What We’re Reading: Salmonella Outbreak; Teen Fentanyl Exposure Increase; Heart Complications With Long COVID

Deadly Precut Cantaloupe Salmonella Outbreak Grows

US health officials announced Thursday that consumers should not eat precut cantaloupe if they do not know the source, as the number of illnesses and recalls tied to a deadly salmonella outbreak grows, according to the Associated Press. The CDC noted that at least 117 people in 34 states have become ill due to contaminated cantaloupe, 61 of whom were hospitalized and 2 died. Health officials added that the associated illnesses are severe, as more than half of affected people are hospitalized, including long-term care residents and children in daycare. The FDA expanded recalls of whole and precut cantaloupe to Kwik Trip markets, Bix Produce, and distributor GHGA, which sent products to Kroger, Sprouts Farmers Market, and Trader Joe’s stores in several states. Due to the recalls and uncertainty about the cantaloupe source, health officials warned consumers to be cautious.

White House Urges Schools to Address Rise in Teen Fentanyl Exposure

The White House and the Department of Education explained in a recent letter to schools nationwide that when teenagers buy opioid pain medication or prescription stimulants on social media, they may receive a pill with fentanyl in it, according to Side Effects Public Media. The letter noted that teenagers can overdose and die from a single pill with fentanyl, as a recent CDC report showed that overdose deaths among adolescents doubled from 2019 to 2021; in 2021, fentanyl was identified in more than three-quarters of adolescent overdose deaths. The government noted that the overdose reversal medication naloxone, also known as Narcan, was not used in two-thirds of adolescent overdose deaths. Consequently, it is urging schools to both take proactive steps to prevent youth drug use and ensure every school has naloxone with students and staff prepared to use it.

High Rates of Heart Complications in Long COVID Patients, Meta-Analysis Finds

A study published this week led by a University of Washington team found a high prevalence of chest pain and abnormal heart rhythms (arrythmia) in patients with long COVID, according to CIDRAP. To conduct the study, the team reviewed 150 studies on 57 cardiac complications that persisted for at least 1 month after COVID-19 infection; they also conducted a meta-analysis of 137 studies on 17 cardiac complications. Through their review, the team found the most widely examined cardiac complications to be chest pain and arrythmia, the estimated prevalence being 9.8% and 8.2%, respectively. Overall, the authors found diverse manifestations of cardiac complications, many lasting for months or even years.