Tag Archives: CDC

Boston College Students Fall Ill, Investigators Probe Link to Chipotle E. Coli Outbreak

Investigators were reportedly trying to determine if the illnesses that several Boston College students reported after eating at a Chipotle were tied to an E. Coli outbreak at the restaurant.

The Boston Herald, quoting a statement from a school spokesman, reported Monday that “several” Boston College students complained of gastrointestinal symptoms after eating at a Chipotle restaurant. The newspaper reported the state’s Department of Public Health was notified and was examining whether the illnesses were linked to Chipotle’s recent E. Coli scare.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 52 people in nine states have come down with one particular type of E. Coli since October. The CDC said that 47 of those people said they ate at a Chipotle restaurant in the week leading up to the onset of their illness.

In a statement to Reuters, a Chipotle spokesman said there wasn’t any evidence that the Boston College illnesses were related to the E. Coli outbreak. The spokesman said in the statement that there have not been any confirmed cases of the illness linked to Chipotle in Massachusetts.

Still, Boston television station WCVB reported that the Chipotle restaurant where the Boston College students ate was closed pending an investigation from Boston Inspectional Services. The television station placed the number of students who fell ill after eating at Chipotle at 30.

According to the CDC, there have been documented cases of the Chipotle-linked E. Coli strain in Washington, Oregon, California, Minnesota, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Maryland. The CDC said 20 people were hospitalized, but there were no reports of any deaths.

There were 40 cases in Washington (27) and Oregon (13), the CDC reported, and Chipotle voluntarily closed all of its 43 restaurants in the Seattle and Portland, Oregon, markets after the outbreaks were first reported. The company said all of those restaurants have since reopened.

It’s still not known what particular food item is responsible for the outbreak. Chipotle said in a news release on Friday that it has increased food safety practices since the outbreak first began.

The company’s stocks were trading at $750.42 in mid-October, which was near an all-time high. They have fallen more than $200 in the weeks since and were trading at $544.51 early Tuesday.

E. Coli symptoms include diarrhea and abdominal cramps. The disease can sometimes lead to kidney failure, but there haven’t been any reported cases in the outbreak.

The E. Coli outbreak linked to Chipotle restaurants deals with a different type of the bacteria than the one that has been connected to a rotisserie chicken salad sold in Costco stores.

CDC Reports Rise in Rabbit Fever

United States health officials are working to find out what’s behind a rise in cases of rabbit fever.

The rare disease is also known as tularemia and can be life-threatening, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The organization said Thursday that there are usually only 125 cases of the disease in the United States every year, but there were 100 in just four states as of September 30. There has now been 235 total cases, the Associated Press reported.

According to the CDC, the disease is caused by a bacteria to which rabbits and other kinds of small rodents are easily susceptible. Humans can contract the disease through tick bites, handling animals that have been infected or by breathing in the infectious bacteria.

The CDC says the disease can lead to a variety of symptoms, depending on the bacteria enters the human body. The most serious infections occur when the bacteria spreads into the lungs, either directly via breathing or through the bloodstream after leaving an infection untreated.

The disease is treated through antibiotics and most patients have full recoveries, according to the CDC. But its symptoms (which can include fever, joint and muscle pain, difficulty breathing and vomiting) may make it hard to diagnose, as it can be mistaken for more common illnesses.

An 85-year-old man died and at least 48 people were hospitalized this year, the CDC said.

The CDC report says it’s not clear what is behind the increase in cases, particularly in the four-state region of Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska and South Dakota where there were the 100 documented cases through the end of September. A possible explanation is that heavy rainfall there fostered vegetation growth and bacteria survival, as well as increased rodent populations.

While it’s not explicitly mentioned as a potential cause in the report released Thursday, the CDC website does list tularemia as a potential weapon that could be used in bioterrorism attacks. The website notes the bacteria is highly infections and can be transmitted through the air.

The CDC encourages people to wear insect repellent and use gloves when handling dead animals to help prevent infection.

Legionnaires’ Disease Closes Three Chicago-Area Schools

Students were sent home and three schools were closed when higher than normal amounts of Legionella, the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease, were found in cooling towers.

The schools were located in the U-46 school district, located 45 miles northeast of Chicago. Officials found the high level of bacteria during an annual air quality check.

