LOCAL
MDA offers free workshops to support farm youth
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) will offer two free workshops later this month to explore mental health issues unique to farm youth and equip attendees with the tools to support rural families impacted by the financial and emotional stresses of farm life. The workshops aim to highlight the confusion children may experience about the stress and tension in their households, help close the gap in limited rural mental health resources, and work towards destigmatizing the mental health conversation.
The Supporting Farm Youth through Understanding and Intervention workshops will be held in Willmar on July 22 and in Detroit Lakes on July 25, both from 9am until noon. Monica McConkey, a Licensed Professional Counselor with 25 years of experience as a child and adolescent counselor, will lead the workshops. Her overarching goal is for adults and professionals to recognize the signs of stress in farm adolescents and engage youth in the appropriate coping strategies. Teachers, school administrators and counselors, youth pastors, social workers, mental health and health professionals, and 4-H leaders are encouraged to attend.
The workshop will focus on the following learning objectives:
- Identify common farming stressors.
- Learn about adolescent development and the impact of adverse childhood experiences on emotional and physical development.
- Discuss ways to build relationships and engage others in effective intervention techniques.
- Understand which community resources are available.
- Become trained in emergency response to someone considering suicide.
MDA: Supporting Farm Youth workshop sign-up
NATIONAL
Multistate Salmonella outbreak linked to Cavi brand papayas
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are working with state public health officials to investigate a multistate Salmonella Uganda outbreak linked to whole, fresh papayas imported from Mexico and distributed by Agroson’s LLC under the Cavi brand. On Friday, officials updated the initial warning to exclude other whole papaya brands imported from Mexico. The investigation is ongoing and no recall has been issued at this time.
Illnesses began between January 14, 2019 and June 16, 2019 with most occurring since April. 71 cases have been reported in eight states. 27 people have been hospitalized and no deaths have been reported. Most people with Salmonella infections will experience diarrhea, abdominal cramping, and fevers within 12 to 72 hours of consuming affected papayas. Illnesses typically last four to seven days and most will recover without treatment. Severe infections require hospitalization. People at risk of severe illness include children under five years of age, pregnant women, people over 65 years of age, and immunocompromised individuals.
CDC recommends consulting your healthcare provider if you have symptoms. Consumers should not eat any whole, fresh papayas from the Cavi brand and should throw away any partially eaten or uneaten papayas. Consumers should also avoid any fruit mixes that contain Cavi brand papayas. If the brand is unclear, the mix should not be eaten. Restaurants and retailers should not sell or serve whole, Cavi brand papayas. Environmental surfaces where these papayas have been stored should be washed and sanitized.
CDC: How to report a foodborne outbreak
INTERNATIONAL
Toxic caterpillars threaten pet and human health in Europe
Parts of Europe are battling an annual summer nuisance that is especially problematic this year: infestations of oak processionary moth caterpillars. Typically found in more isolated wooded areas, the caterpillars have infested home gardens and wooded city parks across Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of France and Spain. Authorities report that infestations in many of these regions have increased compared to last year, causing many cities to issue health advisory warnings.
The caterpillars march in nose-to-tail progressions, feasting on and destroying oak trees. Each caterpillar can have 700,000 fine, nearly invisible, hooked hairs that produce an irritating toxin, called thaumetopoein. The toxic hairs can cause skin irritation like blisters and rashes, airway irritation and asthma attacks, and eye irritation in both dogs and people. At least six people in Germany have needed surgery to remove hairs embedded in their corneas and at least nine children were hospitalized last month for allergic skin and airway conditions.
Special teams and firefighters have closed pools, parks, restaurants, and motorways to treat infested trees with pesticides, blowtorches, and commercial vacuum cleaning equipment. Authorities expect some relief in the next few weeks as the caterpillars pupate into adult moths, but the hairs that remain on nests and leaves can still become airborne and maintain the public health risks. The toxins can also remain active for years after the caterpillars pupate.
Questions, comments, feedback about today's Weekly Update? Please email Dr. Lauren Bernstein.
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Lauren Bernstein
Lauren received her BS in Animal Science from the University of Tennessee. Following a Rotary International site visit to South Africa as an undergraduate student, she decided to focus her prospective veterinary career on public health, specifically on issues involving diseases at the human-animal-environment interface. She completed her veterinary education at the University College Dublin, School of Veterinary Medicine. When she's not in the office, she enjoys yoga, embracing the outdoor activities in Minneapolis, and finding excuses to talk about her rescue cat.