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Public Health and Safety Related Articles

Grandparents a Safe Source of Childcare - For working parents, having grandparents as caregivers can cut the risk of childhood injury roughly in half, according to a new study by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Compared to organized daycare or care by the mother or other relatives, having a grandmother watch a child was associated with a decreased risk of injury for the child. The study is among the first to examine the relationship between grandparents? care and childhood injury rates....

"Guided Care" Receives Award for Program Innovation - Guided Care, a new model of comprehensive health care for people with multiple chronic conditions, has received the 2008 Archstone Foundation Award for Excellence in Program Innovation. The award is given annually by the Archstone Foundation and the Gerontological Health Section of the American Public Health Association (APHA). Guided Care was developed by members of the faculties of the Johns Hopkins University?s schools of Public Health, Medicine and Nursing....

U.S. Suicide Rate Increases - The rate of suicide in the United States is increased for the first time in a decade, according to a new report from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health?s Center for Injury Research and Policy. The increase in the overall suicide rate between 1999 and 2005 was due primarily to an increase in suicides among whites aged 40-64, with white middle-aged women experiencing the largest annual increase. Whereas the overall suicide rate rose 0.7 percent during this time period, the rate among middle-aged white men rose 2.7 percent annually and 3.9 percent among middle-aged women. By contrast, suicide in blacks decreased significantly over the study?s time period, and remained stable among Asian and Native Americans. The results are published online at the website of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine and will be published in the December print edition of the journal....

Efavirenz-Based Initial Therapies Associated with Better Outcomes in HIV-Infected Adults - A study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that HIV-infected patients taking the antiretroviral drug efavirenz were more likely to adhere to treatment and less likely to experience virologic failure and death compared to patients taking nevirapine. Nevirapine is the most frequently prescribed drug for patients undergoing highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for the treatment of HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa, where the study was conducted. ...

JHSPH Receives $7.6 Million Grant to Study Disaster Preparedness for Vulnerable Populations - Jonathan Links, PhD, professor and director of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health?s Center for Public Health Preparedness, has been awarded a five-year $7,663,066 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to study disaster preparedness risks and needs for vulnerable populations. The grant was part of a commitment by the CDC to establish Preparedness and Emergency Response Research Centers (PERRCs) at seven universities. The PERRCs will conduct research that will evaluate the structure, capabilities and performance of public health systems for preparedness and emergency response activities. ...

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Expands Collaboration in National Children?s Health Study - The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has been selected to expand its role as a study center in the National Children?s Study. At a briefing today, officials from the National Institutes of Health announced that the Bloomberg School would oversee recruitment of study volunteers from Montgomery County, Md., in collaboration with colleagues from the Johns Hopkins Montgomery County campus and from local health agencies. In addition, the Hopkins-based research team will continue to recruit study participants from neighborhoods in Baltimore County....

Researchers Identify Genes Associated with Increased Gout Risk - Researchers have identified mutations in three genes that are associated with high levels of uric acid in the blood, which is a risk factor for gout. The team developed a genetic risk score composed of the number of uric acid-increasing mutations that each person carries (0 to 6), which was associated with up to a 40-fold increased risk for developing gout when comparing persons at lowest and highest risk. The findings are published in the October 4 issue of The Lancet....

Community-Based Behavior Change Management Cuts Neonatal Mortality in Half - A community-based program that reinforces basic childbirth and newborn care practices can reduce a baby?s risk of death within the first month of life by as much as 54 percent, according to a study in rural India led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in collaboration with CSM Medical University in Lucknow, India....

News Media Overlook Food System and Climate Change Connection - A study conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health shows the nation?s top newspapers have largely overlooked the food system as one of the more important contributors to global climate change. The two-year study, available online in advance of publication in Public Health Nutrition, analyzed coverage by 16 of the nation?s largest circulation newspapers. ...

Kidney Failure Susceptibility Gene Identified - Scientists at Johns Hopkins schools of Public Health and Medicine have, for the first time, identified variants in the gene MYH9 that are associated with increased risk for non-diabetic end stage renal disease (ESRD,) which is the near-loss of kidney function leading to either dialysis of transplant. MYH9, located on the 22 chromosome, is the first gene identified for common forms of kidney disease....

Key Component of Debilitating Lung Disease Identified - For the first time, researchers have demonstrated a close correlation between the decline in a key component of the lung?s antioxidant defense system and the progression of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in humans....

Johns Hopkins to Assist Practices in Medicare Medical Home Demonstration - The Roger C. Lipitz Center for Integrated Health Care at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has received a $1.7 million grant from the John A. Hartford Foundation to help primary care practices improve the quality and outcomes of health care for older adults with chronic illnesses. ...

