Injuryboard National News Desk

Less Sleep - More Obesity, Smoking, Drinking Says CDC

Jane Akre — Thu, 08 May 2008 10:57:49 GMT

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IMAGE SOURCE: Wikimedia Commons/ sleeping moon/ author: Dvortygirl

There are 70 million Americans with sleep disorders who would like nothing more than to relax at night. Now there's more reason to keep you up late.

People who sleep fewer than six hours or more than nine hours a night are more likely to have health problems, according to the largest government study linking obesity to irregular sleep.

Health problems also include higher rates of smoking and alcohol use among those who sleep too little or too much.

The report finds that restorative value of sleep has been underappreciated in public health recommendations.

In time of stress, the body is known to hold onto fat stores. That's why diets often result in weight gain. The lack of sleep may also create a similar stressful situation. Expect to see more emphasis on eight hours a night as a key to good health.

The CDC's National Center for Health Statistics surveyed 87,000 Americans from 2004 to 2006.

Among the findings:

Smoking rates were highest for those who got under six hours of sleep a night. 31 percent were smokers. Heavy sleepers included 26 percent who smoked. The average rate of U.S. smokers is 21 percent. Among those who slept an average of eight hours, 18 percent were smokers.
Obesity rates for light sleepers were 33 percent, for heavy sleepers 26 percent and 22 percent for normal sleepers.
Alcohol use among the light sleepers was the heaviest. Regular and heavy sleepers have about the same rate of alcohol use.
Exercise rates were low for those who slept a lot, worse than regular or light sleepers. Health problems or being elderly age may account for that

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine finds an increasing number of obese youth are not getting enough sleep. Obesity rates among children and teens have doubled in the last 30 years and AASM says sleep may be as important a component in fighting fat as diet and exercise.

Infants to 11 months need 14 to 15 hours of sleep a night; toddlers 12-14 hours; preschool children 11-13 hours and adolescents 9 hours. Adults should get seven to eight hours of sleep a night.

For those who have trouble falling to sleep follow these rules:

Find a consistent bed time to go to sleep and wake up
Keep the room completely dark free of lights from clocks or cable boxes
Keep the room cooler
Do not consume caffeine, colas or chocolate before bed or in the evening
Take a break of at least an hour before bedtime from electronics

Also for children:

Avoid videos or TV shows that are not age appropriate
Use a half hour before bedtime for a bedtime routine and to read, interact and be close
Do not let your child fall asleep while being held, rocked or nursed
Avoid hunger at bedtime

U.S. Hospitals Unprepared For Attacks

Jane Akre — Thu, 08 May 2008 09:26:26 GMT

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IMAGE SOURCE: Wikimedia Commons/ emergency room/ author: Thierry Geoffroy

In 2004, a series of coordinated bombings on the commuter train system in Madrid during the morning rush hour killed 191 people and send nearly 300 to a local hospital within hours.

The attacks were determined to have directed by an al-Qaeda-inspired terrorist cell, though no direct link to the group was established.

And even seven years after the September 11^th attack on the U.S., hospitals here are not prepared to handle a "surge" of patients that will need emergency care, according to a House oversight committee.

Two days ago Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) released a report on seven cities and 34 hospitals and found not one was prepared on that day for the effects of a terrorist attack.

Testifying before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Michael Leavitt agreed there are gaps in the ability of U.S. hospitals to deal with mass-casualties.

But neither agrees that stopping cuts to Medicaid would solve the problem.

The release of the Waxman report was timed with a House plan to stop the Bush administration's proposed cuts to the Medicaid budget in order to save $13 billion over five years. The impact would be felt on the poor and in public hospital emergency rooms and physician training.

President Bush has indicated he'll veto the one-year moratorium on the changes proposed by the House.

Rep. Waxman says that HHS has not considered the disastrous impact that the cuts would have on emergency room preparedness.

He told the Washington Post, "Why would [HHS] . . . withdraw billions of federal dollars from the hospitals that provide the most comprehensive emergency care to the most seriously injured?" he said. "It's a substantial breach in what I think is our mutual responsibility to make sure we can deal with a homeland security attack."

