Health News:
- A man in France is the first known person to get Shamonda virus, which is usually found in animals and spread by tiny flies called midges. (CNN)
- More than 4 million tubes of toothpaste, including some made for kids, are being recalled for failing to meet FDA manufacturing standards. (USA Today)
- A mutated flu virus is driving an early and potentially more severe flu season. (CNN)
- Twice as many flu tests came back positive this week compared to last week, and the positivity rate is double what it was at this time last year. (CDC)
- The PA Health Department is seeing more measles cases in pregnant women and is concerned about babies being born with measles. (The Hill)
- An experimental melanoma vaccine reduced the risk of the cancer returning or causing death by almost 50%. (WaPo)
- There’s still no rapid measles test available in the U.S. California and Washington hoped to change that with a test that can process up to 500 samples at once, but the CDC did not approve their request to validate it. (NYT)
- The first human case of H5N1 bird flu in the U.S. this year was reported in Yakima, WA, where seven cattle herds also tested positive. (Yakima County)
- Florida’s dengue outbreak grew another 64% this week and is now the largest in the U.S. since the 1940s. (Florida Health)
- A new study shows that changes to hepatitis B vaccination recommendations could leave up to 1.8 million kids unprotected. (ABC)
- Overland Park, KS is experiencing a widespread norovirus outbreak with more than 95 cases in just one school. (Independent)
- New rules that would make buying cheaper prescription drugs from Canada harder and more expensive were delayed until January. (KFF Health News)
Best Question:
We got a guest complaint, and they said they called the health department. What can we do to prepare?
Especially if your restaurant or venue has received a guest complaint related to a reportable illness, it’s smart to prepare for a health inspection.
- Pull your recent health inspections. Make sure that any violations are addressed. If you have specific info about the guest complaint (for example, only one person in a party of four got Salmonella, and they’re the only one who ate salad), pay special attention to that prep area, including a visual inspection of the foods in question, if possible.
- Check your sinks. Make sure your handwashing sinks aren’t blocked, have hot water, and that your paper towels and soap dispensers are filled. These are common hand hygiene issues that can escalate an inspection if the health department thinks there might be an infectious food handler.
- Clean up. Make sure the back of house is visibly clean, with food properly stored and labeled. Remember cleanliness is king!
- Check temps & other obvious violations. Check your hot and cold hold temperatures and do a quick check for cross-contamination risks and any other obvious issues.
- Look at sick logs or recent sick calls. Since your team often eats your food, they’re a good measure or your early alert system if there is a problem.
With these basic steps, you’ll be in good shape to walk an inspector through with minimal surprises and work with them to get to the bottom of the issue.
Sources: ZHH App
Best Read:
Maybe we need to rethink how we talk about measles. The reality is that most kids who get measles recover just fine, and there's nothing wrong with saying that. Being upfront about it might make people more willing to listen when we talk about the kids who aren't so lucky, the very real risks of measles, and why vaccination is so important.