On 12/15/11, school nurses were notified by the Vermont Department of Health that all Hannaford stores are recalling ground beef with sell-by dates of 12/17/11 or earlier, because they may be contaminated. There has been one case of illness in Vermont, traced to contaminated meat sold at a Hannaford store, hence the recall. If you have any ground beef dated 12/17 or earlier, you should throw it out. If you have eaten ground beef, and experience fever, diarrhea, and abdominal cramping, you should see your doctor.
A health advisory was issued 11/15/11 regarding an increase in cases of pertussis (whooping cough) in Chittenden, Bennington, and Washington counties. Although Orange county was not among the areas affected, the advisory should be a red flag to remind us that all people eleven years and older (this includes adults) should have a Tdap immunization, in order to provide herd immunity for infants in our community.
An FYI, radon test kits are available for free from the Vermont Department of Health, and anyone who owns a home should consider using one. Radon is a gas found in the soil, and breathing it can cause lung cancer. It enters your house via the basement during winter months, drawn in as warm air in your home rises up and escapes to the outside. If the radon level in your house is high, you can reduce it by installing a venting system. Go to the website, at radon@ahs.state.vt.us, for more information and to order a kit.
Poison Prevention Week is in March, but I still want to encourage people to program their phones to dial the hotline at the New England Poison Center, 1-800-222-1222. The hotline is open 24 hours a day, and it is a wonderful resource when you are not sure what to do in a particular situation. They can give you information not only about poisons, but about any foreign substances that are accidentally swallowed.