Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
2 More Confirmed Bird Flu Cases In California: State Total Reaches 15
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) today reported two more H5 avian influenza infections, both confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), raising the state's total to 15. ... The newly confirmed California cases raise the US number of human H5 infections this year to 27, which doesn't yet include four presumptive positive cases reported in poultry workers in Washington state. (Schnirring, 10/23)
The U.S. Department of Agriculture weakened an emergency order last spring designed to prevent the spread of bird flu among the nation's dairy cattle after pushback from state and industry officials, according to state and federal records seen by Reuters. (Douglas and Polansek, 10/23)
On E. coli and listeria 鈥
McDonald鈥檚 Corp. supplier Taylor Farms is recalling some yellow onion batches produced in a Colorado facility in response to a deadly E. coli outbreak at the burger chain. Taylor Farms, which supplied onions to the McDonald鈥檚 restaurants impacted by a multistate health investigation, said it hasn鈥檛 found traces of E. coli yet, but decided to pull the products 鈥渙ut of an abundance of caution.鈥 Another of Taylor Farms鈥 big customers, US Foods Holding Corp., also told at least one restaurant it supplies to destroy the onions. (Shanker and Sirtori, 10/24)
The person who died in Colorado and whose death is tied to a multi-state McDonald's E. coli outbreak lived in Mesa County. That's according to Mesa County Public Health, which has not released the identity of the deceased person. According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, it was a man who was in his older years. (Sarles, 10/23)
TreeHouse Foods has expanded an earlier recall of frozen waffles to include all its griddle products, including Belgian waffles and pancakes, over possible listeria contamination. Though no illnesses have been reported, TreeHouse Foods has previously said that the breakfast products were widely distributed throughout the United States and Canada, primarily as private-label offerings by Walmart, Target, Tops, Harris Teeter, Publix and other large merchants. (Gregg, 10/22)