Rep. Waxman's report found that Washington D.C. and Los Angeles hospitals were among the worst. On March
25, 2008 at 4:30 pm researchers also looked at hospitals in New York, Chicago, Houston, Denver and Minneapolis. He tells ABC News,

"There was no available space in the emergency rooms at the main trauma centers serving Washington, D.C. One emergency room was operating at over 200 percent of capacity: more than half the patients receiving emergency care in the hospital had been diverted to hallways and waiting rooms for treatment.

"And in Los Angeles, three of the five Level I trauma centers were so overcrowded that they went 'on diversion,' which means they closed their doors to new patients. If a terrorist attack had occurred in Washington, D.C. or Los Angeles on March 25 when we did our survey, the consequences could have been catastrophic. The emergency care systems were stretched to the breaking point and had no capacity to respond to a surge of victims."

Last month, President Bush told HHS to impose seven new regulations for Medicaid payments to states, local government and public and private hospitals. The regulations would put more responsibility on the state and less on the federal government.

HHS will be required to determine by the end of the year just how many available hospital beds can be readied on one hour's notice in case of a "surge" of need in an emergency.

CDC determined in 2006 that half of the nations ERs are already overcrowded. #

China is Tight-Lipped on Reporting Virus as Olympics Near

Jane Akre — Wed, 07 May 2008 11:47:06 GMT

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IMAGE SOURCE: WikiMedia Commons/ Hangcun village in Anhui Province, China/ author: Udo Schoene

The timing couldn't be worse for China.

As that country is preparing to host the Beijing Summer Olympics, a deadly virus has been killing children and the government's secrecy has caused more cases to emerge.

China has been criticized and 10 people have been punished for failing to properly handle hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD). 28 children have died. The central province of Anhui is the worst-hit with 5,000 of the 8,500 cases.

No word on what "properly handle" means although the outbreak emerged in March but was only reported in mid-April.

The Communist country is well-practiced in controlling information and newspaper headlines in Beijing suggest that may extend to public health.

Now the government is making it mandatory for all health care workers to report all cases of the virus. The Minister of Health is asking all sick children be sent immediately to clinics.

There were 15,799 cases reported to the health department on Monday. Under the new mandate that increased to 16,778 cases by Wednesday. The outbreak was also made a class C epidemic by the Ministry of Health.

The virus that is unrelated to the disease of the same name that affects livestock. The enterovirus (EV71) is highly contagious. It causes fever, blisters in the mouth and a rash on hands and feet. It can cause brain, heart and lung damage and lead to viral meningitis.

There is no vaccine or treatment for the disease which generally children recover from. It is spread through contact with infected saliva, feces and fluids from the body.

The epidemic which has shut down many kindergartens has spread to nearly 20 provinces across the country.

China had an epidemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003 that eventually killed 774 worldwide, also brought criticism to the Communist leadership for a failure to handle infectious outbreaks.

The country also failed to respond quickly to investigate a fake powdered milk scandal four years ago when 200 became ill and 13 died.

People are being told not to panic but to practice preventive sanitary measures.

The summer Olympic games begin August 8^th. The disease is predicted to peak with the warmer weather in June and July. #

Respiratory Damage From Smoking Takes Decades To Heal

Jane Akre — Wed, 07 May 2008 10:27:43 GMT

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American Lung Association on smoking

IMAGE SOURCE: WikiMedia Commons/ Lucky Strike, Portugal 2007/ author: Ryhion

If you are a smoker, quitting can lower your risk of dying from coronary heart disease by
21 percent in five years but you might not see overall improvement in your respiratory health for decades, according to researchers.

Within five years women who quit had a 13 percent reduction in heart and vascular problems that can lead to death.

Give it 20 years and your risk of dying from those diseases is the same as those who never smoked.

But your risk of lung cancer remains high. There was a 21 percent reduction in the risk of dying from lung cancer after 20 years. For the risk to disappear as if you never smoked, that took 30 years.

These results are published in the May 7^th Journal of the American Medical Association and come from Harvard's School of Public Health.

Stacy Kenfield, the study author says it's never too late to stop.

"For some conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, it can take more than 20 years, but there is a rapid reduction for others."

The data comes from the Nurses' Health Study, a large trial of more than 121,000 women in the nursing profession whose have been followed since 1976.

The results are thought to apply equally to men.

