Poisoning News and Research

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Binge drinking accounts for a substantial number of deaths each year in the United States

Binge drinking and harmful drinking, including both medium to high levels of regular alcohol consumption, account for a substantial number of deaths each year in the United States.

9 Aug 2004

Injuries kill more Washingtonians under the age of 45 than all diseases combined

Injuries are the leading cause of death and disability for younger people in Washington and are largely preventable. During the summer months, there are more deaths and hospitalizations due to injury.

2 Aug 2004

Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) levels are rising above safe levels in Central Puget Sound

Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) levels are rising above safe levels in Central Puget Sound. The state Department of Health urges recreational shellfish harvesters to check the department’s biotoxin hotline before they harvest.

29 Jul 2004

New mobile safety center hits the streets of Baltimore

The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions and the Baltimore City Fire Department are launching the Johns Hopkins CARES Mobile Safety Center to keep children safe from unintentional injury, which is the leading cause of death for children nationwide.

28 Jul 2004

Eradicating deadly E. coli O157:H7 from the bottoms of cows may prevent future outbreaks of food poisoning

According to an article in the August 2004 issue Microbiology Today, the quarterly magazine of the Society for General Microbiology, the majority of people with E. coli O157:H7, picked up the infection from cattle, either through direct contact with faeces or by consuming contaminated meat or milk.

28 Jul 2004

Genome decoded of distant relative of human pathogens

The Sanger Institute has completed the sequence and analysis of Erwinia carotovora subsp. atroseptica strain SCRI1043 (ATCC BAA-672).

21 Jul 2004

Increase in the number of urinary tract infections and cases of blood poisoning caused by strains of E. coli

The Health Protection Agency has detected an increase in the number of urinary tract infections (UTIs) and cases of blood poisoning caused by strains of E. coli that are resistant to most antibiotics.

17 Jul 2004

Report shows mixed results for lead screening rates in children

The New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer has released a report finding that certain Medicaid and Child Health Plus (CHP) managed care health plans have lead screening rates for infants and young children below the statewide average.

15 Jul 2004

Botulism case associated with consumption of a salt-cured fish product

A 41 year old New Jersey resident was hospitalized on June 3, 2004 with a confirmed case of botulism.

15 Jul 2004

Valid, robust, easy to construct, and easy to interpret measure that could be used by any state health department for any health outcome

Five years in the making and available at no charge, the Public Health Disparities Geocoding Project Monograph gives officials and researchers for the first time a systematic way to monitor health disparities across a wide range of outcomes using basic socioeconomic information.

7 Jul 2004

MRSA "superbug" genome decoded

On 18 June 2004, the BBC reported fears that deaths from the 'superbug' MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) might double in the next five years.

25 Jun 2004

Eating fish during pregnancy produces children with better language and communication skills

A new study of children in Bristol has shown that women who ate fish regularly during pregnancy had children with better language and communication skills by the age of 18 months.

24 Jun 2004

100,000 child deaths ever year caused by outdoor and indoor air pollution, unsafe water, lead and injuries

100 000 deaths and 6 million years of healthy life lost (or DALYs) ever year, in children and adolescents from birth to 19 years of age, are caused by outdoor and indoor air pollution, unsafe water, lead and injuries.

20 Jun 2004

Common illnesses are associated with an increased risk of suicide in elderly people

Many common illnesses are independently associated with an increased risk of suicide in elderly people, according to an article in the June 14 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

15 Jun 2004

Significance of the discovery of anthrax toxin genes in a naturally occurring microbe other than Bacillus anthracis

Dr. Fraser discusses, for the first time, the significance of the discovery of anthrax toxin genes in a naturally occurring microbe other than Bacillus anthracis, the bacterium that causes anthrax.

14 Jun 2004

New packaging could save lives

Because they are easier for adults to open, the containers will discourage the decanting of medicines into unsafe packaging – a practice which currently causes an estimated 10,000 cases/year of accidental poisoning in the UK, mostly involving small children.

3 Jun 2004

Compound Cilantro found in salsa kills harmful Salmonella bacteria

Researchers have identified a compound in cilantro, a key flavor component of salsa and a variety of other dishes, that kills harmful Salmonella bacteria and shows promise as a safe, natural food additive that could help prevent foodborne illness, according to a joint study by U.S. and Mexican researchers.

24 May 2004

Fifteen Australian lives were saved in one month as a result of pharmacists intervening in medicine management

The study, published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, also revealed that 88 pharmacist interventions reduced the length of patient stays in hospital and 156 interventions reduced the potential for the patient to be readmitted to hospital.

24 May 2004

Clinical trial of traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of male infertility

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) researcher Jann Mehmet knows the effectiveness of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine in treating male infertility. Now she is putting her observations to the test in a formal clinical trial of the benefits of TCM, the first time such a study has been conducted in Australia - or overseas.

18 May 2004

International plan to rid the world of dirty dozen most toxic chemicals known to humankind

The 2001 Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) enters into force on Monday, May 17, marking the start of an ambitious international effort to rid the world of PCBs, dioxins and furans, and nine highly dangerous pesticides.

17 May 2004