News
Tainted Carrots: E. Coli Outbreak Claims Lives and Sparks Legal Action
United States: Melinda Pratt had been buying the same brand of organic carrots for years: Bunny Luv by Grimmway Farms.
Pratt, 40 a mother of three from Savannah Georgia Said, she last used the brand’s whole carrots that she purchased from Sam’s club on 30 September.
She said she was vomiting blood after eating them — she also suffered bloody diarrhea and stomach pains described to feel like ‘somebody is stabbing in the stomach and this is repeatedly and incessantly’. Her symptoms also included nausea vomiting which according to Pratt she was the only one in her household who ate the carrots, as reported by NBC News.
“I genuinely thought at some point that I was slowly dying,” she said.
Nationwide Recall
About two weeks later, she got a severe about of E. coli, which put her into hospital for three days. Pratt filed a lawsuit against Grimmway Farms on Monday. In batches of organic whole and baby carrots, the company has given a recall on Saturday after the Center for Disease Control and Prevention evaluated that the produce was most probably connected to a cross-state E.coli threatening breakout.
The CDC has confirmed 39 cases, 15 hospitalizations, and one death amongst the affected 18 states across the US. This has been best marked in New York, Minnesota, and Washington.
Instead, Pratt said she filed a lawsuit because she believed that her situation “should seem like it could be easy to avoid.”
Legal Action Seeks Accountability
It is the first case in which a lawsuit is filed under this particular E. coli outbreak. According to the lawsuit, which was launched by Ron Simon & Associates and Gomez Trial Attorneys, Grimmway Farms should be held responsible for Pratt’s medical expenses and pay her for suffering. In an interview, Pratt said she has $20,000 in debt for her treatment because she visited an out-of-network hospital, something NBC News could not verify from her receipts.
Dana Brennan, vice president of external affairs and corporate responsibility at Grimmway Farms, said in a statement that the company does not comment on pending litigation but offered a general comment about the recall: “We are taking this matter seriously and in clear compliance to this, we are reviewing our operations in accordance to expectations that are meant to uphold safety and quality in the produce that we supply to customers,” she said.
Company Pledges to Address Safety Concerns
In a news release, Grimmway Farms’ president and CEO, Jeff Huckaby stated that the firm values customer lives and the quality of the product it releases into the market.
“We are conducting a thorough review of our growing, harvest, and processing practices. Our food safety team is working with our suppliers and health authorities,” he said.
The carrots were distributed in different brands at leading stores across the country, where the products of well-known brands like Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Wegmans, and Target were affected. They are no longer on store shelves: Whole carrots with a best-before date of Oct. 23 and baby carrots with best-before dates of Oct 26, Nov. 3, and Nov. 12 are involved in the recall, Grimmway Farms stated in the news release. However, the products may still be in homes, so the company asked people to dispose of the products.
Pratt filed the lawsuit in Kern County, California – the home of Grimmway Farms. Specifically, the suit accuses the company of negligence by not ensuring that their products were safe for use and not conveying information about the dangers of the carrots. Now that the case is over, Pratt said she hoped that her case could be used to stop other such outbreaks from occurring in the first place.
‘’I do have another six whose problems might be blamed on the outbreak,’ ‘ said Ron Simon, one of Pratt’s lawyers. Lawsuits there will go up. Simon, who focuses on food safety cases, said recently that he thinks there will be more. Simon added that he still receives calls from people who think that the carrots they consume make them sick.
The bacteria that cause E. coli are mainly spread through feces that can pollute food and water. It can be killed through heat, but since some produce is eaten in raw form, it has been attributed to causing outbreaks in recent years, including last month, which was believed to involve slivered onions used in McDonald’s Quarter Pounders.
The Hidden Risks of E. Coli
The ailments related to an E.coli infection include diarrhea, stomach ache, and vomiting. In children and other sensitive persons, such as the aged, the bacteria cause serious renal problems and possibly death. Out of about 250,000 cases of E. Coli each year in the United States, only about 10 percent will turn into dangerous forms, states the Cleveland Clinic.
According to Simon, inadequate washing and testing are two issues that frequently arise in E. coli outbreaks involving vegetables.