"Our findings indicate that 64 percent of deaths in current smokers and 28 percent of deaths in past smokers are attributable to smoking," says Kenfield.

The American Lung Association reports that although fewer women smoke than men, the gap is closing.

There are still 20 million U.S. female smokers who bear the larger burden of smoking-related diseases. In 1987, lung cancer surpassed breast cancer as the leading cause of U.S. cancer deaths among women.

In 2005, 23 percent of high school girls were current smokers, meaning they had a cigarette at least once in the last 30 days. Keeping weight down is often cited as a reason.

Smoking is still the leading cause of death in the U.S. According to the World Health Organization, three million in industrialized countries will be dead from tobacco use by 2030.

As many tobacco companies export cigarettes to Third World countries, an additional seven million people face the same fate. #

Happy Mother's Day- Sweden Best, Ethiopia Worst Place for Mothers and Children

Jane Akre — Wed, 07 May 2008 09:21:05 GMT

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Save the Children Annual Report
CDC on Child & Adolescent Immunization Schedule
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IMAGE SOURCE: WikiMedia Commons/ mother and child in Mumbai/ author: Wen-Yan King

Some mothers want cards and flowers for Mother's Day. Some just want the basics in health care to ensure their little one will see another day and perhaps survive childhood.

In many developing nations, the basics like antibiotics can make the difference between life and death.

Save the Children has just issued its annual report on the best and worst places to be a mother and by implication to be an infant.

Sweden has been rated the world's best place to be a mother by the U.S. based charity.

In a report assessing the well-being for mothers around the world, Save the Children considers longevity, the quality of drinking water, maternal leave from work, political participation of women and the mortality rate of youngsters under the age of five.

Scandinavia in all does well. Norway ranks second in the list of 146 countries followed by Iceland.

Among the top 10 countries include New Zealand, Denmark, Australia, Finland, Ireland, Germany and France.

On the other end of the scale are countries where mothers face the greatest hardship.

Include Niger, Chad, Yemen, Sierra Leone, Angola, Guinea Bissa, Eritrea, Djibouti, Mali and Ethiopia.

In Mali last year, a 16-month-old boy named Yaya was treated for diarrhea by a village health volunteer, trained by Save the Children, who gave him oral rehydration salts, sugar, potassium and other nutrients. Just that simple solution is estimated to have saved 40 million children's lives since the 1970s.

The annual report says about 200 million children lack basic health care and 10 million children die unnecessarily every year because they don't receive immunizations, antibiotics, skilled care at childbirth, from diarrhea and pneumonia.

Among developing nations, the Philippines, Peru, South Africa, Indonesia and Turkmenistan do the best job of providing basic care.

Among the worst are Laos, Yemen, Chad, Somalia and Ethiopia where 84 percent of children lack basic medical care.

In countries such as India and China there is also a gender gap that dictates survival.

Indian girls are 61 percent and Chinese girls are 30 percent more likely than boys to die before they reach their fifth birthday.

The preference for sons is deeply rooted in both cultures which results in discrimination against girls in nutrition and preventive and curative health care.

The United States ranked 27^th this year. Last year it was ranked 26^th.

The report concludes that millions of lives could be saved by a coordinated effort to supply, train workers and equip more rural community health facilities. #

Adopted Youth Have Slight Risk for ADHD

Jane Akre — Tue, 06 May 2008 11:10:31 GMT

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Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine

IMAGE SOURCE: WikiMedia Commons/ adopted Chinese girl, 1999/author: Marc Davis

In the first study of its kind, University of Minnesota researchers wanted to know whether adopted adolescents have an increased risk for behavioral and emotional problems.

This study finds that while adopted children are mostly psychologically healthy, they have a slightly increased risk of behavior problems such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD) than non-adopted peers.

"These are kids who argue with their parents, who refuse to follow through on chores, maybe argue with their teachers, blame other people for their own mistakes," says Margaret Keyes, a University of Minnesota research psychologist told NPR.

Researchers looked at 540 adolescents were who not adopted and compared them with a group of adoptees, 514 foreign adoptions and 178 domestic.

The children were roughly 15 years old when they received psychiatric assessments on all subjects. For comparison, they also interviewed a control group of teens born to biological parents.

