(NEW YORK) — Two people have died in Pennsylvania from measles, the state health department said Tuesday. Both were unvaccinated.
These the first deaths related to measles within the state in 35 years, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, and the first deaths reported this year in the U.S.
“My deepest sympathies are with the loved ones who are facing this unimaginable loss,” Dr. Debra Bogen, the state’s secretary of health, said in a statement. “Because measles was largely eliminated in the Commonwealth for more than three decades, people are not familiar with this disease and don’t fully understand the potential severity of the illness.”
In late July, the number of confirmed measles cases in the U.S. surpassed the total reported for all last year, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Last year’s total of 2,289 was the highest number of recorded measles cases in more than 30 years, CDC data shows. However, the 2,777 total marks the highest number of cases recorded since 1991.
The CDC currently recommends that people receive two doses of the MMR vaccine, the first at ages 12 to 15 months and the second between 4 and 6 years old. One dose is 93% effective and two doses are 97% effective against measles, the CDC says.
Jalapeño peppers on display at a local street market in San Antonio, Texas. (Getty Images/Gabriel Perez)
(NEW YORK) — Health officials are expanding an investigation into jalapenos served at Chipotle restaurants to include Qdoba restaurants. The Food and Drug Administration said the jalapenos may be a possible source of a growing salmonella outbreak that has infected 345 people across 27 states.
Both restaurants have removed the jalapenos from their stores, the FDA said.
Qdoba said in a statement to ABC News that it is “cooperating with public health authorities” in the investigation and have pulled jalapenos from their restaurants.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we have proactively removed jalapenos from all our restaurants at this time,” the restaurant chain said. “We take any report involving guest health seriously and are committed to responding appropriately based on the facts and guidance from public health authorities.”
“Food safety is our highest priority,” Qdoba added. “We maintain rigorous food safety standards and work closely with our suppliers, distribution partners, and restaurant teams to help ensure the safety and quality of the food we serve.”
Chipotle previously told ABC News they had removed jalapenos from affected restaurants in multiple states as well.
“We have a robust ingredient traceability system and, upon learning of a potential Salmonella outbreak in the supply chain impacting several food service retailers, we proactively identified jalapenos as a potential common ingredient from a common lot, removed them from the restaurants where they had been distributed, and replaced them with product from different growers,” Laurie Schalow, Chipotle’s chief corporate affairs and food safety officer, said in a statement.
The FDA identified through a traceback investigation that both Chipotle and Qdoba received food ingredients that were grown in Mexico and imported by Coast Citrus Distributors from Sinaloa. Coast Citrus Distributors has since agreed to recall jalapeno product from the market, per the FDA.
Salmonella are bacteria that can cause a common foodborne illness called salmonellosis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Infections tend to occur more in the summer, when warmer weather presents ideal conditions for the bacteria to grow, the agency states.
Symptoms of a salmonella infection may include watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, headache, nausea, vomiting, and a loss of appetite, according to the CDC. Symptoms can start anywhere from six hours to six days after infection and can last from four to seven days, the agency says.
According to the CDC, the highest number of reported salmonella cases are currently located in Minnesota and Colorado, with at least 110 cases in each state so far. Overall, there have been zero deaths reported but 36 have been hospitalized, the CDC said.
The Minnesota Department of Health previously told ABC News the agency expects the number of salmonella cases to potentially increase in the coming days, noting that “it takes us a while to detect cases in surveillance.”
“Our investigations often start with speaking to persons diagnosed with a foodborne illness that were reported to the health department as part of our surveillance,” the department said. “We’d like to ask the public to please answer our calls. The information they provide is critical to solving outbreaks quickly.”
The FDA said it does not consider there to be an ongoing risk from eating at Qdoba or Chipotle restaurants.
Each year, the CDC estimates the U.S. sees about 1.35 million salmonella infections.
ABC News has reached out to GrubMarket, which owns Coast Citrus Distributors for comment.
