Issue No. 38

 

E. coli O157:H7 Contaminated Spinach

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advises consumers, especially people with compromised immune systems, not to eat fresh spinach or fresh spinach-containing products until further notice.  Read the FDA Statement about the E.coli 0157:H7 outbreak in spinach for more details.

HIV infected individuals are at particular risk for developing severe infections and illnesses from foodborne pathogens.  Because HIV infected individuals may have weakened immune systems, their bodies may be less able to tolerate and recover from infection with foodborne pathogens, including E. coli O157:H7. Other common foodborne pathogens include Camplobacter, Listeria, and Salmonella.

HIV infected individuals are urged to take certain precautions when preparing food at home, shopping for food, eating out, and traveling abroad.  The FDA’s Eating Defensively brochure details precautionary measures HIV infected individuals should take regarding food shopping, ordering, and preparation.

 

For Additional information about eating healthy with HIV, see:

n     AIDSinfo HIV and Travel page

n     CDC’s Opportunistic Infections brochures

n     CDC’s Prevention of Infections During Travel brochure

n     HRSA’s Nutritional Guide for Providers and Clients

CDC to Issue Final Recommendations on Routine HIV Screening in Health Care Settings

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced new recommendations for routine HIV testing in health care settings on Thursday, September 21. The recommendations are designed to make voluntary HIV screening a normal part of medical care for all patients ages 13 to 64. The CDC’s recommendation for routine HIV testing is a dramatic shift in the public health approach to HIV because it will help ensure that more will people learn their HIV status, thereby allowing them to benefit from earlier access to treatment and reduce the risk of infecting their partners.

With these recommendations, CDC hopes to simplify the HIV testing process in health care settings and to increase early HIV diagnosis among the more than 250,000 HIV-positive Americans who remain unaware of their infections. These recommendations also include new measures to improve diagnosis among pregnant women in order to further reduce mother-to-child HIV transmission. 

 

ClinicalTrials.gov Info

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ISSN 1558-3228