While most were "overwhelmingly psychologically healthy," adopted children were found to be twice as likely to have contact with a mental health professional as non-adoptees.

Researchers found that 7 out of 100 adolescents met the criteria for ADHD while twice that was found among adopted adolescents. ADHD interferes with an ability to concentrate and sit still. It also may lead to uncontrolled impulsive behavior.

The ODD risk nearly doubled. Oppositional Defiant Disorder is defined as children who are hostile toward authority figures in a way that impairs their daily functioning.

There was no serious increase in depression, anxiety, aggression and vandalism.

Initially, researchers thought that foreign adoptees might be at higher risk of psychiatric disorders because of ethnic discrimination upon entering school.

Foreign born children did seem to undergo higher levels of separation anxiety while U.S. born children had higher rates of externalizing disorder.

Lead author, Margaret Keyes said her study should not dissuade adoptive parents. She notes that boys are more likely than girls to have disruptive behavior, but she tells the L.A. Times, "no one is overly concerned when they give birth to a son."

David Brodzinsky's own research at Rutgers University finds that adoptive parents are better educated, highly motivated and better off financial. They may be more likely to seek help from mental health professionals when emotional problems arise.

The study also reveals that adopted children, mostly from South Korea, were slightly less likely to have ADHD than adopted children born in the U.S. That may be due to health conditions before birth impacted by alcohol or drugs.

More than 1.5 million adopted children under the age of 18 live in the U.S. and more than 100,000 are added every year.

The study is published in the May issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. #

Research Finds Breastfeeding Boosts IQ

Jane Akre — Tue, 06 May 2008 10:18:57 GMT

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IMAGE SOURCE: WikiMedia Commons/ breastfeeding within minutes, 2006/ author: David Goodman

As if mothers didn't already know this, more evidence, this time from Canada's McGill University, shows that breastfed babies have a higher IQ than those babies fed with formula.

Researchers tested 14,000 children in mental functioning at the age of six and found they had a higher test score.

The children were born in hospitals in Belarus. 7,000 infants were exclusively breastfed for six months while 6,781 infants were breastfed plus had other foods.

Those who breastfed for three months, and continued up to a year had an average of nearly 7.5 points higher in verbal intelligence, 2.9 points in nonverbal intelligence and 5.9 points higher in overall intelligence.

Their teachers also said the breastfed group was better in reading the writing, according to the study in the Archives of General Psychiatry.

Lead researcher Professor Michael Kramer tells BBC News, "Long-term, exclusive breastfeeding appears to improve children's cognitive development."

But what's uncertain is whether that's due to the mother-baby bonding, higher socio-economic advantages among the breastfed group or the nutrients that come from breast milk.

Fatty acids in breast milk may boost intelligence. Amino acids are found in breast milk that are not found in formula including DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid) which is important for brain development.

The emotional bonding during the feeding as well as verbal communication may also contribute to positive and permanent changes in brain development.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends new mothers breastfeed their babies exclusively for the first six months of life, then supplement with baby food until at least the first birthday.

The CDC finds that that about three-quarters of new mothers in the U.S. breastfeed their babies. That is the highest rate in at least 20 years.

There are other advantages to breastfeeding for the mother.

A study in the UK found that the longer a woman breastfed the less likely she was to get breast cancer.

Breastfeeding also burns an additional 500 calories a day, making it easier for a woman to get back to her pre-pregnancy shape. #

Painkiller Cuts Dementia

Jane Akre — Tue, 06 May 2008 08:03:56 GMT

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IMAGE SOURCE: WikiMedia Commons/ ibuprofen 200 mg/ author: Ragesoss

A large U.S. study is indicating that the long-term use of the painkiller ibuprofen may reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.

This is the just the latest study adding to a body of work showing ibuprofen may have the ability to reduce the formation of plaque in the brains of those who suffer the debilitating mental disorder.

The length of time on ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) may be the key.

Data from 250,000 veterans shows that those who used ibuprofen for five years or longer were more than 40 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer's.

In this report, published in Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine researchers looked at five years of data from 49,300 people who were over the age of 55 years and had developed Alzheimer's disease.

Comparing them to 200,000 controls, the use of painkillers from the NSAID group was associated with a 24 percent reduce risk of developing Alzheimer's disease when the drugs were taken for five years.

