10/22/2013 Daily Health News, Breast Milk Contaminated, Hepatitis C Outbreak, Government Shutdown Ruins Years of Research, MERS Linked to Bats

STUDY: BREAST MILK SOLD ONLINE MAY HAVE HIGH LEVELS OF BACTERIA

An estimated three-quarters of breast milk samples available to purchase through the Internet may be contaminated with high levels of bacteria and even pathogens, according to a new study led by researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Following a growing trend of sharing breast milk via websites, authors of the study released online Monday in the journal... Continue Reading

Health officials probe hepatitis C outbreak in ND

State and federal health officials are investigating an outbreak of hepatitis C cases in Ward County centered around a Minot nursing home.

State and federal health officials are investigating an outbreak of hepatitis C cases in Ward County centered around a Minot nursing home.Continue Reading

Shutdown Imperils Costly Lab Mice, Years of Research

The government shutdown is likely to mean an early death for thousands of mice used in research on diseases such as diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer's. Federal research centers including the National Institutes of Health will have to kill some mice to avoid overcrowding, researchers say. Others will die because it is impossible to maintain certain lines of genetically altered mice without constant monitoring by scientists. And most federal scientists have been banned from their own labs since Oct. 1.:Continue Reading

MERS Again Linked to Bats

The point of origin for the MERS virus continues to baffle scientists. New evidence once again suggests that the deadly virus is linked to bats. Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is one of the latest problem viruses to have emerged this decade. MERS-CoV is the sixth new type of coronavirus like SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome).Source: Continue Reading

What Happens to Food Safety During the Shutdown???

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – FDA would continue limited activities related to

its user fee funded programs including the activities in the Center for Tobacco Products.

FDA would also continue select vital activities including maintaining critical consumer

protection to handle emergencies, high-risk recalls, civil and criminal investigations,

import entry review, and other critical public health issues.

- FDA will be unable to support the majority of its food safety, nutrition, and

cosmetics activities. FDA will also have to cease safety activities such as routine

establishment inspections, some compliance and enforcement activities, monitoring of

imports, notification programs (e.g., food contact substances, infant formula), and the

majority of the laboratory research necessary to inform public health decision-making

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – CDC will continue minimal support

to protect the health and well-being of US citizens here and abroad through a

significantly reduced capacity to respond to outbreak investigations, processing of

laboratory samples, and maintaining the agency’s 24/7 emergency operations center.

CDC would also continue activities supported through mandatory funding including the

World Trade Center health program, U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief

(PEPFAR), CDC’s Global AIDS program, the Energy Employees Occupational Illness

Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA), Vaccines for Children (VFC) program, and certain

childhood obesity activities and asbestos exposure in Libby, Montana.

CDC would be unable to support the annual seasonal influenza program, outbreak

detection and linking across state boundaries using genetic and molecular analysis,

continuous updating of disease treatment and prevention recommendations (e.g., HIV,

TB, STDs, hepatitis), and technical assistance, analysis, and support to state and local

partners for infectious disease surveillance.

Basically the government will take care of obvious safety problems such as the Foster Farms problem but they can’t go out looking for problems that are less obvious.