The district stated in an alert on their website: “While risk of exposure to the bacteria was low, we decided, in consultation with the Kane County Health Department, to evacuate staff and students to safe locations as a precaution.”

Reuters reported that the district was properly cleaning and sanitizing all 19 water cooling towers. So far, there have been no reports of anyone within the schools contracting Legionnaires’ disease.

Illinois has been concerned with the disease after 12 residents of a western Illinois veteran home died of Legionnaires’ last month. USA Today reports that dozens of home residents have contracted the disease. Legionnaires’ also infected 119 people and killed 12 in the New York City Outbreak earlier this year.

Legionnaires’ disease is a pneumonia-like disease that is caused by inhaling bacteria infected vapor. The vapor can come from air conditioners, showers, or hot tubs. The disease can lead to kidney failure, respiratory failure, and septic shock. Most people recover, but the CDC reports that 5% to 30% who contract the disease will die. It cannot be transmitted between people.

Michigan Patient Tests Positive for Plague

A Michigan resident who had been vacationing in Colorado has tested positive for bubonic plague.

The Michigan Department of Health says the unnamed resident is the state’s first ever recorded case of the disease.  They said it’s likely the contracted the disease in Colorado because they visited an area “with reported plague activity.”

The confirmed infection is the 14th case of the life threatening disease this year.  Three people have died from the plague this year: two in Colorado and one in Utah.

The Centers for Disease Control said that the plague has been reported almost exclusively in New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado since 1970.  Only one infection has been confirmed to have taken place outside of those states, and that was in a lab environment.

Doctors say the disease is still extremely rare.

“Now, it’s very rare, especially in the U.S. There are only about 7 to 10 cases a year, but it still exists,” medical contributor Dr. Holly Phillips told “CBS This Morning.” “Think of rodents in very rural states — western states, southwest, ranches, farms — that’s likely what happened here.”

The number of overall infections this year is more than double the national average of seven cases.

Defense Department Labs Reportedly Mishandle Plague; Encephalitis

The allegedly accidental shipments of live anthrax bacteria to various labs around the nation by Defense Department labs is apparently just one of many possible breaches of deadly organisms.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says they are now investigating reports that Army labs mishandled plague bacteria as well as encephalitis.  The Army had previously stopped all production, shipping and handling of materials at nine labs but had left the impression it was due to the unauthorized shipments of anthrax.

“Additional testing is being conducted to try and verify once and for all whether or not [anthrax] was labeled correctly and placed in the right location,” Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said.

When asked by reporters about the apparent deception, Cook said that officials wanted to release info “without alarming the public.”  He said they are waiting for results of the investigation.

Army spokesman Dov Schwartz told reporters that there is no risk to the general public from the plague involved in the current situation.

If not treated quickly after infection, the untreated pneumonic plague has a 93% fatality rate and can be spread person to person through coughing.

“Anthrax being mishandled is disconcerting enough, but now the mishandling also includes other potentially dangerous viruses including plague. The committee has zero tolerance for these widespread mishaps and will continue working to ensure that the Department corrects these failures so that the nation’s bioterrorism response efforts are not hampered further,” House Energy and Commerce Committee  Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., and ranking Democrat, Frank Pallone of New Jersey, said in a joint statement.

Death Toll in Illinois Legionnaires’ Outbreak Climbs As Infection Spreads

Illinois officials have confirmed another death from Legionnaires’ disease in the same town where seven elderly veterans have died.

The Illinois Department of Public Health says the latest victim was elderly with other health issues like the seven veterans who died from the disease.  However, this woman was not in the care of the facility, just in the same town as the veteran’s home, Quincy.

Four other people are now confirmed to have been infected with Legionnaires’ who are not connected to the veteran’s home.

Illinois state public health director Dr. Nirav Shah said it’s possible more deaths will take place because of the two week incubation period of the disease.

The Centers for Disease Control rushed to the veteran’s home to help local officials deal with the outbreak and remain on site to assist the state in finding the source of the outbreak.

“[State officials] do not believe there is an increased risk of Legionnaires’ disease to the Quincy community,” Dr. Shah told reporters despite the new death and illnesses away from the veteran’s home.

Officials have also told residents of the area who are elderly or sick to avoid the veteran’s home.

CDC: Bird Flu to Human Transmission a “Concern”

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is admitting they have “concern” that the bird flu which killed 48 million birds this year could jump to humans.