But the group on the ibuprofen had the most promising results.

Ibuprofen is an over-the-counter painkiller also known as Motrin, Advil, Midol, Nuprin, Medipren, Brufen, Genpril.

Used to reduce fever and pain, Ibuprofen was introduced in 1974. It is in a class of drugs called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) and it works by reducing hormones that cause inflammation and pain in the body. Higher doses are used to treat inflammation but aspirin is still considered superior in reducing inflammation.

Side effects may include gastrointestional irritation and kidney damage when used to treat arthritis. If you are on a regular dosage of aspirin, it is not recommended that you also take ibuprofen.

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine are stopping short of recommending a daily treatment of ibuprofen to lower your risk of Alzheimer's because of the side effects.

Other studies have shown the length of time you take ibuprofen is more important in lowering Alzheimer's risk than in the amount in the dose.

Called the Rotterdam study, it found that those taking NSAIDs for seven years reduced your risk of getting Alzheimer's disease to 1.3 percent compared to 8.2 percent in non-users of NSAIDs.

The NSAIDs used here included the five most common - diclofenac (Voltaren), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve, Anaprox), piroxicam (Feldene), and indomethacin (Indocid), in that order.

A separate study in Neurology shows people who have shorter arms and legs may be at a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's later in life. Early nutrition may be the factor linking the two.

Neurology also reports in another study out of Oregon State University on Ginkgo biloba extract(GBE) found, in a secondary analysis adjusted for medication adherence, a protective effect on the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) and memory decline. #

Raytheon's Florida Neighbors Sue Over Water Contamination

Jane Akre — Mon, 05 May 2008 11:54:16 GMT

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IMAGE SOURCE: WikiMedia Commons/ Raytheon Missiles on display, Paris Air Show, 2005/ author: David Monniaux

The city of St. Petersburg, Florida is sending out letters this week to about 150 homeowners living within the boundaries of the so-called Azalea neighborhood, which appears to be contaminated from underground wastewater seeping from the Raytheon Company plant.

So far, two class action lawsuits have been filed and the state has given Raytheon until the end of the month to come up with independent laboratory testing on the water from wells in the area. If confirmed, the company has 90 days to issue a cleanup plan.

The defense contractor and electronics manufacturer is located at 1501 72^nd Street North in St. Petersburg, near a residential neighborhood and parks.

Groundwater contaminants include vinyl chloride, 1,4-dioxane, and trichloroethylene, all of which are considered carcinogenic.

In a class action lawsuit, filed by IB member, Joe Saunders for Linda Swartout and her husband John, residents contend that discharged toxic chemicals into the groundwater created an unsafe and undesirable level of toxins underneath and around the Azalea Neighborhood, impacting health and the market value of their homes.

Residents irrigate their lawns with the toxic water as well as breath the airborne toxins in the neighborhood and the suit contends that "a toxic plume of industrial waste is coursing through groundwater under the Azalea neighborhood, beneath parks, playgrounds and hundreds of homes in and around the Azalea neighborhood."

Contamination includes 30 to 60 times the safe level of 1,4-dioxane, which the suit says can cause kidney and liver damage and death; unhealthy levels of trichloroethylene (TCE) which can cause liver and kidney damage, impairs immune system function and causes reproductive disorders and skin rashes; as well as 1,200 times the safe level of vinyl chloride, a potent carcinogen associated with an increased risk of liver, brain and lung cancer.

That is the same chemical that earned Mountain View, California's Raytheon plant a spot on the Superfund Cleanup list in the early 1980s for extensive groundwater contamination.

The news about the groundwater contamination spread throughout the St. Petersburg neighborhood after media reports about the toxic plume surfaced.

Bill Rutledge takes his three children to Azalea Park across the street from Raytheon Co.

"Before, I figured Raytheon was a good thing for the community," Rutledge said. "Now I feel like I'm living next to a toxic waste dump." Rutledge, who lives west of the area of St. Petersburg learned last week that his irrigation wells are tainted by the water migrating from Raytheon's property and heading west toward Boca Ciega Bay.

Rutledge along with neighbor, James Orr, is in the process of moving out. Orr has had his 22-month-old daughter tested for chemicals even though a Raytheon test result, as well as a lab test conducted by the St. Petersburg Times, came back negative.

