Rabid Foxes

Via an unnamed source: WBZ reported a rabid fox attack Tuesday in Worcester. The victim was a 76-year-old woman who'd been gardening. The good Samaritan who held off the fox until the police shot him was also bitten. The fox was apparently known to police:

They believe this was the same fox that had been seen in the neighborhood the night before. One man was bitten, and two cats were also attacked.

There was a similar fox showdown in Pennsylvania in May.

More Recalls

Via an unnamed source: WBZ reports that Dunkin Donuts is temporarily cutting off the Dunkaccinos due to salmonella contamination at their chocolate supplier.

Via twitter: the AP reports that Shaws, Star, and Big Y are recalling some tuna steaks sold last week due to histamine.

Symptoms may include tingling or burning sensation in the mouth, rash on the face and upper body, hives and itching of skin, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.

Don't Flu Party

Via an unnamed source: British doctors feel the need to warn people against holding flu parties. Flu partiers want immunity while the virus is still mild, but doctors there are instead trying to contain the outbreak.

Update (July 1st): Schott's Vocab also covers "vigilante vaccination."

Where's the beef?

I went to see Food, Inc. with my unnamed sources last week, and one of them has already found a topical CNN report of yet another E. coli recall.

The beef products were produced on April 21 and were distributed nationally and internationally, the USDA said. Boxes of the recalled product bear the establishment number "EST. 969" inside the USDA mark of inspection, the identifying package date of "042109" and a time stamp ranging from "0618" to "1130," the statement said.
It added that some of the beef products might have undergone further processing and might not have the "EST. 969" marking on products for sale directly to consumers.
The USDA urged customers with concerns to contact their point of purchase of the beef products.

In other words, God only knows whether the smoking beef is in your freezer right now.

E. coli Cookie Update

Thanks to an unknown source for yesterday's CDC update to the E. coli cookie dough situation:

As of Monday, June 22, 2009, 70 persons infected with a strain of E. coli O157:H7 with a particular DNA fingerprint have been reported from 30 states. Of these, 41 have been confirmed by an advanced DNA test as having the outbreak strain; these confirmatory test results are pending on the others. The number of ill persons identified in each state is as follows: Arizona (2), California (3), Colorado (5), Connecticut (1), Delaware (1), Georgia (1), Hawaii (1), Iowa (2), Illinois (5), Kentucky (3), Massachusetts (4), Maryland (2), Maine (3), Minnesota (6), Missouri (2), Montana (1), North Carolina (2), New Hampshire (2), New Jersey (1), Nevada (2), Ohio (3), Oklahoma (1), Oregon (1), Pennsylvania (2), South Carolina (1), Texas (3), Utah (2), Virginia (2), Washington (5), and Wisconsin (1).

As advised by the CDC, PlagueBlog reminds you that you should not eat raw food products that are intended for cooking or baking before consumption, no matter how yummy they may appear.

The Pandemic in Boston

Declared a pandemic on Thursday, swine flu has already claimed its first casualty outside the Americas and its first death in Massachusetts.

On the bright side, at least we aren't warehousing the ill in a tent camp on Summit Hill...yet. (Massachusetts news via Universal Hub.)

Flu Mask

Via GeekPress: a mask spotted by Movin' Meat.