Pasteurization working at Mass. dairy
Sat, 29 Dec 2007 13:08:25 GMTBOSTON - The pasteurization process at a central Massachusetts dairy connected to a deadly outbreak of a bacterial illness appears to be working properly, a state health official said Friday.
Dr. Alfred DeMaria, the state director of communicable disease control, said that could mean the listeria bacteria that sickened four people in Massachusetts entered Whittier Farms' milk supply after it was pasteurized. Two of those victims, a 78-year-old man and a 75-year-old man, died in June and October. Another elderly man and a pregnant woman survived, although the woman miscarried.
"My understanding is they did everything right," DeMaria said. "That could happen. You could do everything right and something bad could happen."
The Shrewsbury dairy has suspended operations and is cooperating with state officials trying to pinpoint the source of contamination, DeMaria said. The farm delivered milk mostly to homes in the Worcester area.
"We are a family owned and operated business with a reputation for providing farm fresh milk to our customers," Whittier Farms said in a statement. "We strive to produce the best product and therefore we are extremely concerned about the situation and will be working to obtain the results of the investigation."
A message left for further comment was not immediately returned Friday.
DeMaria said the Massachusetts outbreak is believed to be just the third ever in pasteurized milk in the United States. Listeria is more commonly associated with luncheon meats, soft cheeses and hot dogs. It also can be found in raw, or unpasteurized, milk, he said.
An elderly man sickened asked health officials about the milk in his refrigerator, and an unopened container from Whittier Farms later tested positive for listeria. Testing showed the bacteria that sickened all four people likely came from the same source.
The bacteria can cause listeriosis, a rare but potentially fatal disease that can kill babies and people with weakened immune systems and cause miscarriages in pregnant women. Symptoms include fever, headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea.
Viagra ingredient in Chinese supplements
Sat, 29 Dec 2007 13:20:25 GMTBy The Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Dietary supplements marketed to provide male sexual enhancement contain undeclared erectile dysfunction drugs putting users at risk, the Food and Drug Administration warned Friday.
The agency advised consumers to stay away from Shangai Chaojimengnan supplements sold under the names Super Shangai, Strong Testis, Shangai Ultra, Shangai Ultra X, Lady Shangai and Shangai Regular. The Chinese-made supplements are packaged and distributed by Shangai Distributor Inc. of Puerto Rico.
Product testing indicates that some of these so-called supplements contain Viagra's active ingredient, sildenafil, or a compound with a chemical structure that mimics sildenafil.
These chemicals could interact with nitrates in drugs taken for disorders commonly associated with erectile dysfunction, including diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and heart disease. The result could dangerously lower a user's blood pressure, according to the FDA.
The agency also warned that the safety and purity of these illegal ingredients is unknown.
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On the Net: http://www.fda.gov.
