Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Salmonella Outbreak Widens; Whole Jalapeños Now Being Pulled From Some Produce Bins
NBC News: Salmonella Outbreak Linked To Jalapenos Isn’t Over, As CDC Reports More Than 400 Cases
At least 431 people in 32 states have gotten sick from eating fresh jalapeño peppers contaminated with salmonella, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday. The likeliest source of the illnesses was jalapeños grown in Mexico and distributed by Coast Citrus Distributors, which recalled the peppers. (Edwards, 8/19)
USA Today: Jalapeños Sold At Costco Recalled. See Affected Items
Jalapeño peppers sold at Costco stores are being recalled as part of a growing salmonella outbreak, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). (Walrath-Holdridge, 8/18)
NBC 7 San Diego: Ramona Egg Rancher Disputes County Findings In Salmonella Outbreak
According to investigators, unpasteurized Happy Hens eggs were used to make mayonnaise in the delicatessen at Ramona Family Naturals Market. Happy Hens owner Chloe Nevarez, however, questions how investigators linked the illnesses to her farm. She said nine people who became ill had the same genotyping, but the health department did not obtain a test sample from her farm. “All nine of those people had salmonella from either chicken or eggs, but how that links back to our farm is null and void. There is no connection,” Nevarez said. (Summers, 8/18)
People.com: Lacnola Lactation Granola Recalled Nationwide Over Salmonella Risk
A granola product has been recalled across the country over Salmonella risk. The Hampton Grocer, Inc. voluntarily recalled certain lots of its Lacnola Lactation Granola due to potential Salmonella contamination, per a company announcement shared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Aug. 14. (Kim, 8/18)
Also —
The Hill: As US's Cyclosporiasis Cases Surpass 15,000, These Are The Hardest-Hit States
Since May, there have been more than 15,700 cases of domestically acquired cyclosporiasis, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed in a Tuesday update. Another 11,800 may need further investigation. However, only about 9,500 of those cases in the 17 states connected to the cyclospora outbreak traced back to iceberg lettuce, according to the FDA and the CDC. There are “multiple clusters” of cyclospora that remain under investigation and do not have identified sources so far. (Bink, 8/19)
AP: Screwworm Hampers Shelters' Efforts To Save Rescued Dogs And Cats
Adoptions are on hold for thousands of dogs and cats in Texas, potentially putting the animals at risk of being euthanized, because of efforts to stop the spread of the New World screwworm, an insect that has crossed the border from Mexico into the United States for the first time in 60 years. The flesh-eating parasite threatens the nation’s $113 billion beef industry, prompting federal officials to close the border to cattle movements. (Hanna, 8/19)
CIDRAP: Want To Predict Lyme Disease Risk? Count The Acorns, Not The Deer
If you want to know how bad a future tick season will be, it may be more useful to count the number of acorns on the ground than the number of deer in the forest. That’s one of several surprising findings to emerge from more than 30 years of tracking ticks, mice, deer, and weather in a Lyme disease hot spot. The findings, published this week in PNAS, challenge long-held ideas about what drives Lyme disease risk. (Bergeson, 8/19)
In global news —
Bloomberg: Congo Ebola Outbreak Spreads Beyond Ituri As Cases Rise In North Kivu
Ebola is spreading rapidly beyond the main epicenter of Democratic Republic of Congo’s outbreak, overwhelming treatment capacity in some areas and putting mounting pressure on efforts to trace and contain infections. (Gale, 8/20)
Bloomberg: France’s Destructive Heat Waves See Over 7,000 Excess Deaths
France recorded more than 7,000 excess deaths in two successive heat waves through July 22, as industry and public health services were hit by the country’s hottest month in more than a century. At least 5,764 excess deaths were recorded from June 17 to July 2, and 1,243 in the July 3-22 period, Santé Publique France said in a statement Wednesday. People aged 75 and over accounted for three-quarters of the deaths during the second heat wave, the public health authority said. (Razzouk, 8/19)
