no way to verify how many participants misreported information about the ticks that bit them.

What's next for the tick collectors? First, says Nieto, they'll dig deeper into the ticks' DNA, and hopefully open up another wave of free tick analysis in an attempt to broaden the data even more. From there, says Nieto, it's up to others to use the dataset for good.

https://www.bayarealyme.org/
https://www.bayarealyme.org/lyme-disease-prevention/tick-testing/
http://www.bayarealyme.org/get-involved/newsletter/
https://twitter.com/BayAreaLyme
https://www.facebook.com/BayAreaLymeFoundation

#LymeDisease #CitizenScience #ticks #USA

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Apr 3, 1999 - May 3, 2020

McDonald’s Pulls Salads From 3,000 Restaurants Amid Cyclospora Illnesses

McDonald’s Corp. MCD -0.38% removed salads from 3,000 restaurants in 14 states after the products were linked to gastrointestinal illnesses in Iowa and Illinois.

Iowa’s Department of Public Health said Thursday 15 people in that state reported getting sick with cyclospora infections after eating McDonald’s salads between late June and early July.

The Illinois Department of Public Health said 90 people have been sickened by cyclosporiasis, and that a quarter of them reported eating salads from McDonald’s before becoming ill.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/mcdonalds-pulls-salads-from-3-000-restaurants-amid-cyclospora-illnesses-1531524254

Pierre A Renaud,
Thanks for the info on ticks. :) Hate them .:(

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FDA OKs 1st drug to treat smallpox, in case of terror attack

U.S. regulators Friday approved the first treatment for smallpox — a deadly disease that was wiped out four decades ago — in case the virus is used in a terror attack.

Smallpox, which is highly contagious, was eradicated worldwide by 1980 after a huge vaccination campaign.

But people born since then haven't been vaccinated, and small samples of the smallpox virus were saved for research purposes, leaving the possibility it could be used as a biological weapon.

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/fda-oks-1st-drug-treat-smallpox-case-terror-56576523

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Crab meat linked to a outbreak of a diarrhea-causing illness, FDA says

Fresh crab meat from Venezuela commonly served in restaurants and sold in supermarkets has been linked to a multi-state outbreak of Vibrio parahaemolyticus, by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control.

https://www.kentucky.com/news/nation-world/national/article214918220.html

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FDA issues recall for blood pressure medication due to cancer risk

SILVER SPRING, Md. - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a recall for several drugs used to treat high blood pressure and heart failure due to the risk of cancer.

The FDA announced the voluntary recall of several drugs containing the active ingredient valsartan. The FDA said the recall was due to an impurity, N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), which was found in the products and is classified as a probable human carcinogen

The following are products listed in the recall, according to the FDA:

Valsartan from Major Pharmaceuticals
Valsartan from Solco Healthcare
Valsartan from Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd.
Valsartan/Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) from Solco Healthcare
Valsartan/Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) from Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd.

The FDA points out that not all products containing valsartan are being recalled. Officials note that because valsartan is used in medicines to treat serious medical conditions such as heart problems, patients who take the recalled medicines should continue taking them until they have a replacement.
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To determine if you’re medication has been recalled, look at the drug name and company name on the label of your prescription bottle. If you can’t find the information on the bottle, you should contact your pharmacy.

If your medicine is listed in the recall, you should contact your pharmacy or doctor to discuss treatment.

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Salmonella outbreak extends its reach across 26 states

A salmonella has affected 26 states and left at least 40 people hospitalized, and health officials say a single source of the strain has not been found.

Salmonella Reading, believed to be linked to raw turkey, has infected 90 people and left dozens hospitalized, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Thursday.

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Updated Salmonella outbreak:


Salmonella outbreak linked to turkey hits N.J., 25 other states

An ongoing Salmonella outbreak linked to raw turkey has sickened 90 people in 26 states, including New Jersey, health officials said.

Raw turkey products from "a variety of sources" were making people sick with the strain of Salmonella Reading, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"In interviews, ill people report eating different types and brands of turkey products purchased from many different location," the CDC said.

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A new drug to treat malaria has been given the green light by authorities in the United States.

The medicine is specifically for the recurring form of malaria - caused by the parasite plasmodium vivax - which makes 8.5 million people ill each year.

This type of malaria is a particular challenge to get rid of as it can remain dormant in the liver for years before reawakening many times.

Scientists have described tafenoquine as a "phenomenal achievement."

Regulators around the world will now look at the drug to see if they can recommend it for their populations.


New drug for recurring malaria

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Ebola outbreak in Congo is over. But the danger isn't.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo declared its outbreak of Ebola over on Wednesday, but the danger isn’t gone.

It’s been 42 days since the last new case was reported. It can take 21 days to develop symptoms after having been exposed to the Ebola virus, so 42 days makes for two incubation periods. Congo's health ministry says 53 people were infected and 33 died in the outbreak.

But the danger is not completely over. Research shows that in some cases, Ebola survivors can infect people months later. Men can transmit the virus in their semen and now, doctors have confirmed that a woman who survived the 2014-2016 epidemic in West Africa likely infected her family.

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Over 200 salmonella infections linked to backyard chickens, CDC warns

At least 212 cases of salmonella infections have been linked to contact with backyard chickens, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns.

Just over 25 percent of the reported cases are children younger than five years old, the CDC said Monday. At least 34 people have been hospitalized. The outbreak, which includes several strains of salmonella, has been reported in 44 states. No deaths have been reported.

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Marlboro Sales Drop Sharply in a Shrinking Market

Altria Group Inc.’s revenue declined in its latest quarter as it lost share in a shrinking U.S. smoking market, fanning fears the Marlboro maker is losing customers to e-cigarette startups like Juul Labs Inc.

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Possible Measles Exposure At Logan Airport And Boston Restaurant

BOSTON, MA — Health officials are warning anyone who visited Tasty Burger on Boylston Street on July 19 or Logan Airport on July 20 that they may have been exposed to the Measles.

The Boston Public Health Commission alerted the public Friday that the commission received notification of a confirmed case of measles, and the person confirmed to have the virus visited two places, prompting the alert.

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