E coli O104 Outbreak Spreads from Europe to USA: Confirmed Victims in Tennessee and Virginia - Tips for South Florida to Avoid Exposure

There is a dangerous bacteria killing people in Europe, and now the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed that it's already been found in the states of Tennessee and Virginia. It's being called "E coli O0104" and we need to be ready for it here in South Florida.

Over in Germany, the World Health Organization is reporting that locating the source of the bacteria may not happen because they are running out of time: is it vegetables, is it meat? There doesn't seem to be a common thread running between the victims (not everyone ate the same thing, swam in the same lake, etc.).

In May 2011, the FDA reported USA was safe: now Tennessee and Virginia have been hit with European E. coli strain

Tragically, a two year old little girl in Dryden, Virginia, died this past weekend from E coli O104 bacterial infection.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a statement on the E. coli O104 outbreak in Europe, and there should be more coming from the FDA very soon.

From the FDA, we know that:

• consumers in Germany have been warned to avoid raw tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce.
• as of the date of this first release, the FDA believed that this outbreak had not affected the U.S. food supply.
• the U.S. receives relatively little fresh produce from the EU, due to the short shelf life of most fresh produce and the availability of closer growing areas in the U.S. and Central America.
• in May, the FDA established additional import controls to protect against E coli O104, including increased surveillance of fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and raw salads from areas of concern.

Miami - Here's What You Should Do Now To Protect Against E coli O104 Bacteria Outbreak

The Food and Drug Administration recommends the following when dealing with raw fruits and vegetables:

1. When preparing any fresh produce, begin with clean hands. Wash your hands for 20 seconds with warm water and soap before and after preparation.
2. Wash the produce under running water just before preparing or eating. This includes produce grown conventionally or organically at home, or produce that is purchased from a grocery store or farmer's market.
3. Proper storage of fresh produce can affect both quality and safety. Certain perishable fresh fruits and vegetables (like strawberries, lettuce, herbs, and mushrooms) can be best maintained by storing in a clean refrigerator at a temperature of 40° F or below. If you're not sure whether an item should be refrigerated to maintain quality, ask your grocer.
4. All produce that is purchased pre-cut or peeled should be refrigerated to maintain both quality and safety.
5. Cut away any damaged or bruised areas before preparing or eating.
6. Gently rub produce while holding under plain running water. There's no need to use soap or a produce wash.
7. Wash produce BEFORE you peel it, so dirt and bacteria aren't transferred from the knife onto the fruit or vegetable.
8. Use a clean vegetable brush to scrub firm produce, such as melons and cucumbers.
9. Dry produce with a clean cloth or paper towel to further reduce bacteria that may be present.
10. Throw away the outermost leaves of a head of lettuce or cabbage.

By Bryant Esquenazi on June 7, 2011 10:34 AM

South Florida Kava Bars May Be Trendy - and Dangerous: New Study Warns Against Kava Tea

Here in South Florida, like it or not, we're usually on the cutting edge of new trends. Maybe it's because of the cosmopolitan flair of Miami. Maybe it's because of all the celebrities that love to vacation here.

Kava Bars a Popular Favorite Here in South Florida

Whatever the reason: it was almost a year ago to the day that the Palm Beach Post was reporting about the latest thing: a surge in Kava Bars popping up in South Florida. Allison Ross blogged in an article entitled, "Kava Bars Popping Up in South Florida," that kava tea was the new drink for bars in the Miami area - and this was true even though kava does not have an alcohol content.

Today, if you google "kava bars south florida" you'll find a long list of establishments serving Kava Tea from which to choose. They seem to be so competitive, in fact, that they've got promotions to draw you into their bar and away from their competition down the street, as well as different atmospheres to tempt you.

Read through the various South Florida kava bars and you find cozy ones. Friendly ones. Ones with live music. Ones that are more restaurant than bar, more bar than restaurant.

Kava Bars are a big deal here in Miami Beach.

What is Kava? It's something originating in the South Pacific that is a plant revered for its properties. Kava threads itself through social and cultural traditions as well as medicinal and religious ones in a large number of Southern Pacific islands, such as Tonga, Fiji, Hawaii, the Federated States of Micronesia, and Vanuatu. In fact, Kava is a grown as a cash crop in Vanuatu and Fiji.

