EXCLUSIVE Common ADHD drug promised calm without unpleasant side effects of Ritalin - but patients now warn of a possible dark side
The dog groomer from Georgia, USA, admits she often couldn't keep on top of basic chores — dishes piled up in the sink and clothes were strewn across her bedroom floor.
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Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
FDA issues urgent recall for blueberries after classifying it as most severe risk level
The FDA has upgraded its warning about potentially deadly blueberries, indicating a 'reasonable probability' of serious health harms or death. The federal agency's update followed a recall initiated last month by Alma Pak International LLC, a produce packing facility based in Georgia, over concerns that the berries were contaminated with Listeria. Four hundred boxes of blueberries – totaling 12,000 pounds – were shipped to a single customer in North Carolina, but it is unclear whether they were distributed elsewhere afterward. Eating blueberries contaminated with Listeria could cause listeriosis, a potentially severe foodborne illness. Listeria infections often begin with flu-like symptoms, including fever, muscle aches, nausea, and headache. But for vulnerable groups, the disease can be deadly. Pregnant women face miscarriage, stillbirth, or life-threatening complications for their newborns. Older adults and immunocompromised individuals may experience severe neurological effects, including confusion, seizures, and even death. While healthy adults usually recover, the elderly are at much higher risk of fatal outcomes due to age-related immune decline. Four hundred boxes of blueberries – totaling 12,000 pounds – were recalled last month over listeria concerns. The FDA upgraded its warning to the public to the highest risk level 'During routine testing the firm [Alma Pak Int'l LLC] received positive test results of Listeria monocytogenes on their finished product,' according to the FDA. Around 90 percent of people with listeriosis, the infection caused by listeria, require hospitalization, while 20 to 30 percent of patients die. The CDC estimates that of 1,600 cases every year, roughly 260 do not survive. The FDA's new risk level, Class I, 'represents a situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of or exposure to a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death,' according to the FDA. Each of the 400 boxes of blueberries weighing 30 pounds was delivered to North Carolina, but it is unclear whether that recipient was a distributor, a store, or other business, or a private individual who loves blueberries. The FDA has not yet responded to questions. Blueberries are generally considered low-risk for harboring Listeria due to their low pH environment, and outbreaks linked to blueberries are rare. Far more common are outbreaks of listeriosis linked to deli meat. At least 61 people were hospitalized, and 10 people died of listeriosis linked to Boar's Head deli meats last year. The outbreak could be traced back to unsanitary conditions – including mold, insects, and liquids dripping from the ceiling – at the company's processing plant in Jarratt, Virginia. One victim of the outbreak was Günter Morgenstein, an 88-year-old Holocaust survivor, fell ill days after eating Boar's Head sausage, developing Listeria-induced meningitis. He died from severe brain inflammation. Sue Fleming, 88, and her husband Patrick, 76, are suing Boar's Head after she ate contaminated liverwurst, leading to Listeria infection. Hospitalized for nine days in intensive care, she still suffers neurological effects and has not fully recovered. Still, Listeria fears have caused blueberry recalls in the past as well, including one in 2022 for frozen blueberries processed in Oregon. Nobody is reported to have gotten sick. Listeriosis can be mild in otherwise healthy individuals, but deadly in others. In newborns, the elderly, and individuals with weakened immune systems, listeriosis can progress to life-threatening meningitis, a severe brain infection. Between 20 and 30 percent of babies and immunocompromised people who get listeriosis will die, while between 16 and 20 percent of elderly people will die. Symptoms of listeriosis can develop within a few days or even a few weeks after consuming contaminated food. They resemble the flu at first, with symptoms including nausea, vomiting, muscle aches, and fever. If left untreated, the infection can progress to cause symptoms such as a stiff neck, confusion, balance problems, and seizures. In pregnant women, listeria raises the risk of miscarriage, low birth weight, health problems for the newborn, and infant death.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Nearly 368,000 pounds of turkey bacon recalled over listeria fears
