Compiled by: Sandy Eller
Measles Epidemic Declared Over in NJ Communities, While Local Counts Continue to Increase The measles outbreak may have ended in Lakewood and Passaic, but in Rockland County, the number of cases of the highly infectious virus continues to rise. Officials announced on January 16 that both the Ocean County and Passaic County Departments of Health had declared the outbreak over, with no new cases identified in over a month, reported the Asbury Park Press. Ocean County public health coordinator Daniel E. Regenye commended all those involved in the effort to halt the outbreak in the Lakewood area. “We received tremendous support from the community at large and partnered with pediatricians, schools, administrators, health care providers, the faith-based community and many other local groups throughout the outbreak, and each one played a vital role,” said Regenye. Nearly 3,000 doses of the measles vaccine were distributed at Lake-
wood’s CHEMED Health Center. But in our area, the number of reported measles cases have been increasing, with 122 confirmed cases in Rockland County and 11 more under investigation as of January 24. County health commissioner Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert said that the continued spread of measles in the greater Monsey area is due, at least in part, to a lack of cooperation and reporting from those who are not visiting their doctors when they suspect a possible case of measles, reported The Journal News. “If they’re not going to their doctors and their providers, it’s not becoming a case to us as early as it could,” said Ruppert. “Therefore, there are further exposures.” No new measles cases have been reported in New Square in more than six weeks, while Spring Valley and Monsey have seen additional confirmed cases. Since the outbreak began in the fall, 14,000 doses of the
MMR vaccine have been given in our area. Efforts by community leaders and doctors have helped curtail the spread of the disease, noted Ruppert. An informative booklet titled Tzim Gezunt written last year by an Orange County medical center was mailed to 15,000 households in Monsey, Spring Valley and New Square. The booklet was accompanied by a letter of support from members of the local medical community including Dr. Benyamin Friedman, Dr. Yaakov Kiffel, Dr. Gavin Joffe, Dr. Seth Kurtz, Dr. Batya Wagner, Hillcrest Medical Associates, Partners in Pediatrics, Pomona Pediatrics, Refuah Health Center and Williamsburg Pediatrics. Two measles-related deaths have been reported in Israel. No fatalities have been reported here, although several people have been hospitalized with the measles and a baby born with congenital measles remains under quarantine at home.
Salmonella Worries Prompt Massive Flour Recall A voluntary national recall by General Mills has consumers being advised not to use five-pound bags of Gold Medal Unbleached Flour bearing a “better if used by” date of April 20, 2020. A statement issued by General Mills said that it detected the potential presence of salmonella while sampling the product. No reports of any illness related to the product have been received, according to General Mills. Consumers in possession of affected flour are advised to discard it and to contact General Mills at 1-800-230-8103 to obtain a replace-
66 / THE MONSEY VIEW / January 30, 2019 www.themonseyview.com / 845.600.8484
ment coupon. The recall does not affect any other Gold Medal flour products. Jim Murphy, president of General Mills meals and baking division, said that the company is continuing its efforts to educate the public about the dangers of eating products containing raw flour, which includes cookie dough and cake batter. The CDC has also warned against consuming uncooked cake mix and allowing children to play with or eat raw dough, including homemade playdough. Flour is a raw agricultural prod-
uct that has not been treated to kill germs, and contamination can occur in the field or during processing. Potential bacteria are typically killed in cooking. Consumers are also advised to wash their hands with hot water and soap after handling raw flour and to toast flour before using it in cookie dough that will be eaten raw or in homemade playdough. Symptoms of salmonella poisoning include fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain, and can cause severe illness in rare cases.