Local
Lake Minnetonka July 4th mystery outbreak update
After the smoke settled from the 4th of July fireworks, health officials started receiving calls reporting vomiting and diarrhea after boating near a popular gathering spot on Lake Minnetonka. State and Hennepin County public health investigators have interviewed 225 people. One hundred seventy-two of those interviewed reported symptoms.
Health officials have not identified the causal agent and the state tested a stool sample from one individual, which came back negative on all 22 viruses, bacteria, and parasites that typically lead to diarrhea and vomiting. Environmental health officials test environmental E.coli levels every Monday in the Excelsior Commons and closed the beach recently due to elevated levels of E.coli. However, they say the two events do not coincide and the E.coli that is tested for in Excelsior is only an indicator organism of fecal contamination in the water and not the causal agent.
The Minnesota Department of Health said there’s no evidence of person-to-person transmission of whatever pathogen is causing people to get sick, but to avoid infection, people who have diarrhea or who’ve been vomiting should stay out of the water. In addition, swimmers should shower before and after going into lakes and rivers.
National
FSIS rules against meat and poultry colorectal cancer warning labels
The USDA recently denied a 3-year-old petition favoring processed meat and poultry warnings submitted by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). USDA says increased risk of colon and rectal cancer from frequent consumption of processed meats and poultry does not merit a warning label.
FSIS considered these products to be safe to consumers, and concern that the use of warning labels could mislead people from being able to place the asserted risk in proper context. In the letter from CSPI, they claimed there is low awareness among Americans about the increased risk and cited several scientific studies linking increased consumption of processed meats with an increased risk of certain cancers.
However, the USDA states, “We find that processed meat and poultry products as currently labeled are not misbranded for failing to warn consumers of alleged correlations between long-term consumption and increased risk of certain types of cancer...It is difficult to include all of the facts necessary to place a warning in its proper contexts, such as the effect of different cooking methods, the level of exposure arising from different products, and individual risk factors like genetic predisposition, lifestyle, and diet.”
International
International emergency declared in Congo
Since the declaration of the Ebola outbreak on August 1st, 2018, WHO’s International Health Regulations Emergency Committee has declared the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo an international health emergency. To date, the outbreak has killed more than 1,650 people with about 12 new cases reported daily.
The WHO emphasized that despite the declaration of an international emergency, the outbreak does not pose a global threat, and the agency recommends that no borders be closed because of the declaration. Trade and travel to the Congo should not be restricted and continue as normal.
There has been trepidation about declaring it as an international emergency for fear that restriction would cause terrible economic impact on the region and hamper the fight to stop the outbreak. However, with the recent case confirmed in Goma, there was rising concerns about the potential to spread in a city of about a million people.
Questions, comments, feedback about today's Weekly Update? Please email Dr. Gus Brihn.
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Gus Brihn
Gus completed his undergraduate degree at the U of M in Global Studies, and has spent much of his time abroad, including time in France and Namibia. Gus became interested in emergency medicine from becoming a Wilderness First Responder and NR-EMT. He completed his veterinary degree at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. Gus is interested in zoonotic disease outbreak investigation, prevention, and epidemiology. Outside of work, Gus enjoys rock climbing and doing Brazilian Jiu jitsu. He has an 11 year-old Staffordshire terrier mix breed dog named Sweet Pea.