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- Written by: California Department of Public Health
Canadian officials continue to investigate the source of norovirus illnesses and have closed multiple growing regions in British Columbia for sanitary contamination.
In California, at least 34 persons have become ill following the consumption of oysters at nine restaurants located throughout the state. Illness has been reported from March 11 through 19, 2022. Illnesses associated with oysters from British Columbia have also been reported in other states.
Canada has reported 279 cases of norovirus and gastrointestinal illness linked to consumption of British Columbia oysters.
Although multiple oyster recalls associated with British Columbia have been posted by CDPH, additional illness has been reported in California residents linked to oysters from British Columbia that have not been recalled.
CDPH staff continue to investigate and share updates with state and federal partners, which may lead to recall of more oysters.
Restaurants and retailers can protect customers by checking their inventory and shellfish tags, ensuring that potentially contaminated raw oysters are not available for purchase, and discarding any leftover contaminated product.
Oysters with tags from the following landfile numbers have been recalled: CLF #278741, CLF #278757, CLF #278737, and CLF #1411206.
Oysters harvested from CLF #1407063 have not been recalled to date but the growing area was closed due to sanitary contamination. Restaurants and retailers are encouraged to check Canada’s website for closure statuses and notices of re-opening.
Anyone who becomes ill after eating raw oysters should contact their health care provider as well as report their illness to their local health department.
“Avoid eating raw and undercooked shellfish, including oysters, to reduce your risk of illness,” said Dr. Tomás J. Aragón, CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer. “If you do eat shellfish, cook it until it reaches an internal temperature of at least 145°F. Quick steaming isn't sufficient to kill norovirus.”
Norovirus is a highly contagious virus and can be spread easily from person-to-person, through contaminated surfaces, and by eating contaminated food, including raw or undercooked oysters.
Symptoms of norovirus usually begin 12 to 48 hours after a person has come in contact with the virus and can last for 1 to 3 days. Common symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, and stomach cramps.
People who develop symptoms of norovirus infection should consult their health care providers. For more information on norovirus, please see CDPH’s Norovirus webpage.
The most current information on shellfish advisories and quarantines are available at CDPH’s toll-free Shellfish Information Line at 800-553-4133.
For additional information, please visit the CDPH Marine Biotoxin Monitoring Web page.
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- Written by: Office of Congressman Mike Thompson
This bill ensures vital and affordable access to lifesaving medication for the more than 37 million people in the United States who have diabetes, including one-third of Medicare beneficiaries and the over seven million Americans who rely on insulin to maintain their health and well-being.
“In the wealthiest nation on earth, no one should go bankrupt trying to pay for lifesaving medication,” said Thompson. “Today, I was proud to vote for the Affordable Insulin Now Act to ensure that every American who depends on this vital medication can afford it by capping the cost of insulin at $35 per month. While this is a strong step to address the costs of health care, there is still work to be done to lower costs and provide health care for every American. The Senate must take up this bill expeditiously to cap the cost of insulin and ensure broad access to this life-saving medication.”
The Affordable Insulin Now Act requires Medicare Part D plans and commercial health insurance plans to cover insulin and cap cost-sharing at no more than $35 per month.
Beginning in 2023, the bill requires private health plans to cover at least one of each type and dosage form of insulin and caps cost-sharing for a 30-day supply at the lesser of $35 or 25 percent of a plan’s negotiated price.
The bill also requires all Medicare prescription drug plans to cap cost-sharing for insulin at no more than $35.
Among individuals with private insurance, half would save at least $19 per month and a quarter would save at least $42 per month. Individuals who buy their own insurance will experience the most savings.
This bill is paid for by delaying the implementation for one year of the Rebate Rule that was published by the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services on Nov. 30, 2020.
Right now, insulin is too expensive for millions of Americans:
• One in four Americans who rely on insulin have cut back or skipped doses due to costs.
• 34% of families with children dependent on insulin have been impacted by rising insulin costs, including adverse health effects and increased stress and anxiety.
