FDA expands warning of radioactive shrimp as 2 more brands are recalled
A sign for the Food And Drug Administration is seen outside of the headquarters on July 20, 2020 in White Oak, Maryland. (Photo by Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expanding its warning about radioactive shrimp, recalling more brands due to possible contamination.
The federal health agency said earlier this week nearly 18,000 bags of frozen Kroger Mercado Cooked Medium Peeled Tail-Off Shrimp and 26,460 packages of cocktail shrimp, both from Seattle-based Aquastar Corp, were recalled because of potential contamination with the radioactive isotope Cesium-137 (Cs-137).
PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati was added “to a new import alert for chemical contamination to stop products from this firm from coming into the U.S. until the firm has resolved the conditions that gave rise to the appearance of the violation,” the FDA said in a press release.
The shrimp placed under recall alerts may have been prepared, packed or held in “insanitary conditions” during which they became contaminated with Cs-137, the FDA said.
No products have tested positive for Cs-137 in the U.S. marketplace at this time, and no illnesses have been reported to date, according to the FDA.
Cesium is a soft, flexible, silvery-white metal that becomes liquid near room temperature, but easily bonds with chlorides to create a crystalline powder, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Low-dose exposure to Cs-137, such as in water or food, over a long-term period of time can damage DNA within living cells of the body and increase the risk of cancer, the FDA says.
External exposure to large amounts of Cs-137, according to the EPA, can cause burns, acute radiation sickness and even death.
The recalled Kroger shrimp was sold between July 24 and Aug. 11 in 17 states. Impacted stores include Baker’s, Gerbes, Jay C, Kroger, Mariano’s, Metro Market, Pay Less Supermarkets and Pick ‘n Save.
The recalled shrimp weigh two pounds and are packaged in clear plastic bags with has a white label and green stripes on top of each bag. The affected codes include:
• UPC 011110626196, Lot code 10662 5139, Best Before 11/19/2027
• UPC 011110626196, Lot code 10662 5140, Best Before 11/20/2027
The recalled cocktail shrimp was sold only in Walmart stores in 27 states between July 31 and Aug. 16.
“The product was sold in refrigerated condition and has a 12-day shelf life and with various Best if Use By dates,” the FDA release read. “The affected Cocktail Shrimp 6oz is packaged in a clear plastic tray and has a red and white label.”
The recalled products contain the code UPC 19434612191 and the Lot Codes 10662 5106, 10662 5107, 10662 5124 and 10662 5125 at the bottom of the plastic tray.
The FDA warned consumers who have purchased affected shrimp not to consume the products and to dispose of them.
ABC News’ Bill Hutchinson and Sony Salzman contributed to this report.
In this Feb. 27, 2025, file photo, signs point the way to measles testing in the parking lot of the Seminole Hospital District across from Wigwam Stadium, in Seminole, Texas. Jan Sonnenmair/Getty Images, FILE
(TEXAS) — A measles outbreak in Texas that infected more than 700 people has officially been declared over, state health officials announced on Monday.
Health officials declared the outbreak over after more than 42 days without a new case, a cut-off based on the time between when a person is exposed to when they get sick.
In late January, a cluster of cases was reported in western Texas near Gaines County — near the border with New Mexico — which had one of the lowest vaccination rates in the state.
A total of 762 cases were recorded with more than two-thirds of infections among children, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). Nearly 100 people were hospitalized.
“I want to highlight the tireless work of the public health professionals across the state who contributed to the containment of one of the most contagious viruses,” Dr. Jennifer Shuford, commissioner of the DSHS, said in a press release. “We arrived at this point through a comprehensive outbreak response that included testing, vaccination, disease monitoring and educating the public about measles through awareness campaigns.”
Texas health officials warned that the state is likely to experience additional cases this year given ongoing outbreaks in other parts of the U.S. and the world.
“The end of this outbreak is certainly encouraging, but measles remains one of the most contagious viruses we face, and continued vigilance is critical given ongoing outbreaks both in the U.S. and globally,” said Dr. John Brownstein, an epidemiologist and ABC News medical contributor.
Nationally, over 1,350 cases of measles have been reported across at least 40 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is the highest number of measles cases seen in the U.S. since 1992.
The virus was declared eliminated by health officials in 2000 after a full year of no continuous spread, but declining vaccination rates have led to a growing number of outbreaks annually, experts say. An estimated 92% of cases nationally this year are unvaccinated or have unknown vaccination status.
“Vaccination rates in many communities remain far too low, leaving large pockets of children vulnerable to measles and other preventable diseases — and that’s why we’re likely to continue seeing outbreaks,” Brownstein said.
The 2024-2025 school year had a record number of non-medical vaccine exemptions, with an estimated 286,000 kindergarteners attending school without documentation of receiving the shot that protects against measles, according to CDC data.
“Measles isn’t happening in isolation — we’re seeing a broader resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases, from pertussis to polio threats, which underscores the urgent need to maintain high vaccination coverage and public trust in immunization,” Brownstein added.
The measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is recommended for children in the U.S. to receive after their first birthday, followed by a second dose in between ages four and six. Two doses of the vaccine have been shown to be 97% effective against infection.
