Listeria-Contaminated Milkshakes Kill 3 In Tacoma, Washington
Three other people were hospitalized by the bacterial contamination linked to a restaurant called Frugals. Also in the news: Americans' exposure to smoke pollution reached a 17-year high in 2023; virtual reality exercises may help back pain; and more.
USA Today:
Listeria Outbreak: 3 Dead From Tainted Milkshakes In Tacoma, Wash.
Three people are dead and three others were hospitalized after drinking milkshakes sold at a Washington restaurant that were contaminated with listeria bacteria, health officials said. Investigators linked the outbreak back to Frugals – a restaurant in Tacoma, Washington, about 30 miles from Seattle – after two of the six people hospitalized said they drank the milkshakes before getting sick, the Washington State Department of Health said in a news release Friday. (Guzman, 8/21)
In other health and wellness news —
Bloomberg:
American Exposure To Smoke Pollution Reached 17-Year High In 2023
On the EPA’s air quality index scale, these days correspond with the highest levels of public health concern. Extensive exposure to PM2.5 particles, the main pollutant found in smoke, can increase the risk of a variety of problems, including heart and respiratory disease, as well as premature death. (Poon and Milton, 8/21)
CBS News:
Study Finds Virtual Reality Exercises Could Help Ease Back Pain
In a study published in the Archives of Physiotherapy, researchers studied 82 clients with low back pain and/or neck pain who received exercise therapy delivered solely in the metaverse using virtual reality. They found that the treatment was both safe and effective at improving disability from both low back and neck pain. (Marshall, 8/21)
Military.com:
Commissaries Bringing Healthier, Fresh Food Closer To Home For Army Soldiers
Soldiers at 10 Army posts have better access to healthy snacks and fresh deli items as part of a new program that puts commissary kiosks and outposts near their barracks or workspaces, according to the Defense Commissary Agency. Through a partnership with the Army, commissaries have installed kiosks in locations "convenient to soldiers on duty in the middle of the day" and stocked them with items such as sandwiches, salads, sushi, fresh fruit, drinks and other wholesome foods, DeCA officials told Military.com in a recent interview. (Kime, 8/21)
Stat:
Kellogg’s Is Going To War Over Mexico’s Nutrition Label Rules
Kellogg’s is waging a war here over Tigre Toño and Sam el Tucán. A 2019 policy requires companies that make unhealthy foods to include warning labels on the front of any boxes they sell in Mexico to educate consumers about things like excess sugar and fat. Any food with a warning label — like Kellogg’s Fruit Loops or its Frosted Flakes, which typically contain more than 37 grams of added sugar in a 100-gram serving — is also banned from including a mascot on its packaging. (Florko, 8/21)
Axios:
This Kennedy Scion Is Investing In Disability-Focused Startups
A Kennedy family scion is raising a venture capital fund to invest in startups that serve people with disabilities, plus their caregivers and family members. An estimated 1.3 billion people have a significant physical or mental disability, representing 16% of the global population, according to the World Health Organization. This includes an estimated 20% of U.S. children with a learning disability. (Primack, 8/21)
KFF Health News:
Doctors Advocate Fresh Efforts To Combat Chagas Disease, A Silent Killer
When Maira Gutiérrez was diagnosed with Chagas disease in 1997, neither she nor her primary care physician had even heard of the malady. She discovered her illness only by chance, after participating in a Red Cross blood drive organized by her employer, Universal Studios. The Red Cross tests donated blood for a range of diseases, including Chagas, which is caused by a parasite and can develop silently for decades before causing symptoms. The test detected Chagas in her body, and an MRI years later, in 2013, confirmed it had reached her heart. (Andalo, 8/22)
On aging —
The New York Times:
Jimmy Carter Is Still ‘Very Much’ Himself In Hospice Care, Grandson Says
Former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn Carter, are still holding hands and making memories together in their Georgia home six months after he entered hospice care there, one of the couple’s grandsons said on Monday. The former president, 98, is “still very much Jimmy Carter,” his grandson Josh Carter said in a telephone interview. “He’s still opinionated, he’s still strong-willed, he’s still him. And that’s great to see.” (Patil, 8/21)
The Washington Post:
At Age 114, Here’s Her Advice: ‘Speak Your Mind And Don’t Hold Your Tongue’
Not many 94-year-olds still have their mothers around, but Dorothy Williams does — and the two women live together in Houston. Her mother, Elizabeth Francis, just turned 114. “I guess I would have to say the Lord has blessed me in my young age,” joked Francis, whose birthday was July 25. (Free, 8/18)
