Posts Tagged ‘ CDC ’

Foster Farms Apologizes for Salmonella, but why wasn’t there a Recall?

November 6th, 2013. By AbiK

Foster Farms CEO Ron Foster sent out this full-page ad apology regarding the recent salmonella outbreak brought on by his company’s chicken. However, while there was a health alert issued by the CDC, reports of over 360 salmonella cases in 21 states, Costco’s been pulling the chicken off their shelves, and now the salmonella lawsuits are starting to roll in, Foster Farms did not issue a voluntary recall for the chicken. So the question remains: why?

 

Tags: CDC, Costco, Food Poisoning, Foster Farms Chicken, Foster Farms lawsuit, Salmonella
Posted in Food Illness, lawsuits | 2 Comments »

UPDATE 2: Multi-State Fungal Meningitis Outbreak by the Numbers

October 9th, 2012. By AbiK

(Updated Information as of 10/12/12 shown in RED below)

Here’s the latest on the multi-state fungal meningitis outbreak.

– Reuters is reporting a member of the U.S. Senate has requested the U.S. Justice Department to conduct a criminal probe of possible fraud violations by NECC, the supplier of the contaminated steroid injections.

-Also, new estimates suggest as many as 14,000 individuals may have received the contaminated steroid—previously that number had been estimated to be 13,000.

-See updated ‘by the numbers’ information below.

If you or someone you know have had a steroid injection—an epidural (according to the CDC, epidurals given for childbirth do not use the same medication involved in this outbreak), a shot given by an orthopedist, etc.—check with your doctor and/or healthcare facility to find out if you may have been affected. Also, be aware of the symptoms associated with meningitis (some are listed below) and seek immediate medical help should you suspect that you may have been affected by a contaminated steroid injection.

While the source of the contamination that has led to so many cases of fungal meningitis has not yet been determined, an investigation continues. Meningitis victims may also wish to seek legal help and can do so by submitting the form here.

Most importantly though, be sure to talk to your medical provider if you suspect you may have received a tainted steroid injection. Symptoms of meningitis include new or worsening headache, fever, sensitivity to light, stiff neck, new weakness or numbness in any part of your body, slurred speech, and/or increased pain, redness or swelling at the injection site.

Here, the latest numbers on the meningitis outbreak:

Date of Recall:

September 26, 2012

Number of Lots Recalled:

3 lots of preservative-free methylprednisolone acetate (80mg/ml); the 3 lots contained 17,676 vials of medicine (Reuters)

Number of Suppliers who have Issued a Recall:

1—New England Compounding Center (NECC) issued a voluntary recall on September 26, 2012

Start Date in which Recalled Lots of Steroid Injections may have been used:

May 21, 2012

Number of States with Healthcare Facilities that received Recalled Lots of Steroid Injections:

23  (California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia)

First State to Detect a Case of Fungal Meningitis related to the Recalled Steroid Injections:

Tennessee, which has had the most reported cases to date (35) and 4 reported deaths

Number of States with Reported Cases of Fungal Meningitis:

11 states have reported cases–Florida (4), Idaho (1), Indiana (12), Maryland (8), Michigan (25), Minnesota (3), North Carolina (2), Ohio (1), Tennessee (39), Virginia (24), New Jersey (1)

Number of Reported Cases of Fungal Meningitis:

170 cases of fungal meningitis have been reported to date

Number of Deaths related to Fungal Meningitis Outbreak:

14 deaths have been reported to date in the following states: Florida (2), Indiana (1), Maryland (1), Michigan (3), Tennessee (6), Virginia (1)

Number of Individuals who may have Received an Injection from the Recalled Lots:

An estimated 14,000 individuals may have received a steroid injection from the recalled lots

Source: Centers for Disease Control (CDC.com), unless otherwise noted. A full list of healthcare facilities by state that had received part of the recalled lots from NECC is available at the CDC website.

 

 

Tags: CDC, Fungal Meningitis, Meningitis Outbreak, NECC, rare-meningitis-outbreak-steroid-injections, Steroid Injection
Posted in Drugs/Medical, Emerging Issues | No Comments »

Amazon.com Warehouse Worker Complaints get Outed

September 20th, 2011. By AbiK

If a company pays to have private ambulances and paramedics on-site at its warehouse facility on hot days, does that tell you something?

