USDA Issues Public Health Alert for Certain Foster Farms Chicken Products

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On Monday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued a public health alert due to concerns that illness caused by strains of Salmonella Heidelberg are associated with raw chicken products produced by Foster Farms at three facilities in California.

At this point in the investigation, FSIS is unable to link the illnesses to a specific product and a specific production period. Raw products from the facilities in question bear one of the establishment numbers inside a USDA mark of inspection or elsewhere on the package:

  • “P6137”
  • “P6137A”
  • “P7632”

The products were mainly distributed to retail outlets in California, Oregon and Washington State.

This public health alert is being issued after an estimated 278 illnesses were recently reported in 18 states, predominantly in California.  The outbreak is continuing. The investigations indicate that consumption of Foster Farms brand chicken and other brand chicken produced at Foster Farms plants are the likely source of this outbreak of Salmonella Heidelberg infections. Illnesses were linked to Foster Farms brand chicken through epidemiologic, laboratory and traceback investigations conducted by local, state, and federal officials. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is partnering with state health departments to monitor the outbreak while FSIS continues its investigation.

The investigation is ongoing and FSIS is prepared to take additional actions or expand the investigation based on new evidence.

FSIS reminds consumers to properly handle raw poultry in a manner to prevent contamination from spreading to other foods and food contact surfaces. 

FSIS further reminds consumers of the critical importance of following package cooking instructions for frozen or fresh chicken products and general food safety guidelines when handling and preparing any raw meat or poultry. In particular, while cooking instructions may give a specific number of minutes of cooking for each side of the product in order to attain 165 °F in

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CDC Reports Over 200,000 Preventable Heart Disease and Stroke Deaths Annually

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More than 200,000 preventable deaths from heart disease and stroke occurred in the United States in 2010, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  More than half of these deaths happened to people younger than 65 years of age, and the overall rate of preventable deaths from heart disease and stroke dropped nearly 30 percent between 2001 and 2010, with the declines varying by age.  Lack of access to preventive screenings and early treatment for high blood pressure and high cholesterol could explain the differences among age groups.

  • Age: Death rates in 2010 were highest among adults aged 65-74 years (401.5 per 100,000 population).  But preventable deaths have declined faster in those aged 65–74 years compared to those under age 65.
  • Race/ethnicity: Blacks are twice as likely—and Hispanics are slightly less likely—as whites to die from preventable heart disease and stroke.
  • Sex: Avoidable deaths from heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure were higher among males (83.7 per 100,000) than females (39.6 per 100,000). Black men have the highest risk. Hispanic men are twice as likely as Hispanic women to die from preventable heart disease and stroke.
  • Location: By state, avoidable deaths from cardiovascular disease ranged from a rate of 36.3 deaths per 100,000 population in Minnesota to 99.6 deaths per 100,000 in the District of Columbia. By county, the highest avoidable death rates in 2010 were concentrated primarily in the southern Appalachian region and much of Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Oklahoma.  The lowest rates were in the West, Midwest, and Northeast regions.

To save more lives from these preventable deaths, doctors, nurses, and other health care providers can encourage healthy habits at every patient visit, including not smoking, increasing physical activity, eating a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, and taking medicines as directed.

Learn more about CDC’s heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure initiatives, and the national Million Hearts initiative.

Ventura County Public Health Warning Regarding Leaving Kids Unattended in Cars

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Ventura County Public Health warns that leaving children unattended in cars can lead to tragedy

Last month, a Ventura County family narrowly avoided tragedy after discovering their 2-year old near death after he had been accidentally locked in the family’s minivan. The child was rushed to a nearby emergency room where he was diagnosed with hyperthermia (heatstroke) and his body temperature was measured at 107.2 degrees. Thankfully, doctors were able to cool the boy and save his life but, for the hundreds of other children left alone in cars each year, the story does not have the same happy ending.

Such cases are more common than people might expect. An average of 38 children die in hot cars in the United States each year -- that's one every nine days. According to the Department of Geosciences at San Francisco State University, there have been more than 550 documented cases of heatstroke of children in vehicles since 1998.

Dr. Robert Levin, Ventura County Public Health Officer, warns parents to never leave a child unattended in a car – even if it is just for a few minutes and the windows are left open. “The temperature inside a car can heat up 20 degrees in just 10 minutes,” said Levin. “Because a child’s body heats up three to five times fast than an adult’s, it doesn’t take long for a child’s temperature to reach life-threatening levels.”

Any parent can forget their child in a car, especially if they are tired, distracted or out of their regular routine. According to the Safe Kids Worldwide, a global organization dedicated to preventing injuries in children, heatstroke is the number one cause of non-crash vehicle-related deaths for children ages 14 and under. Sadly, more than half of child heatstroke deaths occur when a distracted caregiver forgets a quiet child in the vehicle.

To keep your children safe, Safe Kids Worldwide created the A-C-T educational and awareness campaign for parents and caregivers. Each of the three letters reminds adults of important heat-related prevention tips.

A: Avoid heatstroke-related injury and death by never leaving your child alone in a car, not even for a minute. Always lock your doors and trunks – even in your driveway. And keep your keys and key fobs out of the reach of kids.

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Only One in Five Adults Meet CDC Physical Activity Guidelines - Time to Fix That!

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One in five adults meet overall physical activity guidelines

About 20% of U.S. adults are meeting both the aerobic and muscle strengthening components of the federal government's physical activity recommendations, according to a report recently published in  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (catchy name, eh?), a journal of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults get at least 2½ hours a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity such as walking, or one hour and 15 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, such as jogging, or a combination of both.  The guidelines also recommend that adults do muscle-strengthening activities, such as push-ups, sit-ups, or activities using resistance bands or weights.  These activities should involve all major muscle groups and be done on two or more days per week. 

