The CDC has alerted the public to an outbreak of salmonella poisoning from mangoes which has sickened 103 people in the United States, mostly in California, including 22 people in Canada.

Salmonella poisoning can cause mild illness in otherwise healthy people 12 to 72 hours after infection.

Symptoms include fever, diarrhea and abdominal cramping.

In those individuals with a weakened immune system salmonella can cause severe illness requiring hospitalization.

Once a specific source is identified, CDC said public health officials will offer advice and take steps to prevent illness.
However, CDC officials did confirm that the genetic fingerprint of the salmonella strain was identical to that found in the recalled mangoes that made people sick in Canada, which were identified as Daniella brand mangoes imported from Mexico.
A U.S. importer of those mangoes, Splendid Products of Burlingame, Calif., has voluntarily recalled nationwide shipments of Daniella mangoes with PLUs #4959, 3114, 4051, 4311 or 4584. Several U.S. grocery stores have pulled the fruit from their shelves, the Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday. They were sold at retail locations across the U.S. from July 12 to Aug. 29.

The CDC says that Yellowfin tuna is most likely responsible for an outbreak of salmonella in 20 U.S. states.

The company, the Moon Marine USA Corporation headquartered in Cupertino, California, is voluntarily recalling 58,828 lbs of the product, which is not available to individual consumers, according to a U.S. Food and Drug Administration report also released Friday.

According to a report Friday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, no deaths have been reported, however, a total of 116 people have been infected with salmonella since the outbreak occurred, including 12 who were hospitalized as a result of the bacteria.

Americans seem to be getting an adequate amount of vitamins and nutrients in their diets.

This is not to say that there are not deficiencies, especially in certain pockets of the population which include certain racial groups, age groups and women.

Lead researcher Christine Pfeiffer said in the release: “Research shows that good nutrition can help lower people’s risk for many chronic diseases. For most nutrients, the low deficiency rates, less than 1 to 10 percent, are encouraging, but higher deficiency rates in certain age and race/ethnic groups are a concern and need additional attention.”

Pfeiffer and her colleagues found that since the fortification of cereal-grain products with folic acid began in 1998, there has been a sustained increase in folate levels.

Folate deficiency has dropped to less than 1 percent, and blood folate levels in all racial/ethnic groups have increased 50 percent

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Read on for more information and see if you need to fortify your diet to achieve your best health potential.

Rates of autism have risen from 1 in 100 children to 1 in 88.

April is Autism Awareness month and new figures released today in a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has shown higher than expected incidence of autism.

“One thing the data tells us with certainty — there are many children and families who need help,” said Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the CDC. “We must continue to track autism spectrum disorders because this is the information communities need to guide improvements in services to help children,” Frieden said.

Autism spectrum disorders are developmental disabilities that can cause language delays, impaired social and communication skills and repetitive behaviors. The group of disorders includes classic autism, as well as less severe forms of the condition, such as Asperger’s syndrome.

Increased awareness has led to more accurate diagnosis.

The earlier a correct diagnosis can be made the sooner intervention can begin.

Hepatitis C on the increase in people ages 15-34.

High risk behaviors such as IV drug use is fueling the increase while tattooing and sexual activity continue to spread the disease.

To assess the incidence of hepatitis C, the researchers reviewed Pennsylvania’s hepatitis C surveillance data from 2003 (the first full year of reportable data) to 2010. They compared age-specific rates of reported cases over time.

The number of newly confirmed or probable hepatitis C cases in people 15 to 34 years of age increased from 1384 in 2003 to 2393 in 2010 (from 43 to 72 cases per 100,000 people).

The cantaloupe outbreak of the summer, which claimed 146 sick and 30 dead victims, has finally ended.

This was the second deadliest outbreak since 1985 when Mexican style fresh cheese caused 52 deaths including stillbirths according to the CDC.

The CDC is strongly recommending the flu vaccinethis year.

For the immune-compromised, the elderly, children and pregnant women, it is the best way to be protected during flu season.

Last flu season, about 130.9 million Americans, or 43 percent of the U.S. population, received a flu shot. That’s about 8 million more than the previous season, said Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While researchers can’t predict exactly what this flu season will hold, “We can say with certainly that the best way to protect yourself, your family and your community is to get a flu shot,” Frieden said at a NFID news conference today.

“For most people, the flu makes them sick for a few days, but for others — especially children, the elderly and people with underlying health conditions — it can be life-threatening,” Frieden said.

A total of 111 illnesses associated with bed bug-related insecticides were reported in seven states between 2003 and 2010 (mostly in the last three years), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Thursday.

Most cases of poisoning were not severe, but the data included one death.

In nearly 40% of cases of insecticide-related illness, extermination was attempted by consumers who weren’t certified to use pesticides. The problem is only being made worse by bed bugs’ increasing resistance to commonly available pesticides, the CDC said, which may further drive people’s misuse of toxic chemicals.

CDC and EPA promote integrated pest management (IPM) for bed bug control. IPM is an effective pest control method that uses information on the life cycle of the pest and incorporates nonchemical and chemical methods. Nonchemical methods to effectively control bed bugs include heating infested rooms to 118°F (48°C) for 1 hour or cooling rooms to 3°F (-16°C) for 1 hour by professional applicators; encasing mattresses and box springs with bed bug–excluding covers; and vacuuming, steaming, laundering, and disposing of infested items.

An investigation into skin lesions developed by two individuals after getting tattoos has concluded that both were infected with a bacteria not previously linked to the business.

The infections involved Mycobacterium haemophilum, which usually only strikes individuals with compromised immune systems.

In this instance, however, the patients, both from Seattle, developed rashes despite the fact that both had normal immune systems, a report on the investigation found.

The authors pointed out that tattooing is not considered a sterile procedure, is not regulated at the federal level and can be risky. And while the specific inks and colorings (pigments) commonly used to apply tattoos are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the rules usually apply only when cosmetics or color additives are involved.