Healthcare workers walk outside the Ebola treatment centre in Beni, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. (2019). (Photo by Sally Hayden/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) – An Ebola outbreak has been confirmed in the Ituri province in Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
As of the latest update, about 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths have been reported, mainly in Mongwalu and Rwampara health zones, officials said.
Africa CDC said that preliminary lab results from the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB) have detected Ebola virus in 13 of 20 samples tested. Four deaths have been reported among laboratory-confirmed cases.
The latest outbreak comes around five months after Congo’s last Ebola outbreak was declared over after more than 40 deaths.
“Africa CDC is closely monitoring the situation and convening an urgent high-level coordination meeting today with the DRC, Uganda, South Sudan and global partners to reinforce cross-border surveillance, preparedness and outbreak response efforts,” officials said in a statement Friday.
-ABC News’ Rashid Haddou contributed to this report
(NEW YORK) — Taylor Farms is now pulling more than a dozen products with jalapenos from grocery stores across the United States.
It’s the latest recall as part of the salmonella outbreak that has made 345 people sick in 27 states. Restaurant chains Chipotle and QDOBA pulled jalapenos last week. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said this weekend grocery stores are also removing meat products that include jalapenos.
The list of 20 recalled foods includes dips, salsas and guacamole sold at grocery stores including Walmart, Target, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and Kroger.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a list of recalled products Sunday, which includes diced jalapenos and rice and bean burritos from Hannaford, as well as spicy pimento cheese dip, spicy Jarlsberg dip and spicy roast beef sandwiches from Kroger.
Stop and Shop and Hannaford pico de gallo salsa was also recalled.
Products recalled from Target include authentic guacamole, spicy guacamole, pico de gallo, mango pico de gallo, and taco dip. Walmart’s recalled products include mild pico de gallo and hot (or spicy) pico de gallo, while fiesta style salad shrimp was recalled from Trader Joe’s.
Whole Foods’ recalled products include salsa fresca medium, mild pico de gallo, spicy pico de gallo, medium salsa roja, and mild pineapple mango salsa.
Recalled products were sold under brand names including Taylor Farms, Trader Joe’s, Private Selection and Freshness Guaranteed. Some recalled products were unbranded.
The products were distributed across 26 states including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Wisconsin and West Virginia.
They include a “best if used by” date up to and including Aug. 16, 2026.
In a statement to ABC News, Walmart said, “Safety is a top priority. When notified of recalls, we move swiftly to remove the impacted products from our stores and implement a sales block at our registers and online. We are working closely with our supplier, and customers who have this should discontinue use.”
This all underscores Taylor Farms’ broad reach within the U.S. food system. Last year, it said it made 40% of all salad kits sold in the U.S. and accounted for 265 million servings of fresh vegetables to Americans per week.
Taylor Farms, the massive food producer also linked to the record cyclosporiasis outbreak, said it received the jalapenos from Coast Citrus Distributors. The FDA had already traced that company to the salmonella outbreak across 27 states. The FDA said the jalapenos from Coast Citrus came from Sinaloa, Mexico.
“Taylor Fresh Foods is no longer sourcing products from this farmer and will be filling orders from alternative suppliers,” Taylor Farms said in a statement. “To date, Taylor Fresh Foods is not aware of any reported illnesses linked to its products containing jalapenos.”
ABC News reached out to the Department of Health and Human Services and GrubMarket, parent company of Coast Citrus Distributors, for additional comment on the recalled foods with jalapenos but did not receive a reply.
At the same time, the scope of the separate cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to Taylor Farms is expanding. An update on the FDA’s website says potentially contaminated iceberg lettuce was also distributed to Subway locations in July. Subway did not respond to an ABC News request for comment.
The Consumer Federation of America sharply criticized Taylor Farms for not being more transparent in its original recall notice about the brands and retailers potentially affected by the parasite.
