What to know about recent food recalls and bacteria listeria
WASHINGTON (AP) — Large food recalls have forced consumers to throw away hummus and ice cream that may be contaminated with the same potentially deadly bacteria — listeria.
Red Cross gets approval from Saudi-led coalition for Yemen aid
The International Committee Red Cross hopes to bring vital medical supplies and aid workers into Yemen on Monday after receiving approval from the Saudi-led military coalition, an ICRC spokeswoman said. The aid agency has been negotiating for nearly a week to deliver life-saving supplies and equipment to Yemen, where the coalition has conducted 11 days of air strikes against Iran-backed Shi’ite Houthis. “We have received permission from the coalition for two planes now, one carrying supplies and one with staff,” ICRC spokeswoman Sitara Jabeen told Reuters on Sunday.
10 US charity staff to leave Sierra Leone amid Ebola scare
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AP) — Ten clinicians with a Boston-based nonprofit organization responding to Sierra Leone's Ebola outbreak are to be evacuated to the United States after one of their colleagues was infected with the deadly disease.
New Zealand firms see slump in China demand for infant formula after poison threat
By Naomi Tajitsu and Adam Jourdan WELLINGTON/SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Chinese demand for New Zealand infant formula has fallen after a threat by suspected environmental activists to contaminate the product with an agricultural poison, the head of an exporter group said on Wednesday. Orders for infant formula, prized among China’s growing middle class, have slumped after New Zealand police on Tuesday said letters were sent to the national farmers’ group and dairy giant Fonterra in November accompanied by packages of infant formula laced with poisonous pesticide 1080, formally called sodium fluoroacetate. Following the announcement, China said it would increase scrutiny of milk powder imports from New Zealand, which depends on dairy products for about a quarter of its export earnings.
The Year of the Woman
This year will be a very significant year for women across the globe. The world will mark the 20th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing as well as the deadline for crafting the post-2015 agenda. Both events will involve conversations on women's rights including their right to live safely and freely of violence in…
Scopes That Spread UCLA ‘Superbug’ Were Awaiting FDA Clearance
The manufacturer of the scopes that spread a drug-resistant “superbug” to seven California patients had tweaked the scopes' design and was selling them without federal permission to do so, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Seven people have become infected with the drug-resistant “superbug” known as CRE at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center after undergoing endoscopy procedures, and CRE may have played a role in two of those patients' deaths, hospital officials said in February, adding that 179 people were exposed to the germ at UCLA. The scopes — called duodenoscopes, which are inserted by mouth to access patients' small intestine, the pancreas and the liver — were new and had only been in use since June, health officials said last month. The hospital said it traced the bacteria back to two endoscopes manufactured by Olympus Corporation of the Americas.
The Battle Against the Deadly ‘Superbug’
New cases of CRE have hospitals stepping up how the clean medical devices.
Australian food company recalls berries after hep A outbreak linked to China
By Jane Wardell SYDNEY (Reuters) – An Australian company has recalled its frozen berry products following a hepatitis A outbreak linked to poor hygiene and water supplies in a Chinese packaging plant, reigniting fears about the safety of the Asian giant’s food exports. Australian authorities were investigating on Monday after five people fell sick after eating the Patties Foods Ltd berries, which were grown in both Chile and China before being packaged at the Chinese factory. There has long been concern about food safety in China, where pollution from rapid industrialization has exacted a heavy toll on soil and water. Contamination scandals that led to deaths and serious illnesses have increased the popularity in China of imports of European infant formula, New Zealand milk and Japanese rice.
New Jersey Governor Christie ducks media after vaccination comments
By Sam Wilkin LONDON (Reuters) – New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a possible 2016 presidential contender, cancelled three scheduled media appearances in the UK on Tuesday, amid a controversy over his comments on measles vaccinations. His comments came a few hours after President Barack Obama said parents should have their children vaccinated, saying the science was “pretty indisputable.” Christie cancelled two question-and-answer sessions and a press statement he was due to make after meeting UK finance minister George Osborne. “We just decided we're not going to have availability today,” said Maria Comella, Christie's head of communications, after the last scheduled appearance was cancelled.
Futures gain after rally, indexes set for strong week
U.S. stock index futures climbed on Friday, adding to a sharp rally in the previous session that returned the S&P 500 and Nasdaq to positive territory for the year and putting major indexes on track to break a three-week streak of declines. Thursday's advance came after the European Central Bank detailed a bond-buying program to boost the region's sagging economy and fight deflation.