Police take down crime group accused of making illegal cannabis edibles packaged like name-brand candy

(NEW YORK) — A poultry farm in Wisconsin has recalled all of its eggs distributed in three states that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has linked to dozens of sicknesses as part of a Salmonella outbreak across nine states.

Details of multi-state salmonella outbreak, egg recall

Milo’s Poultry Farms LLC issued a recall on all carton sizes of all chicken egg types and expiration dates sold under two different labels, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced with the company on Sept. 6.

Milo’s Poultry Farms’ eggs were distributed in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan through retail stores and food service distributors.

The Bonduel-based producer issued the recall on “Milo’s Poultry Farms” and “Tony’s Fresh Market” branded eggs, “because these eggs have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems,” the company said in a statement.

“The recall was initiated after the FDA informed the company that environmental samples tested positive for the bacteria. FDA also conducted whole genome sequencing and found that the samples were related to an ongoing Salmonella outbreak investigation,” the company stated.

Milo’s Poultry Farms has ceased production and distribution as of the time of publication and “will undergo appropriate testing and sanitization of farms and processing equipment.”

The CDC has reported 65 total illnesses and 24 hospitalizations as of time of publication and the active investigation is ongoing.

Symptoms, side effects of salmonella

“Most people infected with Salmonella experience diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps. Symptoms usually start 6 hours to 6 days after swallowing the bacteria. Most people recover without treatment after 4 to 7 days,” according to the CDC.

“Some people—especially children younger than 5 years, adults 65 years and older, and people with weakened immune systems—may experience more severe illnesses that require medical treatment or hospitalization,” the agency notes.

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(NEW YORK) — North Carolina became the latest state to have a public health emergency declared by U.S. health officials in response to Hurricane Helene.

In a press release on Sunday evening, the Department of Health and Human Services said its Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) was moving equipment and personnel to North Carolina to help address the “potential health impacts” of Hurricane Helene.

It comes after PHEs were previously declared for Florida and Georgia. On Thursday, major disaster declarations were approved by President Joe Biden, which unlocked federal funds for disaster assistance and authorized the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate all disaster relief efforts.

“We will do all we can to help North Carolina officials respond to the health impacts of Hurricane Helene,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement. “We are working closely with state and local health authorities, as well as with our partners across the federal government, and stand ready to provide additional public health and medical support.”

Communities in western North Carolina, including the city of Asheville, were hit with “catastrophic” and “historic” flooding and landslides from Helene. Gov. Roy Cooper said between 10 and 29 inches of rain fell across the state’s western mountains.

Water systems have been impacted and some roads have washed away, hampering the ability for officials to set up food and water distribution sites.

The PHE declaration gives the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services greater flexibility in meeting the needs of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries and allows the ASPR to deploy teams to support local health requests, according to the HHS.

ASPR has deployed about 200 personnel including Health Care Situational Assessment Teams to evaluate the impact on health care facilities such as hospitals, nursing homes and dialysis centers, and Disaster Medical Assistance Teams to help state and local health workers provide care.

While the immediate impacts of natural disasters — such as hurricanes — include injuries and deaths, there are longer-term health issues that PHEs can help address.

Natural disasters can disrupt vital health services, including dialysis and breathing machines, and affect survivors’ emotional health and well-being, according to FEMA.

Flooding from hurricanes can damage sewage systems. If untreated sewage enters the drinking water supply, it could lead to widespread gastrointestinal illness. Additionally, flooding can cause mold to form, which can lead to respiratory illnesses if not removed.

HHS said it is identifying the number of Medicare beneficiaries in affected zip codes that rely on electricity-dependent medical equipment and devices, including dialysis and oxygen tanks “to help anticipate, plan for, and respond to the needs of at-risk citizens in potentially impacted areas.”

This is especially important for older Americans, who are at the highest risk of health issues. Research has shown that natural disasters can worsen mortality caused by heart disease and strokes among senior citizens.

For those experiencing emotional distress related to the hurricane, the HHS Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has free crisis counseling through the Disaster Distress Helpline, which is toll-free and available 24/7 to all residents in the U.S. and its territories.