Malaria Researchers Identify New Mosquito Virus - Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health?s Malaria Research Institute have identified a previously unknown virus that is infectious to Anopheles gambiae?the mosquito primarily responsible for transmitting malaria. According to the researchers, the discovered virus could one day be used to pass on new genetic information to An. gambiae mosquitoes as part of a strategy to control malaria, which kills over one million people worldwide each year....

De Beers African Health Scholars Named - De Beers African Health Scholars Named ...

Older Patients More Satisfied with Care When Accompanied to Medical Visits - A study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that 38 percent of Medicare beneficiaries are accompanied to routine medical visits. These accompanied beneficiaries tended to be older, sicker and less educated but more satisfied with their health care provider compared to unaccompanied patients. The study is published in the July 14 edition of Archives of Internal Medicine....

Hand Washing Saves Newborn Lives - Washing hands with soap and water in preparation for delivery significantly reduced the risk of death for infants within the first month of life, according to a study in Nepal conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The study found a 19 percent lower risk of death among newborns born at home in rural Nepal when the birth attendant washed their hands before delivery. The study also found a 44 percent reduction in risk of death if mothers washed their hands prior to handling their newborn infant. The findings are published in the July 2008 edition of the journal Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. ...

Newborn Vitamin A Reduces Infant Mortality - A single, oral dose of vitamin A, given to infants shortly after birth in the developing world can reduce their risk of death by 15 percent, according to a study conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The study is published in the July 2008 edition of the journal Pediatrics. ...

Researchers Study Hidden Homicide Trend - Gun-related homicide among young men rose sharply in the United States in recent years even though the nation?s overall homicide rate remained flat, according to a study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Between 1999 and 2005, homicide involving firearms increased 31 percent among black men ages 25 to 44 and 12 percent among white men of the same age. The study is published in Online First edition of the Journal of Urban Health....

Blood Pressure Levels in Childhood Track into Adulthood - High blood pressure in childhood is associated with higher blood pressure or hypertension in adulthood, according to a study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. ...

Racial Disparities Reduced in Injury Related Mortality - When it comes to injury-related deaths, the gap between black and white American youths is narrowing, according to a study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The study found that between 1999 and 2005 injury-related deaths among blacks ages 15 to 24 decreased, while injury-related deaths among whites increased. The findings are published in the June, 2008, edition of Injury Prevention....

US: Nestlé recalls food possibly containing sharp plastic - (Register Pajaronian) - Nestlé Prepared Foods announced Wednesday it is recalling approximately 879,565 pounds of frozen chicken meals that may contain foreign materials, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service. The recall affects the company’s Lean Cuisine brands, including the 9.5-ounce package of Pesto Chicken with Bow Tie Pasta, the 10.5-package of Chicken Mediterranean and the 12.5-ounce package of Chicken Tuscan. The ...

ONTARIO: Family shocked by 'stinky' juice boxes - (TheStar.com) - A southern Ontario family is rattled that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has yet to issue a public warning about faulty juice boxes that could pose health risks to consumers. The Waterford, Ont., family discovered the damaged juice boxes when Jennifer Degroot bought a case of 40 Dole juice boxes back in May for her two children, Johnny, 8, and Jessica, 5. The mother said she was shocked when her daughter complained one of the juice boxes "s...

OKLAHOMA officials clear Locust Grove eatery to open - (NewsOK) - LOCUST GROVE -- State health officials have decided a restaurant blamed for a food-poisoning outbreak can reopen, but its owners still face an uncertain future because some customers plan to sue. The owners’ attorney, A. Mark Smiling of Tulsa, said, "They were trying to get open this week, whenever they get restaffed.” The popular buffet-style restaurant closed Aug. 25 after customers began suffering from severe diarrhea and other problems. One...

FLORIDA: Dirty dining: A special undercover investigation - (News 12) - You use your hands all the time, but do you wash them just as often? Every day people are touching dirty surfaces, bodily fluids and then other people. You wouldn't go under the knife with surgeons who hadn't washed their hands. So, what about a cook who skipped the soap? CBS 12's I-Team explores this hidden danger in restaurants for this week's Dirty Dining. It's more common than you think. Some restaurant employees are touching your food witho...

VIRGINIA: The restaurant report - part 4 - (abc 13) - Across the ABC 13 Viewing Area - Live roaches, rodent droppings, food at dangerously wrong temperatures -- Inspectors found all of these violations in October in restaurants in our area. In our final Restaurant Report, an inside look at a kitchen with major problems and the only fast food restaurant on our list. Pittsylvania County's worst scorer in October was Napoli's Pizza in Gretna. Inspectors found six critical violations. Owners here woul...

