According to a report released by the United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) this week, climate change may exacerbate a wide variety of global food safety issues, ranging from seafood safety to antibiotic resistance.
The report bases its analysis on the most recent UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which found climate change to be an unequivocal reality.
"Projections for the 21st century show that global warming will accelerate," said the FAO report, which lists stronger storm systems, extreme precipitation and dry spells, and rising sea levels as the primary symptoms of climate change.
FAO researchers believe these changes will have widespread implications for food production, food security, and food safety.
According to the report, climate change could drastically impact seafood safety by increasing the frequency of toxic algal blooms, promoting the growth of deadly Vibrio vulnificus and facilitating the methylation of mercury, all of which present hazards to human health.
Data collected by the FAO also indicate that spikes in temperature and humidity increase the prevalence of common foodborne diseases like Salmonella and Campylobacter and pathogens like E. coli and Salmonella are likely to become more virulent.
Though more research is needed to better understand the microbiological implications of climate change, environmental changes are thought to impact horizontal gene transfer, an important contributor to the increase in antibiotic resistance.
According to the report, climate change likely also affects zoonoses, diseases that are naturally transmitted between animals and humans, by increasing the transmission cycle of vectors like mosquitoes and flies.
The list of food issues affected by climate change is discussed ad nauseam in the the 40-page report.
"WHEELING - It took the strength of two sheriff's deputies to keep a middle schooler still enough to receive a shot of the swine flu, or H1N1, vaccine at a recent clinic.
During a regular Wheeling-Ohio County Health Board meeting Tuesday, health department Administrator Howard Gamble told board members about the student's attempt to flee Wheeling Middle School during a vaccination clinic held there last Friday.
He noted the boy's mother could not bear to watch the scene and left the gymnasium. Out of apparent fear of receiving the injection, the student ran out of the building. The school's resource officer, Ohio County Sheriff's Deputy John Haglock, coaxed the boy back inside. Once at the shot station, however, Haglock apparently needed some help keeping the boy still, and another deputy assisted.
"He tried to run. I looked over and saw two sheriff's deputies holding a kid down," Gamble said. "Mom took off, she couldn't take it. You had one nurse with the needle, two deputies holding him, one nurse is grabbing hands - because that's what they want to do, to go after the needle. And that's the last thing you want."
"For the most part they go very easy. As far as the shots, every once in awhile you have to hold down one or two - but that's why mom is there or dad is there," Gamble said."
Everything is ok."WHEELING - It took the strength of two sheriff's deputies to keep a middle schooler... more
UK Pancreatic Cancer charities have united together to launch Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Week which runs from the 16th to the 22nd November 2009. During that week the individual charities will be organising events to raise awareness among the UK public about this disease.
In conjunction with the awareness week, ‘The Silent Cancer’, a feature documentary investigating pancreatic cancer in the UK will be released.UK Pancreatic Cancer charities have united together to launch Pancreatic Cancer... more
Contaminated fresh ground beef caused a possible E. coli outbreak that killed two people and sent 16 others to hospitals, federal health officials said Monday.
Twenty-eight people may have become ill after eating beef produced by Fairbank Farms of Ashville, N.Y., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. All but three of the suspected infections are in the northeastern U.S. and 18 are in New England, said CDC spokeswoman Lola Scott Russell.
Fairbank Farms recalled almost 546,000 pounds of fresh ground beef that had been distributed in September to stores from North Carolina to Maine. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's recall notice, dated Saturday, said the possibly tainted meat had been sold in numerous ways, from meatloaf and meatball mix to hamburger patties.
In September 2007, the company recalled 884 pounds of ground beef products because they may have been contaminated with E. coli, the agency said. And in May 2008, it recalled 22,481 pounds of ground beef products that may have contained pieces of plastic.
The CDC did not specify the states where people were hospitalized. Kidney failure is found in the most severe cases of E. coli. In less serious cases, the potentially deadly bacterium can cause bloody diarrhea and dehydration.
Some of the ground beef was sold at Trader Joe's, Price Chopper, Lancaster, Wild Harvest, Shaw's, BJ's, Ford Brothers and Giant stores in packages that carried the number "EST. 492" on the label. Those products were packaged Sept. 15-16 and may have been labeled with a sell-by date from Sept. 19 through Sept. 28, meaning they're no longer being sold as fresh product in supermarkets, Fairbank Farms said.
The rest of the ground beef, packaged in wholesale-sized containers under the Fairbank Farms name, was distributed to stores in Maryland, Massachusetts, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia. That meat was likely repackaged for sale and would likely have differing package and sell-by dates.
The USDA was urging customers with concerns to contact the stores where they bought the meat.
Ron Allen, Fairbank's CEO, urged consumers to check their freezers for the recalled ground beef.
Companies subject to such recalls are allowed to cook tainted meat to kill the bacteria and then use it in other products, a common practice in the food industry.
And heart disease, and cancers and almost every other illness the human body can get.
