Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Multistate E. Coli Outbreak Tied To McDonald's Burgers Sickens 49 People
AP: Deadly E. Coli Outbreak Linked To McDonald’s Quarter Pounders Sickens 49 People In 10 States
E. coli food poisoning linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers has sickened at least 49 people in 10 states, including one person who died and 10 who were hospitalized, federal health officials said Tuesday. The death was reported in an older person in Colorado, and one child has been hospitalized with severe kidney complications, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. Infections were reported between Sept. 27 and Oct. 11, in Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oregon, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Colorado has the most cases, 26, followed by Nebraska with nine. (Aleccia, 10/22)
NBC Chicago: Read McDonald’s Full Statement On Multistate E. Coli Outbreak
"The initial findings from the investigation indicate that a subset of illnesses may be linked to slivered onions used in the Quarter Pounder and sourced by a single supplier that serves three distribution centers," the company said. (10/22)
In other health and wellness news —
Fox News: Aging May Speed Up After Death Of A Loved One, Study Finds
Experiencing the loss of a loved one not only has an emotional impact, but it may also speed up the aging process. That’s according to a recent report from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and Butler Columbia Aging Center in New York, in collaboration with the Carolina Population Center at University North Carolina Chapel Hill. Researchers found that people who suffered a loss of a close family member such as a parent, child or sibling appeared to have an older biological age compared to those who did not. (McGorry, 10/23)
Stateline: More States Ban PFAS, Or ‘Forever Chemicals,’ In More Products
Legislative momentum against PFAS has surged this year, as at least 11 states enacted laws to restrict the use of “forever chemicals” in everyday consumer products or professional firefighting foam. The legislation includes bans on PFAS in apparel, cleaning products, cookware, and cosmetic and menstrual products. Meanwhile, lawmakers in some states also passed measures that require industries to pay for testing or cleanup. (Chatlani, 10/22)
The Philadelphia Inquirer: Study Sparked By Brain Injury To NFL's Tua Tagovailoa Identifies New Concussion Symptom
A new study, led by Harvard Medical School researchers and neuroscientist Chris Nowinski, has identified a symptom that might help training staff and coaches sooner identify a player who has suffered a concussion. The study, published Wednesday in the medical journal Diagnostics, focuses on a specific motion: an athlete shaking his or her head rapidly from side to side, moments after they’ve suffered a head impact or collision, a movement that the researchers refer to as Spontaneous Headshake After a Kinematic Event (SHAAKE). (Gambacorta, 10/23)
KFF Health News: Can You Rely On Your Mammogram To Identify Heart Disease Risk?
When people check in for their annual mammogram these days, some may face a surprising question: In addition to reviewing the mammogram for breast cancer, would the patient like the radiologist to examine the images for heart disease risk? That’s what happened recently when a colleague visited Washington Radiology, a practice with more than a dozen locations in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. (Andrews, 10/23)
