Tag: updated

Dept. of Health issues updated voluntary recall warning for apple sauce products due to elevated lead levels : Big Island Now

Elevated lead levels have resulted in a voluntary recall of Apple Cinnamon Fruit Puree by WanaBana, LLC and of private-label brands Schnucks Apple Sauce with cinnamon and Weis Cinnamon Apple Sauce pouch products.

The Hawai‘i State Department of Health Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, Disease Investigation Branch, and Food and Drug Branch are today jointly updating the Oct. 31, 2023 alert by the Department of Health.

WanaBana pouches were primarily sold at Dollar Tree stores nationwide, with some product available for purchase online at Amazon.com. The product was sold in a 3-pack of 2.5-ounce pouches. 90-gram Weis pouches were sold at Weis Markets located on the East Coast, and 90-gram Schnucks pouches were sold at Schnuck Markets in the Midwest. There are no retail stores in Hawai‘i that sold the recalled products, and based on the Department of Health’s investigation it appears that no recalled product was shipped to Hawai‘i via Amazon.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD

However, there is a possibility that residents traveling to the mainland, or visitors from the mainland, may have purchased the recalled products from Dollar Tree, Weis Markets, and/or Schnuck Markets and consumed the recalled products before arriving in the state. Visiting family and friends may have also brought the recalled products with them to Hawai‘i.

Lead is toxic to humans and can affect people of any age or health status, and protecting children from lead exposure is important to lifelong good health. Parents and caregivers of toddlers and young children who may have consumed WanaBana Apple Cinnamon Fruit Puree pouches, Schnucks Apple Sauce with cinnamon, and/or Weis Cinnamon Apple Sauce should contact their child’s healthcare provider about getting a blood test.

Physicians and laboratories are required to report to the Department of Health any person under their care with elevated

WHO recommends R21/Matrix-M vaccine for malaria prevention in updated advice on immunization

 

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended a new vaccine, R21/Matrix-M, for the prevention of malaria in children. The recommendation follows advice from the WHO: Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) and the Malaria Policy Advisory Group (MPAG) and was endorsed by the WHO Director-General following its regular biannual meeting held on 25-29 September. 

WHO also issued recommendations on the advice of SAGE for new vaccines for dengue and meningitis, along with immunization schedule and product recommendations for COVID-19.  WHO also issued key immunization programmatic recommendations on polio, IA2030 and recovering the immunization programme.

The R21 vaccine is the second malaria vaccine recommended by WHO, following the RTS,S/AS01 vaccine, which received a WHO recommendation in 2021. Both vaccines are shown to be safe and effective in preventing malaria in children and, when implemented broadly, are expected to have high public health impact. Malaria, a mosquito-borne disease, places a particularly high burden on children in the African Region, where nearly half a million children die from the disease each year.

Demand for malaria vaccines is unprecedented; however, available supply of RTS,S is limited.  The addition of R21 to the list of WHO-recommended malaria vaccines is expected to result in sufficient vaccine supply to benefit all children living in areas where malaria is a public health risk.  

“As a malaria researcher, I used to dream of the day we would have a safe and effective vaccine against malaria. Now we have two,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Demand for the RTS,S vaccine far exceeds supply, so this second vaccine is a vital additional tool to protect more children faster, and to bring us closer to our vision of a malaria-free future.”

Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, emphasized the importance of this recommendation for the continent,

Back To Top