(WASHINGTON) — As the federal government shutdown enters its tenth day, one major health care issue has continued to be a sticking point: insurance subsidies.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies, or premium tax credits, help lower or eliminate the out-of-pocket cost of monthly premiums for those who purchase insurance through the health insurance marketplace.
Eligibility for the subsidies can include factors such as household income and geographic location.
The subsidies were part of the original Affordable Care Act passed during the Obama administration and were enhanced during the COVID-19 pandemic to increase the amount of financial assistance to those who were already eligible and to expand eligibility to more people. They are set to expire at the end of the year.
Republicans have said the expansions from the pandemic era went too far and have tried to persuade Democrats to fund a temporary spending bill that doesn’t address the expiring ACA subsidies, with promises of discussing ways to continue the subsidies later.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., referred to the Dec. 31 deadline to extend subsidies as being far away.
“That’s a Dec. 31 issue,” he said during a news conference earlier this week. “There are lots of conversations and deliberations and discussions right now, even bipartisan amongst members about necessary changes that would have to be made, pretty dramatic changes to even have that considered on the floor. But look, I’m not going to forecast the outcome of that.”
However, Democrats say that with open enrollment for ACA plans beginning Nov. 1, the subsidies not being approved could be detrimental for millions of American families.
“The Democrats have said that their position on getting out of the shutdown period is that they would want to both extend and make permanent these enhanced marketplace premium tax credits,” Melinda Buntin, a professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, told ABC News.
“The thing at the very top of the list is these subsidies because they are so salient and they will directly affect the pocketbooks of so many millions of Americans,” Buntin said.
Buntin said that if open enrollment begins and these subsidies are not approved and loaded into the enrollment systems, people are likely to see their premiums go up.
Estimates from the Congressional Budget Office suggest that, without an extension, gross benchmark premiums could increase by 4.3% in 2026 and by 7.7% in 2027 for those on marketplace plans.
A KFF analysis last month found that people who buy insurance from the marketplace, and receive financial assistance, would see their premiums rise by about 114% on average, from $888 in 2025 to $1,904 in 2026.
There is broad support for the tax credits. A recent KFF poll, which was fielded just before the government shut down on Oct. 1, found that 78% of Americans support extending the enhanced tax credits, including more than half of Republicans and of “Make America Great Again” supporters.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries expressed on Thursday the need to extend tax credits, stating, “[U]nless we extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, tens of millions of Americans are about to experience dramatically increased premiums, co-pays and deductibles by thousands of dollars per year.”
Buntin says this could affect many Americans, but particularly those who live in states where Medicaid was not expanded and buying insurance on the marketplace is their only option.
Naomi Zewde, a fellow at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research and assistant professor of health policy and management at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, told ABC News that working low-income families and adults will be affected if the ACA subsidies are not approved.
“Mainly those who don’t get insurance through their job, who make too much for Medicaid but not enough to pay [about] $600-plus per month for a plan with a two-to-three-thousand-dollar deductible,” she said.
However, James Blumstein, university distinguished professor of constitutional law and health law and policy at Vanderbilt University School of Law, told ABC News that even if the subsidies lapse and the Nov. 1 deadline arrives, a deal could be worked out to retroactively fix the issue.
He added that he believes congressional Democrats and Republicans could also come up with a deal that saves the ACA subsidies but doesn’t keep the full expansions that were offered during the pandemic.
“I think the leverage for the Democrats will diminish,” he said. “Republicans have passed a continuing resolution so that this issue is going to come back up five or six weeks again.”
Blumstein continued, “Democrats will have leverage again in five or six weeks and I think that whether this goes into the period of new enrollment or not, that can all be fixed in the deal. In other words, if the time lapses that can be overcome by the subsidies coming a little bit later.”
Earlier this week, President Donald Trump indicated that he was negotiating with Democrats on health care policy and that he was open to making a deal on health care subsidies in an attempt to reopen the government.
“We have a negotiation going on with the Democrats that could lead to good things, and I’m talking about good things with regard to health care,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
“If we made the right deal, I’d make a deal. Sure,” Trump said in reference to making a deal to approve ACA subsidies.
In a statement, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer denied that the White House was negotiating with Democrats.
Trump later walked back his willingness to make a deal, writing on social media that he would work with Democrats as long as the government is reopened first.
Democratic leaders have said they are not willing to vote to reopen the government unless Republicans negotiate on health care demands, while Republicans have signaled unwillingness to negotiate on health care policy unless the government is reopened — an effective stalemate.
“Republicans are saying that we should have what is referred to as a clean bill, just continue the government operations as they were, without extending these subsidies, and then once we’ve got that, then we can come back and we can talk about things like extending the subsidies,” Buntin said. “Democrats are seen so far unwilling to agree to that, which I think represents a sort of breakdown in normal process.”
She continued, “Democrats are seeing a political opening, because there are so many millions of people who depend on these subsidies to be able to afford health insurance, and there’s nothing like a deadline to use to get something you want.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services told ABC News in a statement earlier this week that Democrats are to blame for the shutdown.
“Senate Democrats are choosing to keep the government shut down, putting major health programs at risk. They should do the right thing and vote to reopen the government,” the statement read.
(WASHINGTON) — The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved updated COVID-19 vaccines for some Americans.
The vaccines were approved for use in adults aged 65 and older and for those between ages 5 and 64 with at least one underlying condition that puts them at high risk for severe COVID.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