While the virus has not infected any humans thus far, Dr. Michael Jhung, head of the CDC’s Influenza Division, says they are watching to see if the virus begins to mutate.

“These are the first of these types of viruses that we’re seeing,” Dr. Jhung told CNBC.  “Because [the viruses are] new, we’re a little concerned because we don’t know how dangerous they could be.”

The CDC says the risk to the public is low but issued an advisory that anyone near sick or dead birds wear coveralls, face masks and eye protection.

“This bird flu outbreak in the United States is not the start of a pandemic,” Dr. Jhung said.  However, the CDC is “preparing for human cases of infection with this bird flu virus, even though there have been none.”

“We don’t want to see any, but we are getting ready in case there are cases of human infection,” he added.

Officials with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) say they believe the bird flu that struck this year has been eradicated but are preparing for another wave of the virus this fall.

The deaths of birds and their impact on domestic egg production has caused a massive spike in egg prices.  The average price for a dozen eggs has jumped 135% this year because of the shortage in eggs.  Some experts say eggs could be as much as $6 a dozen before the market begins to recover.

Head of CDC Heads to Sierra Leone

Concerns about the new Ebola scare in Sierra Leone has the head of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) flying to that nation.

The report of the trip comes on the heels of Sierra Leone officials admitting they have two more new cases of the virus connected to the first victim who died last week.

“We now know where the virus is and we are tracking its movement, by surrounding, containing and eradicating its last remaining chain of transmission,” ational Ebola Response Centre’s OB Sisay said.

CDC Head Dr. Tom Frieden reportedly will help assess the situation and provide advice on steps needed to control the new outbreak.

Officials say the problem with controlling the virus early is that the initial symptom of fever is similar to that of other diseases such as malaria and typhoid.  That would lead some folks who have Ebola to not seek treatment or isolate themselves because they don’t know they have the deadly virus.

The Ebola outbreak has killed more than 11,200 people worldwide although the overwhelming number of deaths were in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia.

Government Research Shows Lyme Disease Spreading

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) shows an astronomical rise in Lyme Disease in the United States.

“Over time, the number of counties identified as having high incidence of Lyme disease in the northeastern states increased more than 320 percent,” researchers write in the report.

The researchers also noted that the disease has now appeared in states where cases had never previously been recorded by the CDC.

The study also shows that there are now twice the number of counties in the United States where contraction of Lyme Disease is twice the national average.  Most of those counties are in the New England states and in Wisconsin.  The entire state of Connecticut is considered high risk for the disease.

More than 30,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported to the CDC each year.  The disease is the most common tick-borne illness.  However, the CDC says that number of cases could be significantly higher than the amount reported, up to ten times the number or 300,000 infected people.

“This new preliminary estimate confirms that Lyme disease is a tremendous public health problem in the United States, and clearly highlights the urgent need for prevention,” says Dr. Paul Mead, chief of epidemiology and surveillance for CDC’s Lyme disease program, based in Ft Collins, Colo.

Up to 20 percent of patients who contract Lyme disease have long term symptoms according to the CDC.

New Polio-Like Virus Linked to Paralysis of Children

A new strain of a polio-like virus has been suggested as the cause of paralysis of more than 100 children 34 states in the last year.

LiveScience reported on a study from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) focused on a 6-year-old girl at the University of Virginia Children’s Hospital that showed “acute onset of progressive right upper extremity weakness.”

“Within the 2 weeks before the patient’s presentation to the hospital, she and her family members had been ill with a mild cough and rhinorrhea; 4 days before presentation, the patient had experienced low-grade fever (100.4° F), frontal headache, fatigue, and intermittent pain in the right ear and right axilla. The fever lasted only 1 day; the cough, fatigue, and headache improved over the next 2 days, but the patient continued to report right arm pain. On the day before seeking care, her parents observed that she had a right shoulder droop and difficulty using her right hand. No associated visual or mental status changes; difficulty with speech, swallowing, or respiration; or bowel/bladder disturbance were noted,” the study reads.

Enterovirus C105 was found to have caused the girl’s condition. The virus was first detected in 2010 in Peru and the Republic of Congo.

Previously, children showing paralysis had been infected with Enterovirus D68.

“We probably shouldn’t be quite so fast to jump to enterovirus D68 as the [only] cause of these cases,” Professor Ronald Turner, of the University of Virginia School of Medicine told LiveScience.