Can a consumer tell if a restaurant is safe? - (Food Safety and Enviromental Health Blog) - What a lot of people who travel do, myself included, is just stop at the first restaurant that is convenient. I might make a decision as to what kind of food I feel like having but the venue is kind of arbitrary. I am like most folks; I expect the operator of any establishment to protect my food from contamination. Most QSR's are under some sort of quality system, self imposed of course because most health agencies do not require it. These places...

ABSTRACT: Phaeobacter and Ruegeria species of the Roseobacter clade colonize separate niches in a Danish turbot (scophthalmus maximus)-Rearing farm and antagonize Vibrio anguillarum under different growth conditions - (Applied and Environmental Microbiology, p. 7356-7364, Vol. 74, No. 23) - Members of the Roseobacter clade colonize a Spanish turbot larval unit, and one isolate (Phaeobacter strain 27-4) is capable of disease suppression in in vivo challenge trials. Here, we demonstrate that roseobacters with antagonistic activity against Vibrio anguillarum also colonize a Danish turbot larval farm that relies on a very different water source (the Danish fiord Limfjorden as opposed to the Galician Atlantic Ocean). Phylogenetic analyse...

AUSTRALIA: Family sues smallgoods company over death - (ABC News) - The family of a man who died after eating contaminated meat is suing the smallgoods company which made the products. Richard Formosa died in the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) in October 2005, about a fortnight after being admitted with complications from diabetes. Documents lodged with the Supreme Court allege Mr Formosa was given meat contaminated with listeria and supplied by Conroy's Smallgoods. For the complete news item, please visit http...

GEORGIA: Health officials encourage hand washing, keeping sick kids home - (Times-Herald) - If you have noticed more children seem sick lately than this time last month you are correct. Every year as the weather turns cold and everyone heads indoors we begin to see more illnesses in the community, say public health officials. Congregated settings such as day cares, schools and churches provide a wonderful atmosphere of connectivity for children. However, they also provide common surfaces and close contact for spreading bacteria or virus...

NEW JERSEY: Bergen County presents gold star awards for food protection excellence - (The Paramus Post) - WHAT: Award presentation for 2008 Gold Star Award recipients WHEN: November 19, 2008, 1:00 p.m. WHERE: Community Service Building, 327 E. Ridgewood Avenue, Auditorium, Paramus 07652 BACKGROUND: The Bergen County Department of Health Services will hold the 3rd annual presentation of Gold Star Awards for Excellence in Food Protection. The Gold Star Award program recognizes food establishments practicing exemplary food handling practices. When aw...

CHINA to overhaul battered dairy industry - (Associated Press) - BEIJING -- China's dairy industry — at the center of the country's latest food safety scandal — will be overhauled to improve every step from cow breeding to milk sales, the government said. The major shake-up will cover all aspects of the dairy supply chain, including production, purchase, processing and sales within the next year, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Thursday. "The crisis has put China's dairy industry in peril and expose...

MICHIGAN: Keeping germs away daily battle for schools - (Lansing State Journal) - When a health inspector found evidence of mice in a cafeteria storeroom at Everett High School, the kitchen staff pulled out all the stops to get rid of them. They screened over places where mice might enter, moved equipment that might give the rodents a place to hide, hired an exterminator and cleaned, then cleaned again. "Our building is so old, but we really do try," said Shelley Tanner, cafeteria manager at Everett, which opened in 1957. F...

Swine health impact on human foodborne risk - (AASV) - A study has been carried out to measure the relationship between lesions suggestive of subclinical pig illness at harvest to carcass contamination and human foodborne risk. Over the course of eight visits between December 2005 and January 2006, 280 randomly selected carcasses were swabbed, during normal slaughter operations, at three points in the slaughter line: skin pre-scald; the bung or pelvic cavity following removal of the distal colon and...

BARFBLOG: Silence of the lettuce - (barfblog) - If there’s one result from the Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak this summer it’s this: public health types sure are reluctant to finger fresh produce in outbreaks of foodborne illness. On Tuesday, a spokesman for the bureaucrats club know as the Canadian Food Inspection Agency confirmed they are looking to U.S. suppliers of E. coli-infected romaine lettuce that has been linked to 153 illnesses across southern Ontario, “but he had few other details....

ABSTRACT: Acanthamoeba castellanii promotes the survival of Vibrio parahaemolyticus - (Applied and Environmental Microbiology, p. 7183-7188, Vol. 74, No. 23) - Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a food-borne pathogen that naturally inhabits both marine and estuarine environments. Free-living protozoa exist in similar aquatic environments and function to control bacterial numbers by grazing on free-living bacteria. Protozoa also play an important role in the survival and spread of some pathogenic species of bacteria. We investigated the interaction between the protozoan Acanthamoeba castellanii and the bacterium...