Some folk chew the Kava root or take a Kava pill, but drinking Kava tea appears to be the most popular way to imbibe Kava. You can buy Kava Tea at your local store or online, it's not expensive. You can also go to your local Kava Bar and order a specially prepared Kava drink just for you. Cold or hot.

New Research Study Warns Against Kava Tea

It's not the first warning that Kava may hurt you, but the latest study warning against the dangers of Kava tea is getting lots of attention and respect. Last week, the American Journal of Emergency Medicine published a study released by the University of Rochester Medical Center on the dangers of Kava Tea.

The case study even supports its assertion of the growing popularity of Kava Tea by pointing to three new Palm Beach Kava Bars that have opened recently here in South Florida.

This case study is heralded as the first piece of scientific literature dealing with Kava tea. (Hence, the notoriety that this study is getting around the world). Here's the citation to the study if you wish to purchase the complete research study online in pdf format: Ryan Bodkin, Sandra Schneider, Donna Rekkerth, Linda Spillane, Michael Kamali. Rhabdomyolysis associated with kava ingestion. The American Journal of Emergency Medicine, 2011; DOI: 10.1016/j.ajem.2011.01.030.

What's the big deal?

Seems that this case study began when a 34-year-old guy was riding his bike along some roadway in or near the University of Rochester when he collapsed on the side of the road. Wham. When he arrived at the E.R., they discovered that he had recently injested Kava Tea and tied the Kava to his episode where he had nearly suffered complete kidney failure as well as a muscle breakdown.

The guy up in New York recovered, he's okay. However, the University of Rochester study is being waved like a big, big red flag by all sorts of folk: doctors, researchers, media outlets, and of course, Big Pharma who don't like herbal remedies and the like.

So, will Kava Tea -- which has been a popular beverage among South Pacific Islanders for over 3000 years -- be found dangerous to drink here in South Florida?

Who knows. This same media scare hit South Florida back in 2005 --see the USA Today story back then, covering the Nacava Bar in Boca Raton, and discussing the FDA warnings of 2002 on Kava.

South Floridians will probably continue to frequent Kava Bars. And, here's the thing: if you do suffer symptoms of harm due to drinking Kava, then Florida laws do exist to protect you.

Personal injury laws are on the books for just this sort of thing. Kava may not be an alcoholic beverage, but those who manufacturer, distribute, and sell this herb or drink are still responsible for its safety.

 Bryant Esquenazi on May 5, 2011 1:49 PM

New FDA Food Recall Website: Miami, Check to See if Food is Safe at New Website

This week, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has made it easier for all of us to check on suspicious food items or known food recalls. You can go to the website and in a few simple steps, learn whether or not a food product has been recalled - either voluntarily by its seller or by the FDA itself.

Remember all those hundreds of thousands of eggs recalled a few months back? We can't always trust the food on the shelves, Miami, and this new resource is a welcome one.

Go here for the new FDA Food Recall Site.

Also shown on the new website is a ready reference of food products that have been recalled in the past few months. Photos are included.

The FDA has provided this new resource as part of the massive federal legislation passed last fall, which implemented the first major update in federal food safety laws in almost 70 years.

The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is intended to alter how the FDA deals with food safety in America by focusing upon preventing bad food from happening, rather than responding to outbreaks of dangerous food after people are already at risk. For more on how this major new law impacts you, check our earlier post, "What Miami Needs to Know About the Federal Food Safety Modernization Act."

Working together with this new, user-friendly food recall page is the federal government's food safety website, FoodSafety.Gov. It's here that you can report a food that you think is dangerous and should be recalled. For example, if you open a jar or a box or a carton and something's just not right - don't use that product. Go to the web and check for a possible recall -- and if it's not there, trust your instincts. Perhaps this is a product that needs to be reported.

It's always better to be safe than sorry, especially with food products that can carry toxic bacteria which can cause serious injury to most and death to some. Kids, babies, the elderly, and pregnant women are especially vulnerable to food poisoning.

In the press release announcing the new website, the FDA's Deputy Commissioner of Foods explained, "[r]ecalls, mandatory or otherwise, are serious and we must do everything possible to make it easier for people to know about these recalls so they can take all appropriate steps to protect themselves and their families. We encourage people to check out our new recalls search page for themselves, and use it whenever they have a question about a recall."

By Bryant Esquenazi on April 5, 2011 1:36 PM