The report finds that nationwide nearly 50 percent of adults are getting the recommended amounts of aerobic activity and about 30 percent are engaging in the recommended muscle-strengthening activity.

The report also found that the West (24%) and the Northeast (21%) had the highest proportion of adults who met the guidelines. Women, Hispanics, older adults and obese adults were all less likely to meet the guidelines.

For more information about the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, including ways to get and stay active, visit www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity.  Learn more about CDC's efforts to promote walking by visiting www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/walking.

Here in the Conejo Valley and Greater Ventura County with such great weather year-round, it should be easy to meet CDC's Physical Activity Guidelines. Here are some local options:

Upcoming 5K and 10K runs

Running and cycling groups and activities

Gyms and fitness facilities

Pilates

Gymnastics and dance facilities

Martial arts

Swimming

Local hiking and trails

Take Five Minutes to Learn "Hands Only" CPR and You May Save a Life

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Nearly 400,000 Americans suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrests every year, and almost 90 percent die because they don’t receive immediate CPR from someone on the scene. When begun immediately, CPR can double or triple a person’s chance of survival.

The American Heart Association is on a mission to teach people across the country how to save lives with Hands-Only™ CPR with the help of 70s disco classic, “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees.

If you see a teen or adult collapse, call 9-1-1 and push hard and fast in the center of the chest to the beat of the classic Bee Gees' song "Stayin' Alive." The American Heart Association's Hands-Only CPR at this beat can more than double or triple a person's chances of survival.

To learn more about the Hands-Only CPR campaign and tour, hustle to heart.org/HandsOnlyCPR, facebook.com/AHACPR or youtube.com/HandsOnlyCPR.

In June 2012, Ventura County Emergency Medical Services Agency coordinated a "Sidewalk CPR" event in over 2 dozen locations throughout the County. Another Hands-Only CPR event at 10 locations is planned for Tuesday, June 4, 2013.

I attended and learned that "mouth-to-mouth" is not necessary to save a life. The steps they taught us in this 5 minute exercise was:

  1. Check for responsiveness - shake and shout. Rub the breast bone with your knuckles.
  2. Call 9-1-1 or tell someone to do so - if unresponsive and gasping or not breathing.
  3. Compress: Position on the floor face up. Place one hand on the center of the chest and the other hand on top of the first. Push HARD (at least 2 inches) and FAST (about 100 times per minute).
  4. Continue until Emergency Medical Services arrives, even if the person gasps. Gasping is not a sign of recovery - it's because you are doing a good job with CPR.

You may just save a life with this knowledge.

Centers for Disease Control Gives the Scoop on Poop in Public Swimming Pools

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Last summer, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) did a public pool study that concluded that feces are frequently introduced into pool water by swimmers.

I debated whether to publish this, well, not particularly pleasant information, but we should all be aware of prepared when we venture out into public swimming areas (such as this compilation of several dozen fun water activities in and around Ventura County).

The CDC collected samples of water from public pool pool filters last summer and tested the samples for genetic material of multiple microbes. Fully 58 percent of the pool filter samples tested were positive for E. coli, bacteria normally found in the human gut and feces.

Finding a high percentage of E. coli-positive filters indicates swimmers frequently contaminate pool water when they have a "fecal incident" in the water or when feces rinse off of their bodies because they do not shower thoroughly before getting into the water.

The study did not address water parks, residential pools or other types of recreational water. The study does not allow CDC to make conclusions about all pools in the United Stat

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Make a Splash: Stay Healthy Under the Sun and In the Water This Summer

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Make a Splash!

Stay healthy under the sun and in the water this summer - a reminder from the CDC

As schools let out and summer approaches, remember to stay healthy and safe under the sun and in the water. Skin cancer is the most common kind of cancer in the United States, and melanoma is the most deadly kind of skin cancer. Just a few serious sunburns at any age can increase a person’s risk of skin cancer. We all share the water we swim in, and each of us needs to do our part to help keep ourselves, our families, and our friends healthy while swimming.

To help protect yourself and others from disease and germs, here are a few easy and effective steps to take this season:

  • SEEK shade- especially during midday hours (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.). Ultraviolet (UV) rays from sunlight are the greatest during the late spring and early summer in North America.
  • PROTECT your body- wear clothing that protects the skin such as a wide-brimmed hat to shade the face, head, ears, and neck; and wraparound sunglasses that block as close to 100 percent of ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays as possible (sunglasses safeguard the eyes from UVA and UVB rays, protect the tender skin around the eyes from sun exposure, and reduce the risk of cataracts).
  • APPLY sunscreen- sunscreen with sun protective factor (SPF) 15 or higher, and both UVA and UVB protection. Remember to reapply sunscreen at least every 2 hours and after swimming, sweating, and toweling off.
  • CHECK pools– before getting into the water, check the pool to see if it is at the proper chlorine level (1–3 mg/L or parts per million [ppm]) and pH (7.2–7.8) to maximize germ-killing power.
  • KEEP the poop and pee out of the water while swimming- don’t swim when ill with diarrhea; chlorine and other disinfectants don’t kill germs instantly; mixing of chlorine with pee and sweat uses up the germ-killing chlorine in the pool and creates those chemicals that sting your eyes and make you cough.
  • DON’T swallow the water you swim in.

Enjoy your time outdoors and in the water, and take steps to be healthy.

Here are some great outdoor activities in and around Ventura County this summer:

Beaches spanning from Carpinteria to Ventura

Beaches spanning from Oxnard to Malibu

4th of July festivities and fireworks

Water parks, splash pads and community swimming

Summer concerts in the park