• 26% of Americans with diabetes ration their insulin at least once a year — putting themselves at grave health risk because of cost. In 2018, more than a dozen people died while rationing their insulin due to the high cost.
Insulin prices in the United States are much higher than other countries and continue to increase:
• Americans pay more than 10 times the price of insulin compared to other similar high-income countries.
• From 2014 to 2019, the average retail price of insulin rose by 54 percent.
• Among those with private coverage, 1 in 5 people who take insulin have out-of-pocket costs of more than $35 per month. High cost-sharing is especially common in the individual and small group markets.
• In a recent study, insulin out-of-pocket costs among all insulin users averaged $64 in 2017, almost double what the out-of-pocket costs would be with H.R. 6833.
Thompson represents California’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties.
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- Written by: Office of Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry
Some nursing homes in the United States, including California, routinely give antipsychotic drugs to residents with dementia to control their behavior, despite rules against the misuse of such drugs as “chemical restraints.”
These chemical restraints are being prescribed to sedate and subdue residents, who often use behavior to communicate their pain, discomfort, or distress.
According to a 2018 report by Human Rights Watch, this abusive practice has become more widespread.
Based on their researchers’ visits to more than 100 nursing facilities in six states and more than 300 interviews with people living in facilities, their families, staff, long-term care and disability experts, government officials and advocates, Human Rights Watch’s report “’They Want Docile’: How Nursing Homes in the United States Overmedicate People with Dementia” estimates that every week in U.S. nursing facilities, more than 179,000 people, mostly those older and living with dementia, are given antipsychotic drugs without an appropriate diagnosis.
Facilities administer these drugs in many cases without obtaining informed consent from residents or their families.
Antipsychotic drugs were developed to treat psychiatric conditions like schizophrenia. The Food and Drug Administration requires manufacturers to label them with the strongest “black box” warning about the risks they pose to people with dementia. The FDA has never approved antipsychotic drugs as safe and effective for treatment of dementia symptoms.
Studies find that antipsychotic drugs nearly double the risk of death in older people with dementia. When the drugs are administered without informed consent, patients and their families are not making the choice to take such a risk.
“There are approved uses for antipsychotic drugs. Using them on people with dementia because staff want to control a patient who is deemed ‘unruly’ is just plain wrong,” said Aguiar-Curry. “The use of such drugs as a ‘chemical restraint’ invokes visions of the middle ages. This practice violates federal and state regulations and can amount to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment under international human rights law. And, what’s worse, the staff and facilities engaging in this inappropriate practice are rarely punished. It’s time we stopped this abusive treatment of our family members.”
Tony Chicotel, Senior Staff Attorney for California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform stated, “Despite a decade of laudable efforts to reduce the misuse of psychotropic drugs in nursing homes, the rates have risen during the pandemic, wiping out nearly all of our state's progress. Requiring written informed consent is a back-to-the-basics approach to the overdrugging problem that ensures residents or their representatives have control over drugging decisions after consultation with their health care professionals.”
Aguiar-Curry represents the Fourth Assembly District, which includes all of Lake and Napa Counties, parts of Colusa, Solano and Sonoma counties, and all of Yolo County except West Sacramento.
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- Written by: Adventist Health Clear Lake
Dr. Iaccino is a board-certified chiropractor, providing diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, especially of the spine.
He brings vast experience and expertise in the manipulation of the spine, joints and soft tissues.
He has a specific interest in nutrition and holds a master’s degree in human nutrition and functional medicine from the University of Western States in Portland, Oregon.
Dr. Iaccino was inspired to become a chiropractor through his own experience with various sports injuries. His desire to help reduce and eliminate pain for others has been the catalyst for his medical career.
To learn more about Dr. Iaccino and all Adventist Health providers, visit AdventistHealth.org/clearlake.
To make an appointment with Dr. Iaccino, call 707-263-3746 (Lakeport) or 707-274-9299 (Lucerne).