I don’t know about you, but if I’m working there, it would tell me that there’s an added element of risk to my workday. Risk of things like heat exhaustion, heat stroke, heat cramps, heat rash…particularly, if I’m working at an Amazon.com warehouse where working conditions include long hours (8-12 hour days, sometimes with mandatory overtime) and, according to an Amazon.com Warehouse Associate-Picker job posting, I’m lifting up to 49 lbs of merchandise at a time.

Such conditions were the focus of a recent expose done by The Morning Call‘s Spencer Soper. The Morning Call interviewed a total of twenty current and former Amazon.com warehouse workers on working conditions at Amazon’s Breinigsville, PA warehouse. What Soper found out was a bit disturbing.

The worker allegations included accounts of:

• The heat index in the warehouse reaching 102 degrees on June 2, 2011 and 15 workers collapsing;
• The heat index hitting 110 degrees on the third floor of the warehouse;
• Workers being pressured to continue working and “make rate” (i.e., productivity levels) in extreme heat to avoid risk of job loss;
• Workers who were given ‘voluntary time off ‘ if the heat index exceeded 110 degrees—but who were subsequently given points—Amazon.com’s version of demerits that can add up over time to job loss—unless a doctor’s note was provided. (It’s reported that Amazon’s policy on this has now changed; workers who head home due to heat lose pay for the hours missed, but they do not get points).

Sounds like an employer-of-choice to me.

Being a bit jaded, I went over to Glassdoor.com to check out the employee (staff and contract) reviews of work life at Amazon.com. I scanned the warehouse- and distribution-related entries and found that the PA warehouse was not just a bunch of disgruntled workers—such gripes are seemingly pervasive at Amazon.com: Long hours. Pressure to make rate. Micro-managing. Mandatory overtime. Points. Continual churn of contract or temp workers who seek full-time status, but never get it.

So much for the “fun” work environment that Amazon’s (or actually, Integrity Staffing Solutions) job postings tout.

Needless to say, some Amazon workers had made complaints to OSHA. And, in fairness, according to The Morning Call article, Amazon’s Allen Forney—the PA site safety manager—has also reported to OSHA the heat-related incidents and how Amazon has responded to such incidents on days of excessive heat.

Forney stated in a letter to OSHA (6/13/11) that on 6/3/11, six “employees were treated at a local hospital ER for non-work related medical conditions triggered by the heat” (note the “non-work related”…CYA all the way). Of course, OSHA does require that employers must “Notify OSHA within 8 hours of a workplace incident in which there is a death or when three or more workers go to a hospital.”

Forney also notes that Amazon has put in place measures such as adding fans; installing heat index sensors in March that alert managers when the index rises above 90 degrees; and purchasing ‘2,000 cooling bandannas’ and cooling vests for workers. Managers also ‘walk the building’ to ensure workers get enough water. And, when the temperature is between 90 and 99 degrees, workers get an additional five minutes of break time; if the temp hits 100 to 114 degrees, workers ‘typically’ get a five-minute break every hour, and ‘heavier work’ gets moved to cooler times during the day. Gee, thanks.

Of note, it has to get to 115 degrees before, according to Forney, “the senior manager on duty will decide whether to close down the entire shift.” Yes, 115 degrees.

For the record, as fans seem to be a big part of the heat index management plan at Amazon.com, a quick visit over to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) provided this regarding use of fans for heat-related symptoms:

Electric fans may provide comfort, but when the temperature is in the high 90s, fans will not prevent heat-related illness. Taking a cool shower or bath or moving to an air-conditioned place is a much better way to cool off. Air conditioning is the strongest protective factor against heat-related illness. Exposure to air conditioning for even a few hours a day will reduce the risk for heat-related illness. Consider visiting a shopping mall or public library for a few hours.

The inclusion of OSHA in all this begs the question, “so what did OSHA do about it?”

OSHA issued recommendations. OSHA recommended that Amazon reduce warehouse temperatures and humidity, but OSHA did not provide the temperature at which the warehouse should be maintained. OSHA also recommended hourly breaks in a cool area, and informing workers and
supervisors of the actual heat index or temperature in order for them to increase
monitoring as it gets hotter, and to provide personal fans at each work station. (Didn’t I just quote the CDC as saying fans wouldn’t help in preventing heat-related illness? Go figure.)