Nearly 368,000 pounds of Oscar Mayer turkey bacon products are being recalled over possible contamination with listeria bacteria that can cause food poisoning, federal health officials said Wednesday. No illnesses have been confirmed to date, U.S. agriculture department officials said. Kraft Heinz Food Company of Newberry, South Carolina, announced the recall of the fully cooked turkey bacon that was produced from April 24 to June 11. The problem was discovered when the company's laboratory testing indicated potential listeria contamination. The recall includes the following products, which were shipped to U.S. stores nationwide, as well as the British Virgin Islands and Hong Kong: — 12-ounce packages of Oscar Mayer Turkey Bacon Original with the UPC code 071871548601 printed on the package under the bar code. They have use-by dates from July 18 to Aug. 2 and the lot code RS40. — 36-ounce packages of Oscar Mayer Turkey Bacon Original containing three 12-ounce packages of product with the UPC code 071871548748 printed on the package under the barcode. They include use-by dates from July 23 to Sept. 4 and lot codes RS19, RS40 and RS42. — 48-ounce packages of Oscar Mayer Turkey Bacon Original containing four 12-ounce packages of product with the UPC code 071871548793 printed on the package under the barcode. They include use-by dates from July 18 to Sept. 4 and lot codes RS19, RS40 and RS42. Consumers shouldn't eat the products, which may be in their refrigerators or freezers. They should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase. Listeria infections can cause serious illness, particularly in older adults, people with weakened immune systems and those who are pregnant or their newborns. Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions. About 1,600 people get sick each year from listeria infections and about 260 die, the CDC said. Federal officials in December said they were revamping protocols to prevent listeria infections after several high-profile outbreaks, including one linked to Boar's Head deli meats that led to 10 deaths and more than 60 illnesses last year.
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Nearly 1,000 Britons adopt permanently shorter working week after trial
Nearly 1,000 British workers will adopt a permanently shorter working week, after the latest trial of a four-day week and similar changes to traditional working patterns. All 17 British businesses in a six-month trial of the four-day week said they would continue with an arrangement consisting of either four days a week or nine days a fortnight. All the employees remained on their full salary. The trial was organised by the 4 Day Week Foundation, a group campaigning for more businesses to take up shorter working weeks. The latest test follows a larger six-month pilot in 2022, involving almost 3,000 employees, which ended in 56 of 61 companies cutting down their hours from a five-day working week. The 4 Day Week Foundation is hoping to build on the shift around the end of the 19th century and the start of the 20th century, when campaigns led by trade unions gave birth to the two-day weekend. The previous norm for many people in Britain and other traditionally Christian countries had been a six-day working week, with time off only on Sundays. Campaigners and some economists argue that the four-day week can offer benefits to workers such as less strain on their mental health, and to businesses, including more motivated staff and easier recruitment and retention. Researchers at Boston College, a US university, said that the findings from the latest trial were 'extremely positive' for workers. They found that 62% of workers reported that they experienced less burnout during the trial, according to a poll of 89 people. Forty-five percent of those polled said they felt 'more satisfied with life'. The 4 Day Week Foundation has run successive trials to gather data and demonstrate how companies can make the switch. In January, the foundation said more than 5,000 people from a previous wave had started the year permanently working a four-day week. Companies involved in the latest trial, which started in November, included charities and professional services firms, with the number of employees at each employer ranging between five and 400. They included the British Society for Immunology and Crate Brewery in Hackney, east London, Campaigners hope that they can build momentum for the change. The 4 Day Week Foundation said the government should create a working time council to coordinate policy between business and industry leaders as well as trade unions. The concept of the four-day week faced strong opposition from the previous Conservative government. Labour ministers have previously expressed more support for the concept, although they have offered little in the way of formal recognition since coming to power in 2024. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion In 2023, Angela Rayner, who has since become deputy prime minister, said: 'If you can deliver within a four-day working week, then why not. I think people will cotton on to the fact that it's really good, if it works for their sector and boosts productivity.' The small web software company BrandPipe said that the latest trial had been a success for the business, coinciding with increased sales. Geoff Slaughter, the BrandPipe chief executive, said: 'The trial's been an overwhelming success because it has been the launchpad for us to consider what constitutes efficiency, and financial performance is double what it was before.' Slaughter added: 'If we're going to see it rolled out more substantially across different sectors, there should be incentives for early adopters, because we're creating the blueprint for the future.'