Counselors are available in more than 100 languages via third-party interpretation services when callers indicate their preferred language to the responding counselor, according to the HHS.

A PHE declaration lasts for the duration of the emergency or 90 days but can be extended by Secretary Becerra if needed.

Earlier this year, HHS issued PHEs in Texas in response to Hurricane Beryl; in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina in response to Hurricane Debby; and in Louisiana in response to Hurricane Francine.

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(SILVER SPRING, Md.) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday approved the first new drug to treat people with schizophrenia in more than 30 years.

Cobenfy, manufactured by Bristol Myers Squibb, combines two drugs, xanomeline and trospium chloride, and is taken as a twice-daily pill. In clinical trials, this combination helped manage symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking, which are common in schizophrenia.

“Schizophrenia is a leading cause of disability worldwide. It is a severe, chronic mental illness that is often damaging to a person’s quality of life,” Tiffany Farchione, M.D., director of the Division of Psychiatry, Office of Neuroscience in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in the approval announcement.

“This drug takes the first new approach to schizophrenia treatment in decades,” Farchione continued. “This approval offers a new alternative to the antipsychotic medications people with schizophrenia have previously been prescribed.”

Cobenfy offers new hope for people with schizophrenia, providing an innovative treatment option that could change how this condition is managed, according to Jelena Kunovac, MD, a board-certified psychiatrist and adjunct assistant professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in the Department of Psychiatry.

“We are overdue for a medication that targets schizophrenia with a different mechanism of action,” Kunovac told ABC News.

The first drugs for schizophrenia, including chlorpromazine and haloperidol – also known by the brand names Thorazine and Haldol, respectively – were introduced in the 1950s and revolutionized treatment of the disease. However, there have been very few new medications since then, with most subsequent FDA approvals being for variations of these older drugs.

Most schizophrenia medications, broadly known as antipsychotics, work by changing dopamine levels, a brain chemical that affects mood, motivation, and thinking, Kunovac explained. Cobenfy takes a different approach by adjusting acetylcholine, another brain chemical that aids memory, learning and attention, she said.

By focusing on acetylcholine instead of dopamine, Cobenfy may reduce schizophrenia symptoms while avoiding common side effects like weight gain, drowsiness and movement disorders, clinical trials suggest. These side effects often become so severe and unpleasant that, in some studies mirroring real-world challenges, many patients stopped treatment within 18 months of starting it.

In clinical trials, only 6% of patients stopped taking Cobenfy due to side effects, noted Dr. Samit Hirawat, chief medical officer at Bristol Myers Squibb. “That’s a significant improvement over the 20-30% seen with older antipsychotic drugs,” he added.

The most common side effects of Cobenfy are nausea, indigestion, constipation, vomiting, hypertension, abdominal pain, diarrhea, increased heart rate, dizziness and gastroesophageal reflux disease, according to the FDA announcement.

“It may prove advantageous to those who don’t tolerate what has been available,” Dr. Leslie Citrome, a clinical professor of psychiatry and expert in psychopharmacology at New York Medical College, told ABC News regarding Cobenfy. “This will provide a new approach that may work out quite nicely.”

Citrome emphasized that patients who have trouble tolerating the side effects of traditional schizophrenia medications may benefit most from Cobenfy, and that a different mechanism of action holds hope for those who have not responded adequately to existing treatments.

Schizophrenia is a mental health disorder that affects about 24 million people worldwide, or roughly one in 300 people, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). It often leads to significant challenges in daily functioning, work, and relationships, impacting both patients and their families.

The disorder typically begins in late adolescence or early adulthood and can lead to lifelong disability if not properly managed, according to the WHO, further highlighting the need for effective treatment options.

Following approval, doctors could start prescribing Cobenfy by the end of October, according to Adam Lenkowsky, executive vice president and chief commercialization officer at Bristol Myers Squibb.

Experts hope that the drug’s unique mechanism and reduced side effects will help set a new standard of care for schizophrenia patients. Studies for additional therapeutic uses, including the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and bipolar disorder, are also underway.

Jake Goodman, MD, MBA is a psychiatry resident physician and a member of the ABC News Medical Unit.

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