So OSHA falls short of actually putting a stake in the ground as to what temperature is acceptable for safe working conditions—and as a result, I can’t help but put a little blame on OSHA’s shoulders. If you only follow what you’re being mandated to do, well… But common sense at the very least should prevail over at Amazon.com. When you need to hire ambulances and paramedics and park them right outside your warehouse (next the the break truck?)—that should tell you something. Likewise, when workers are passing out or leaving to go home or being carted off the the hospital, it should tell you something.

And in the interim, I have something to tell Amazon.com—that lovely air conditioning unit shown above cools up to a 4,000 square foot area—and it’s available on your own damn site for $8,295.

Tags: amazon warehouse, Amazon.com, CDC, OSHA, worker's rights, working conditions
Posted in Employment | 30 Comments »

Camel Orbs Inspiration for Alchomints (Why not?)

April 20th, 2010. By AbiK

Haven’t sent in the patent app yet, but thinking the tagline—or at least the initial advertising—will include the line, “Get Mintoxicated.” See, I’m putting together a marketing proposal for these little mints (Alchomints!)—each one will pack a punch that’s equivalent to slinging back a mug of beer; that is, about 4-5% alcohol (by volume, based on an average sized mug—the ramped up “Hofbrauhaus High” would launch later as a line extension).

The target audience for Alchomints is anyone who’s come up against those inconvenient “no drinking in public” laws. The brown bag conspicuously twisted and crinkled around the neck of a tall boy just ain’t cuttin’ it and, let’s face it, you look like a total lush gripping your keychain opener as you bolt out of the packaged goods store. Wouldn’t you rather pop a little mint? All the buzz…none of the belch, breath or belly. It’s a sure hit. 

Go ahead and scoff. Call me a moron. Tell me the name “Alchomints” sounds too similar to “Altoids”. Rip me a new one about what would happen if my mints got into the wrong hands.

And let me then remind you of a product launch that started to roll out recently: Camel Orbs.

And just what are Camel Orbs? Well, much like my Alchomints, they’re little pellets that you can pop in your mouth like mints. But, they’re actually made from finely ground tobacco. And they reportedly carry 1 milligram of nicotine per Orb. That’s apparently the amount of nicotine a smoker gets from one cigarette.

Why would someone want to use Camel Orbs? Well, like my Alchomints, maybe someone’s in need of a little nicotine fix when they’re someplace where smoking is a no-no. (Maybe even someone sitting in third period Biology! Ponder that one for a moment…)

And, gee, doesn’t “Orbs” sound like some other innocuous checkout aisle candy or gum—say, like Orbit gum?

Hmm. I wonder if those Camel Orbs could get into the wrong hands, too?

Now, to be fair, as Camel was launching their Orbs in test markets, there was a lot of flak being written in protest. Rightly so. After all, seems pretty clear that something that looks like candy could be mistaken for, well, candy! Particularly by the younger set.

And now, just this week, we hear about a study done by the Harvard School of Public Health Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Camel Orbs, CDC, Harvard, Nicotine, Smokeless Tobacco, tobacco
Posted in Drugs/Medical, Emerging Issues | No Comments »

Super Freakonomics, HAI and a new site from Kimberly-Clark

December 1st, 2009. By AbiK

If you’ve read “Super Freakonomics” by Stephen Dubner and Steve Levitt, you’ve read how Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis discovered in the mid-1800’s that doctors washing hands could lower the incidence rate of puerperal fever (often fatal) in the maternity ward at Vienna General Hospital. It’s a timely read—and one that makes you wonder whether we’ve really come a long way baby (couldn’t resist)—given the recent focus in the news on Healthcare Associated Infections (like MRSA).

Things may well be better healthcare infection-wise since the mid-19th century, but none the less, the CDC lists 28 infectious diseases that you can “acquire” in a healthcare setting: Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: CDC, HAI, Healthcare Associated Infections, Hospital Acquired Infections, Hospitals, Kimberly-Clark
Posted in Drugs/Medical | No Comments »