“With vegetables, especially fresh vegetables, and salads, those aren’t cooked, and so you’re relying completely on the washing process to get rid of the E. coli,” he said.
Pratt expressed satisfaction that her husband and their children, who are ages 18, 11, and 20, refrained from eating the carrots, as reported by NBC News.
“To think one of my family members —” Pratt said, trailing off as she choked up. “To go through what I went through, it’s unimaginable.”
For now, Pratt said, she is “done with carrots for quite some time.”
“I never would have thought, at all, carrots could have caused that illness that I went through,” she said. “It makes me kind of scared to go shopping now for produce.”
News
UN Warns: Bird Flu Could Devastate Global Economy
United States: A United Nations food agency has issued a stark warning about the rapid spread of the H5N1 bird flu virus, calling it an “unprecedented” global food safety threat that requires urgent, coordinated action.
Escalating Crisis: Millions of Birds Lost
A Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) United Nations briefing identified worldwide poultry death masses and rising infections that cross between animal groups. Wild bird populations suffered from H5N1 disease in more than 300 species starting in 2021 and causing its spread to new distances according to The Hills.
FAO Deputy Director-General Godfrey Magwenzi emphasized the severe consequences:
“The disease is leading to serious impacts on food security, rural jobs, and rising consumer costs.”
Call for Coordinated Global Action
Beth Bechdol shared his opinion as another FAO Deputy Director-General that nations must collaborate to achieve desired outcomes.
According to an old wisdom a chain achieves its maximum strength through its least robust element. Animal health protection alongside human health protection can be achieved through international collaboration to decrease the impact of bird flu in both local and international scales.
The FAO recommends nations to enhance their bird flu surveillance capabilities while bettering their reporting systems and increasing laboratory capacities and implementing vaccination strategies together with biosecurity measures.
Bird Flu in the U.S.: Impact and Response
According to the CDC, the U.S. is currently managing 70 bird flu cases, affecting 41 dairy farms and 24 egg-producing facilities. While officials state there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission, concerns remain over its impact on the food supply.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture started a $1 billion plan which aims to battle the virus along with stabilizing egg market prices. The existing economic consequences of the virus outbreak have commenced.
#UN agency warns of ‘unprecedented’ #bird #flu threat as #H5N1 #virus jumps to #mammals …
— Microbes.info (@MicrobesInfo) March 19, 2025
| #pathogen | #infections | #AvianInfluenza | #birdflu | #avianflu | #publichealth | By @thisisbartosz.bsky.social via @politico.eu https://t.co/whr6b8ZX6I
Egg Prices Surge as Outbreak Disrupts Supply
The outbreak has created higher egg prices which forces restaurants to make customers pay more for meals with eggs. News reports indicate that the Justice Department began investigating important egg producers after discovering evidence of price manipulation related to the bird flu crisis.
New Bird Flu Strain Discovered in Mississippi
A bird flu strain of heightened virulence that the U.S. had not seen since 2017 was identified in a Mississippi commercial bird herd. Officials confirmed the new strain does not originate from the current H5N1 epidemic but experts remain watchful due to The Hills report.
What’s Next?
Global health experts advise taking rapid coordinated actions to stop the bird flu outbreak from escalating further because of growing worries regarding food safety and monetary consequences. Surveillance strengthening combined with preventive investments and market price fairness stands as the vital foundation for controlling the ongoing crisis.
News
Daytime Sleepiness in Seniors Linked to Higher Dementia Risk
United States: Drowsy during the daytime?
Research findings suggest that daytime sleepiness among senior citizens signals an elevated risk of dementia development.
The journal Neurology published research showing women aged 80 experienced two times greater risk of dementia when their daytime sleepiness increased throughout five years, as reported by HealthDay.
Sleep Disruptions May Be an Early Warning Sign
“The brain requires sleep for cognitive health because this rest period allows mental rejuvenation to improve clear thinking and information retention” according to senior researcher Yue Leng who serves as associate professor of psychiatry at the University of California-San Francisco in the news release.
According to Leng sleep-related problems seem to affect cognitive aging processes and might detect or increase risks for dementia in women aged 80 years old.
