While the ease of pre-packaged meals for the wee set is surely tempting, a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says parents should be aware that many contain worrisome amounts of salt and sugar. [More]
centers for disease control and prevention
Third Candy Apple Maker Recalls Treats For Possible Listeria Contamination
By 12.30.14
Earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned consumers to avoid some caramel apples after at least 30 people in 10 states have been infected with Listeriosis due to Listeria monocytogenes. This week a third candy maker is recalling caramel apples, the government said, out of concern that its apples may be tainted with Listeria as well. [More]
Family Sues Safeway After Mother’s Death Linked To Listeria-Contaminated Caramel Apple Sold At Store
By 12.23.14
Last week officials with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned consumers to avoid eating prepackaged caramel apples left over from the fall following reports that 29 people fell ill and three died after consuming the sweet treats that may be contaminated with the potentially deadly bacteria listeria. Now, a California family has filed a lawsuit against Safeway claiming their mother died after eating the desserts purchased from the store. [More]
CDC: Listeria Contaminated Pre-Packaged Caramel Apples Linked to Four Deaths, 28 Illnesses
By 12.19.14
The holidays are full of sweet treats and fresh-baked goods. But if your snacking plans included finishing off those prepackaged caramel apples from fall, you better come up with different plans. That’s because federal officials say the desserts may be the source of a multi-state listeria outbreak that has been linked to at least five deaths. [More]
USDA Bans Imports Of Young, Sick Puppies
By 8.15.14
First of all, let’s all look at those puppies there on the left. Don’t they look like they’re from a really adorable puppy version of The Shining? Maybe The Barking? Anyway, those puppies* are unrelated to this story: The United States Department of Agriculture has a new rule banning the importation of puppies that are too young or sickly to be coming into the country. [More]
Current Measles Outbreak The Worst U.S. Has Seen In 14 Years
By 5.30.14
When I was a young cheese-fed sprout growing up, the measles sounded like one of those awfully scary diseases that only people in history books ever came down with. Because I knew enough to know that getting vaccinated against it meant I likely wouldn’t get it. But measles are all the rage again now, or at least cases are climbing to record highs since the disease was eliminated 14 years ago in the U.S. [More]
What Can ‘The Walking Dead’ Teach Us About Public Health Crises?
By 11.1.13
There are many things fans of The Walking Dead can learn about a potential zombie apocalypse: Crossbows are awesome when Daryl is wielding one, never trust someone who just goes by “The Governor” and zombies are always snacking. But more perhaps important than studying the way Rick tenses his eyes just so, there are vital lessons about public health to be had from the popular post-apocalyptic show. [More]
Are CDC’s Detectives At Work During Shutdown While Salmonella Outbreak Sickens Hundreds?
By 10.8.13 — Updated: 10.9.13
Often when we hear news of a food-borne disease, the worst has passed and the government works to educate consumers on which products have been recalled. However with 278 people in 18 states sickened by a salmonella outbreak linked to raw chicken products from California, no recall has been announced and the United States Department of Agriculture says “the outbreak is continuing.” But are any of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s elite food detectives at work during the government shutdown to trace track down the source of the contamination? [More]
CDC Report Details Which Foods Make The Most People Sick, Tells Everyone To Stay Calm
By 1.29.13
First of all, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention don’t want you to get all freaked out about the foods you eat, just because it’s releasing a report on the foods responsible for sickening the most people. It’s just an attempt to help regulators improve food safety. That being said, leafy greens like lettuce, spinach and kale are the most popular culprits, dairy products were responsible for the most hospitalizations and the most deaths were linked to poultry. [More]
CDC Says Kids Are Just Like Their Parents And Are Eating Way Too Much Salt Every Day
By 9.17.12
We can see it now — no more salt shakers in New York City. That probably won’t happen (right, Mayor Bloomberg?) but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says in a new study that American kids are eating way too much salt, just like their grown-up counterparts. Children are ingesting around 1,000 milligrams of salt more than they should be, which is the sodium equivalent of a Big Mac. [More]
CDC Study Reveals That At Least 20% Of People In Each State In America Are Obese
By 8.14.12
It isn’t just the nation’s overweight children we need to worry about — the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows exactly how widespread America’s obesity problem is among the adult population in no uncertain terms. So how fat are we, really? The CDC says that every single state in the country has an obesity rate of at least 20%, and 12 states hit 30% and above. [More]
One In Three Teens Admits To Texting Or E-Mailing While Driving
By 6.7.12
As the evidence piles up showing that teens are still distracted behind the wheel to an unsafe degree, Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has introduced a new initiative aimed at ending the dangerous habits of texting or emailing while driving. [More]
CDC Says Most HIV Patients Don't Have Infection Under Control
By 11.30.11
Although HIV doesn’t dominate headlines like it did 20 years ago, the virus still rages out of control in most patients it infects. According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, most HIV-afflicted patients don’t take the drugs they need to manage their conditions. Scarier still, as many as 20 percent of those with HIV don’t know they’re infected. [More]
Study: Binge Boozing Costs Society $2 Per Drink
By 10.18.11
After heavy drinkers get to the point that they’ve had too many, each drink ends up costing society $2 in extra medical expenses and other costs, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study. The “other” costs result mainly from drunk driving — in funds spent to lock up drunk drivers and damage from accidents. [More]