The key to fighting this, is to simply be less lazy with your food, try to eat fresh as much as you can, better still try to grow your own vegetables, ones which haven't been doused in monsanto pesticides.
President Obama signed a proclamation declaring the H1N1 influenza a national emergency, giving doctors and medical facilities greater leeway in responding to the flu pandemic.
Obama signed the declaration late Friday, which the White House said allows medical treatment facilities to better handle a surge in flu patients by waiving federal requirements on a case-by-case basis.
"The foundation of our national approach to the H1N1 flu has been preparedness at all levels -- personal, business, and government -- and this proclamation helps that effort by advancing our overall response capability," the White House said in a statement.
The flu has infected millions of Americans and killed nearly 100 children in the U.S. The chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that over a thousand people have died as a result, with 46 states reporting widespread H1N1 activity.
"Since the beginning of the pandemic, we've seen more than 1,000 deaths and 20,000 hospitalizations," said Dr. Thomas Frieden, head of the CDC. "We expect it to occur in waves, but we can't predict when those waves will happen."
Sixty million Americans have been vaccinated against the seasonal flu this year, but an additional vaccine against H1N1 has been in short supply. About 120 million doses were expected to be made available by the middle of October, though only 11 million doses have been shipped to health departments for use.President Obama signed a proclamation declaring the H1N1 influenza a national... more
She's a beautiful young woman and former Washington Redskins cheerleader whose heartbreaking story is shocking the nation. 26-year-old Desiree Jennings showed INSIDE EDITION reporter Les Trent how she can't walk without twisty, jerky movements... although she can walk backwards perfectly normally. Doctors say she has a rare, one-in-a-million neurological disorder that was triggered 10 days after she got a seasonal flu shot. She said she could not eat without passing out. INSIDE EDITION visited Desiree and her husband Brendan at their home in Ashburn, Virginia to see what their daily life is like. Desiree has to go up and down stairs backwards because something as simple as walking forward can be dangerous. Here's what makes her disorder even more bizarre. She runs with a normal stride and while running she can even speak normally. But when she finally stops, the spasms start. Desiree got a flu shot on August 23. Ten days later she came down with what doctors have diagnosed as dystonia, a rare neurological disorder. Her jerking and twisting are the result of uncontrollable muscle contractions. There is no known cure.
Doctors say what happened to Desiree shouldn't discourage people from getting flu shots. But the woman who's on the wrong side of being "one-in-a-million" says, "[Running] is the only thing I have left."
My new health care plan will reduce long-term growth of health care costs for businesses and government, protect families from bankruptcy or debt because of health care costs, guarantee choice of doctors and health plans, invest in prevention and wellness, improve patient safety and quality of care, assure affordable quality health coverage for all Americans, maintain coverage when you change or lose your job, end barriers to coverage for people with pre-existing medical conditions, increase the number and availability of doctors – all by being your own doctor – just operate on your damn self!My new health care plan will reduce long-term growth of health care costs for... more
Patients with the H1N1 swine flu virus who become severely ill and those who die tend to be relatively young adults without underlying medical conditions, according to a new Canadian study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The average age of 168 patients studied in 38 Canadian adult and pediatric intensive care units was 32.3 years. Thirty-three of the patients died within 90 days of being admitted to the hospital.
The study, released Monday, suggests that H1N1 flu might be more complex than experts had believed. Many had said the virus was most dangerous to people with underlying medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and immune system diseases. And experts say regular seasonal flu is most dangerous to the elderly.
``Our data suggest that severe disease and mortality in the current outbreak is concentrated in relatively healthy adolescents and adults between the ages of 10 and 60 years,'' the authors write.
But they go on to say that modern therapies, including breathing assistance from ventilators and antiviral medicines, can prevent most swine flu deaths.
More @ linkPatients with the H1N1 swine flu virus who become severely ill and those who die tend... more
(Rock Point, AZ) - During July 2009, volunteers from the Lutheran Church of the Cross in Sacramento, CA visited the Navajo Lutheran Mission in Rock Point, AZ to assist the Navajo people with the health of their livestock.
Despite the extreme summer heat and the remote Navajo homes, church members helped deworm and vaccinate 500 sheep and goats plus 200 horses.
The volunteers from the Lutheran Church of the Cross paid for the expense of vaccinating over 700 livestock.
The vaccination program badly needs funding and anyone wish to help should contact the Navajo Lutheran Mission (see contact info below)
The Navajo Lutheran Mission extends special thanks to Arizona Navajo musician Anthony Maloney, who music is featured in this video and will be used in upcoming videos (scroll down for more info and links about Anthony Maloney)
Songs by Maloney included in this video are "Our Warriors" and "A Better Life."