The same can't be said for Bill Rutledge whose water shows levels of TCE, at 43 parts per billion.

Raytheon spokesman George Rhynedance wrote to the St. Petersburg Times in an email "Area drinking water has never been, and is not, an issue," even though six wells do exceed the standards set by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for Florida.

Rhynedance says "These well do not supply drinking water and are not a threat to health if used for irrigation purposes."

Six homeowners have been contacted and asked not to use their irrigation wells, even to water their lawns, at least until the end of the month when the final report is due.

For 17 years the DEP has been aware of pollution at the site that runs in an area defined as bordering 22^nd Avenue N to the north, Ninth Avenue to the south, 68th Street to the east and 76th Street to the west. Raytheon bought the St. Petersburg facility in April 1995 from E-Systems, which committed to cleaning up under the DEP.

Since 1996, Raytheon has been testing wells on the site using a third party, Arcadis.

A final report must be issued to the DEP by May 31^st but DEP documents show during 2007 that groundwater still exceeded cleanup standards in the nearby areas.

Attorney Joe Saunders of Saunders & Walker P.A. says the cleanup, which will be supervised by the DEP will take years during which time residents worry about their health consequences and cannot sell their homes.

He tells IB News "On a personal note, just across from the Raytheon plant in St. Petersburg is Azalea Park where children play and young families spend time together. I can't help but wonder how Raytheon officials can look out their windows day after day for 17 years, see children play and not be bothered by the knowledge that they may be causing irreparable harm to children and families. I don't understand that." #

SuperTarget Stores Hit By Meat And Poultry Recall

Jane Akre — Mon, 05 May 2008 10:59:47 GMT

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IMAGE SOURCE: WikiMedia Commons/ Listeria/ CDC Public Health Library

A Queens, New York-based meat and poultry recall is reaching into the shelves of SuperTarget's Archer Farms brand across the country.

Gourmet Boutique has recalled 286,000 pounds of meat because of a possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Listeria is a food- borne bacteria that can cause listeriosis which can be fatal in the very young and very old who have compromised immune systems. It can also cause headaches, nausea and neck stiffness. Listeriosis can also lead to miscarriages and it can be carried in food even if it is refrigerated.

It gets into food from vegetables grown in manure used as fertilizer. Listeria is killed by pasteurization and cooking unless the ready-to-eat food is contaminated after cooking but before packaging.

30 items are listed in the recall including sandwiches sold under Gourmet Boutique brand including Curry Chicken Salad, Gourmet Boutique Turkey club Twister and Jan's Buffalo Bob tortilla wrap sandwiches. Frozen wraps and burritos sold under the name Jan's and Archer Farms, sold by SuperTarget are included in the voluntary recall.

A spokeswoman tells Newsday that that brand is found only in SuperTarget stores, not regular Target stores and the chain began removing products from the shelves as soon as the USDA issued the recall.

Federal food inspectors and Florida agriculture inspectors found the Listeria on some products and notified the USDA on Friday. It issued a Class I recall, the highest priority issued by the agency issued when a "reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death" according to a statement.

SuperTarget stores carry the 15-ounce packages of Archer Farms Frozen Mini Beef Burrito; the 9-ounce packages of Archer Farms Frozen Pulled Pork Burrito; and the 9-ounce packages of Archer Farms Grilled Chicken Burrito With Corn and Black Beans.

The fresh products were made between April 19 and 24^th. The frozen products were produced between Oct. 23, 2007, and April 23, 2008. Look for a "sell by" date that runs through October.

This is the second recall in two months for the Queens food company. In March the company had to recall nearly 7,000 pounds of food sent to 10 states because of a possible Listeria contamination.

Gourmet Boutique of Jamaica, Queens calls itself "America's leading manufacturer of high-quality, ready-to-eat prepared foods."

If you are at risk for Listeria contamination, the USDA recommends you wash your hands with warm soapy water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling raw meat and poultry.

Also wash your cutting board and any dishes and utensils with hot, soapy water and keep raw meat away from other foods that will not be cooked. Do not eat hot dogs or other deli meats unless they are reheated until steaming hot, the USDA recommends. #