A New E. Coli Outbreak, Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome, and Eating In or Out

There’s a newly-identified E. coli strain that’s causing a serious illness called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). The recent cases, mainly in northern Europe, have been attributed to eating raw vegetables like cucumbers, lettuce and tomato. So far, authorities aren’t sure of the exact source. Like any stomach bug, these bacteria can cause diarrhea, fever and […]

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Passover Preparations, and Good Housekeeping

There’s so much medical stuff I’d like to write on today. The thing is, it’s almost Passover. I’ve just got a few hours to finish readying our home for the holiday. And so this will be the topic for today’s ML, on home-making: Part of the Passover preparation is, in my mind, like spring cleaning: […]

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Considering the Significance of a Doctor’s White Coat

A while back, a first-year med student asked me if I think physicians should wear white coats. There’s a debate about it, she mentioned. Indeed, in the spring of 2009 the AMA considered an unenforceable mandate that physicians in the U.S. not wear white coats. The news was getting around that doctors spread infection from […]

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The High Cost of Food-Borne Illness, and Some Steps To Avoid These in Your Home

A new report from the “Make our Food Safe” project, based at Georgetown University, makes clear that food-borne illnesses – from bacteria, parasites and a few viruses – are ever-present and costly.

The study, authored by Robert Scharff and funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts, finds that food-borne illnesses tally nearly $152 billion per year. This huge sum includes some subjectively-measured expenses like pain, suffering and missed work. Even without those, the toll registers above $100 billion – it’s a big sum, either way.

The main culprits are

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