Study Tracks Sleep Patterns and Cognitive Decline
The research team studied 733 women who were 83 years old on average for five years. The participants showed no signs of dementia or mild cognitive impairment when the study began.
Women utilized wrist devices during the three-day tracking phase at the study commencement point, followed by the termination point.
The devices monitored sleep pattern variations among 56% of participants across five years.
During the five-year study period, 22% of participants developed mild cognitive impairment, alongside 13% who suffered from dementia.
Sleep pattern shifts are linked to potential brain deterioration, according to results obtained in the study.
Among the study participants who maintained consistent sleep patterns, dementia developed in 8% but increased to 15% among those whose nighttime sleep deteriorated and reached 19% among participants who experienced daytime sleepiness.
Dementia Risk More Than Doubles with Daytime Sleepiness
Research outcomes showed that women experiencing increased sleepiness demonstrated a dementia risk, which was 2.2 times higher after accounting for additional risk variables.
“We observed that sleeping, napping, and circadian rhythms can change dramatically over only five years for women in their 80s,” Leng said.
“This highlights the need for future studies to look at all aspects of daily sleep patterns to better understand how changes in these patterns over time can be linked to dementia risk,” she added.
Experts Call for Sleep-Focused Interventions
The study findings suggest sleep serves as an essential brain protectant, according to Dr. Marino Muxfeldt Bianchin and his editorial partner, who are professors of internal medicine at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, as reported by HealthDay.
“Initiatives focusing on improving sleep efficiency, encouraging lifestyle changes, and implementing cognitive interventions may be essential in mitigating dementia risk in the aging population,” Bianchin wrote.
News
CDC Warns of Rising Dengue Fever Cases Among U.S. Travelers
United States: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a warning about increasing dengue fever cases among U.S. travelers who are projected to experience more cases throughout this year.
Record-High Cases Reported, Surge Expected in 2025
The number of dengue fever cases detected among U.S. travelers reached “record high” levels during the previous year when 3,484 cases were reported which marked an 84 percent surge from the previous figures, as reported by The Hills.
“This trend is expected to continue with increased dengue activity in endemic areas in 2025,” the warning from the CDC reads.
High Transmission in the U.S. Territories
Dengue transmission continues at high levels across specific United States regions together with selected global areas, while Puerto Rico, along with the U.S. Virgin Islands, attains similar transmission rates within the Americas.
Travelers can acquire dengue with greater ease when they visit sunnier regions from March through September, which heightens their risk of infection.
Recent years have brought a growing number of virus cases and these increases primarily affect the Americas based on World Health Organization (WHO) reports.
Developing nations reported 7.6 million virus cases to the WHO in 2024, showing 3.4 million confirmed cases along with over 16,000 serious cases and more than 3,000 fatalities from the disease.
Dengue fever cases in Puerto Rico have continued to surpass the outbreak threshold since Last February 2024. Public health declared an emergency status in March 2024 and continues to this day.
Dengue cases on the island totaled 6,291 for 2024 alongside more than 52 percent of patients needing hospital care and 13 fatalities documented by the CDC.
U.S. Hotspots for Travel-Related Cases
Recommendations have been issued for a dengue outbreak emergency in the U.S. Virgin Islands since August 2024 and remain current, as reported by The Hills.
A total of 208 dengue cases occurred in 2024, followed by 30 cases in 2025, according to early March records. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded that Florida, California and New York had the most travel-associated dengue cases throughout 2024.
UN Warns: Bird Flu Could Devastate Global Economy
Daytime Sleepiness in Seniors Linked to Higher Dementia Risk
CDC Warns of Rising Dengue Fever Cases Among U.S. Travelers
FDA Launches “Operation Stork Speed” to Improve Infant Formula Safety and Availability
Bird Flu Outbreak Confirmed in Mississippi
FDA Issues Warning on Nitrous Oxide Abuse
Bird Flu Outbreak Confirmed in Mississippi
Trust in CDC’s Bird Flu Information Divided Along Political Lines
Deadliest H7N9 Bird Flu Outbreak Since 2017 Hits U.S. Farm
WHO Confirms End of Marburg Virus Outbreak in Tanzania
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