Salmonella Outbreak Prompts Recall
Jennie-O Turkey has recalled over 90,000 pounds of raw ground turkey due to a salmonella contamination. The USDA is warning that more companies may need issue recalls in the near future. When working with raw turkey, the agency recommends taking the following precautions:
- Thaw the turkey in the refrigerator instead of on the counter
- Wash your hands after handling the raw meat
- Cook the meat fully
Full Story: CNN
New Jersey/New York Not Yet in the Clear with Measles Outbreak
Following a string of measles cases in New York and New Jersey, public health experts are advising New Jersey residents to remain vigilant against the threat of measles by continuing to vaccinate their kids. “Without sustained high levels of vaccination in all communities there will continue to be this type of outbreak, Fennelly said. You can compare it to a risk of a forest fire and these vulnerable children are tinder.”
Full Story: Asbury Park Press
Rebel Attacks Impeding Ebola Response in DRC
Attacks by a rebel militia group in Beni have forced more than a dozen WHO workers to suspend Ebola containment efforts in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The attack is the latest in a wave of violence that has disrupted Ebola response in the region. Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says the organization “will use all the means we have … to protect all humanitarian workers there.” Ghebreyesus is hopeful that operations comprising all 200 health workers will return to normal in the near future.
Full Story: Stat
Low Public Health Investment Puts US at Risk Amid Growing Crises
Resource-constrained public health systems are struggling to deal with the recent rise in Acute Flacid Myelitis cases, the polio-like disease mainly affecting children. Experts assert that underfunding of the CDC and state health programs is leaving the US ill-equipped to deal with the slew of health crises currently impacting the country. With increases in STD rates, hepatitis A and C, opioid addictions, and severe weather events, low investments in public health are becoming extremely costly in the long term.
Full Story: Pew