Health
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SACRAMENTO – The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is warning consumers not to eat certain types of seafood from the Ventura county coastline due to dangerous levels of a naturally occurring toxin that can cause illness or death.
Consumers are advised not to eat:
– recreationally harvested bivalve shellfish (such as mussels, clams or whole scallops); or
– the internal organs of lobster or rock crab.
Dangerous levels of domoic acid have been detected in the internal organs of lobster (also called lobster tomalley) from this region.
This toxin, also known as Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning (ASP), can cause illness or death in humans.
No cases of human poisoning from domoic acid are known to have occurred in California. Rock crab are also capable of accumulating this toxin in the internal organs (also called crab butter).
This warning does not apply to commercially sold clams, mussels, scallops or oysters from approved sources.
State law permits only state-certified commercial shellfish harvesters or dealers to sell these products.
Shellfish sold by certified harvesters and dealers are subject to frequent mandatory testing to monitor for toxins.
Symptoms of domoic acid poisoning can occur within 30 minutes to 24 hours after eating toxic seafood.
In mild cases, symptoms may include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, headache and dizziness. These symptoms disappear within several days.
In severe cases, the victim may experience trouble breathing, confusion, disorientation, cardiovascular instability, seizures, excessive bronchial secretions, permanent loss of short term memory, coma or death.
The annual quarantine on recreationally harvested mussels remains in effect along the entire California coastline.
This quarantine applies to all species of mussels harvested along the California coast, including all bays and estuaries.
To receive updated information about shellfish poisoning and quarantines, call CDPH’s toll-free “Shellfish Information Line” at 800-553-4133.
For additional information visit CDPH’s Natural Marine Toxins: PSP and Domoic Acid Web page at its main Web site, www.cdph.ca.gov .
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UKIAH, Calif. – On Thursday, Oct. 16, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Ukiah Valley Medical Center will host a community open house focused on quality, called, “Quality to the Next Level.”
According to Vice President of Patient Care Heather Van Housen, this event is about transparency.
“This is an opportunity for community members to join us to learn and ask questions about quality at the medical center,” Van Housen said. “For example, they will see how UVMC compares to the nation’s elite hospitals and learn about what each of our departments is doing to improve quality and the patient experience.
“Quality doesn’t happen by accident,” continued Van Housen. “It’s really a concerted effort by every employee of the medical center. Dietary and maintenance are just as involved in providing a quality experience to patients, as are the nurses and doctors in the emergency room and intensive care unit. It’s all of us working together to create an excellent experience.”
So what constitutes hospital quality? Quality Manager at UVMC, Danielle Jones, says that quality is measured in several different ways, “We’re measured on infection prevention, readmission rates, how well we prevent patient falls, prevention of pressure ulcers, reducing sepsis, and stroke response times – as an example. Our goal is to demystify the medical center experience and educate the community on how quality is the foundation to having an excellent patient experience at the medical center.”
At the Quality to the Next Level event you will be able to talk with front line staff from every department, ask questions, and gain a better understanding of what each department does to impact the quality of your experience at the medical center.
For more information please call 707-463-7361.
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California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Director and State Health Officer Dr. Ron Chapman warned consumers not to eat Williams-Sonoma Pumpkin Seed Pesto sauce because it may have been improperly produced, making it susceptible to contamination with Clostridium botulinum.
Ingestion of botulism toxin from improperly processed jarred and canned foods may lead to serious illness and death.
The manufacturer of the product, California Olive and Vine, LLC, of Sutter, California, initiated the voluntary recall after CDPH determined that the product had been improperly processed.
The product was packaged in 8-ounce glass jars with screw-on metal lids. The recalled product can be identified by the following stock keeping unit (SKU) numbers: 6404305 and 6389043.
The Williams-Sonoma Pumpkin Seed Pesto has been sold nationwide at Williams-Sonoma retail stores since September.
Botulism toxin is odorless and colorless. Consumers that have any of these products or any foods made with these products should discard them immediately. Double bag the jars in plastic bags and place in a trash receptacle for non-recyclable trash.
Wear gloves when handling these products or wash your hands with soap and running water after handling any food or containers that may be contaminated.
Botulism is a rare but serious paralytic illness caused by a nerve toxin that is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum.
The initial symptoms frequently experienced are double or blurred vision, drooping eyelids, and dry or sore throat.
Progressive descending paralysis, usually symmetrical, may follow. Infants with botulism appear lethargic, feed poorly, are constipated, have a weak cry, and poor muscle tone.
CDPH recommends consumers experiencing any ill effects after consuming these products should consult their health care provider.
Consumers who observe the product being offered for sale are encouraged to report the activity to the CDPH toll free complaint line at 800-495-3232.
Visit www.cdph.ca.gov for more information.
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WASHINGTON, DC – A Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) initiative targeting potentially life-threatening staph infections in hospitalized patients has produced significant positive results, according to recent statistics released by VA.
VA’s success in substantially reducing rates of health care-associated infection with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) serves as important confirmation that multifaceted intervention strategies can achieve effective and sustained control of MRSA in U.S. hospitals.
“VA has a well-earned reputation in successful prevention of MRSA,” said VA Secretary Robert McDonald. “Delivering high-quality care to our veterans when they are in our hospitals is a responsibility that we do not take lightly. The drop in MRSA rates shows that we are pursuing the right course for prevention and treatment. The results that we have achieved mean better health care for our veterans and that care ultimately benefits all Americans.”
Among VA patients in intensive care units (ICU) between 2007 and 2012, healthcare-associated MRSA infection rates dropped 72 percent – from 1.64 to 0.46 per 1,000 patient days.
Infection rates dropped 66 percent – from 0.47 to 0.16 per 1,000 patient days – for patients treated in non-ICU hospital units.
“These results are striking,” said Dr. Carolyn Clancy, VA’s interim under secretary for health. “Health care-associated infections are a major challenge throughout the health care industry, but we have found in VA that consistently applying some simple preventive strategies can make a very big difference, and that difference is being recognized. ”
VA’s prevention practices consist of patient screening programs for MRSA, contact precautions for hospitalized patients found to have MRSA, and hand hygiene reminders with readily available hand sanitizer stations placed strategically in common areas, patient wards, and specialty clinics throughout medical centers.
Computerized reminders, online training, frequent measurement, and continual feedback to medical staff reinforce such practices.
Additionally, VA has created a culture that promotes infection prevention and control as everyone’s responsibility.
A major part of that commitment is a dedicated employee at each VA medical center exclusively for the purpose of monitoring compliance with MRSA protection procedures, training staff, and working with veteran patients and families.
MRSA infections are a serious global health care issue and are difficult to treat because the bacterium is resistant to many antibiotics.
In a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2012 MRSA surveillance report from its Active Bacterial Core surveillance (ABCs), the CDC cites that there were 75,309 cases of invasive MRSA infections and 9,670 deaths due to invasive MRSA in 2012.
“The VA health care system is able to implement and assess these prevention strategies,” said Dr. Martin Evans, director of VA’s MRSA control program. “What we’ve learned translates into better health care for the veterans we serve.”
With more than eight million veterans enrolled, VA operates the largest integrated health care delivery system in the United States conducting this type of large-scale, organized prevention program and documenting its impact.
For more information about VA health care, visit http://www.va.gov/health/ .