Pastor serves as a Chaplain at California State University Sacramento
Church is on the Board of Directors of the Sacramento Area Campus Ministry. http://www.sacacmin.com
Wikipedia on the Navajo Nation:
The Navajo Nation (Diné Bikéyah in the Navajo language) is a semi-autonomous Native American homeland covering about 26,000 square miles (17 million acres), occupying all of northeastern Arizona, the southeastern portion of Utah, and northwestern New Mexico. It's the largest land area assigned primarily to a Native American jurisdiction within the United States. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navajo_Nation
The Navajo Lutheran Mission extends special thanks to Arizona Navajo Musician Anthony Maloney, who music is featured in this video and will be used in upcoming videos
Songs by Maloney included in this video are "Our Warriors" and "A Better Life."
Navajo (Diné) singer, songwriter and poet Anthony K. Maloney, a member of the Navajo Nation (Diné Bikéyah) from Yuba City, AZ "Music City"
A national campaign to inoculate tens of millions of Americans against H1N1 influenza began Monday, with health care workers in Indiana and Tennessee targeted as the first recipients, federal health authorities said.
More than 340,000 laboratory-confirmed cases of H1N1 and more than 4,100 deaths have been reported to the World Health Organization.
Dr. Jay Butler, who heads the CDC's 2009 H1N1 Vaccine Task Force, has promised there will be enough for anyone who wants it.
Butler said vaccine makers will ship 10 million to 20 million doses per week over the next couple of months.A national campaign to inoculate tens of millions of Americans against H1N1 influenza... more
Are you clueless about how to read medical record or blood test report? Here are some top explanations and tips that can help you efficiently interpret and understand your medical record or blood test report almost instantly…Are you clueless about how to read medical record or blood test report? Here are some... more
Please join Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi) for a moderated panel discussion on Chagas disease, a forgotten illness that threatens over 100 million people throughout the Americas. RSVP on Doctors Without Borders Facebook Event for Chagas Disease http://bit.ly/1jZUd0
Or you can read more about the neglected a.k.a "Kissing Bug" disease here: http://bit.ly/PHnAj
Learn at the event what you can do to help.Please join Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and the Drugs for... more
These ten possible "plagues" that keep the CDC up at night include epidemics that have remained unsolved, some that are new, and some that have unknown causes or treatments.These ten possible "plagues" that keep the CDC up at night include epidemics that have... more
Animal, human and environmental health are inexorably intertwined. Diseases are making the jump from animals to humans and vice-versa at an increasing pace. The emergence of animal borne diseases such as Avian flu, Ebola, and most recently H1N1 (swine flu), demonstrate the need for an integrated strategy across several scientific, medical and environmental fields for improved public health.
In this episode of MicrobeWorld Video, Dr. Mark Lutschaunig, director of the Governmental Relations Division of the American Veterinary Medical Association discusses the need for a holistic approach to human and animal health. He emphasizes that our ability to better predict when and where disease outbreaks are likely to occur depends on a strong relationship between veterinarians, doctors, and health agencies.
In addition, Dr. Ron Atlas, chair of the One Health Commission, gives an overview of the organization's mission to foster closer professional interactions, collaborations, and educational opportunities across the health sciences professions, together with their related disciplines, to improve the health of people, animals, and our environment.
This episode of MicrobeWorld Video was filmed at the Marian Koshland Science Museum in Washington, D.C., during one of their popular public science events. For more information about the Koshland Museum, upcoming events and online resources visit them online at www.koshland-science.org.Animal, human and environmental health are inexorably intertwined. Diseases are making... more
All of the body parts are “on call” 24 hours a day. Think of a well trained fire department. What happens when the alarm is sounded? The specific job of each nutrient varies greatly but the benefits of nutrient balance are a long and healthy life free of disease. Find out why nutrients are essential for your health and a better growth.All of the body parts are “on call” 24 hours a day. Think of a well trained fire... more
The alarming body signs and pain mentioned herein can be served as measurements or indicators of the body’s health conditions. In fact, most of the diseases don’t develop on the daily basis, but their onset is normally accompanied by certain body signs and pain. By constantly monitor these body signs and pain you can help detect the possibility of getting particular disease. Specifically, they’re good health indicators that prompt you for an immediate medical attention, which of course, can help ensure a better cure of disease at its early stage before it proceeds to a chronic stage. So, you shouldn’t disregard the body signs and pain for the sake of your health.The alarming body signs and pain mentioned herein can be served as measurements or... more
"Using technology originally developed for mass disasters, Boston disease trackers are embarking on a novel experiment - one of the first in the country - aimed at eventually creating a citywide registry of everyone who has had a flu vaccination.""Using technology originally developed for mass disasters, Boston disease trackers are... more
You are watching one of many news stories to come on the effects of global warming as it will bring more climate refugees looking for arable land, water, food, and shelter. This humanitarian crisis that is spreading through the Horn of Africa is but a taste of things to come should we in the West continue to treat the climate as unimportant or something we can get to at a later date. There will be no later date for those who are now feeling its effects.You are watching one of many news stories to come on the effects of global warming as... more
