Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Recall Alert

Date: 6/7/2011

Subject: Kashi Recalls Select Frozen Pizzas Because They May Contain

Plastic Fragments

CLASS: II

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - June 6, 2011 - Kashi is recalling approximately 11,000 cases of frozen pizzas, including Mediterranean Thin Crust Pizza, Roasted Vegetable Thin Crust Pizza, and Mushroom Trio and Spinach Thin Crust Pizza due to possible plastic fragments in an ingredient in the pizza crusts.

The impacted products include the following individually packaged pizzas:

• Kashi Mediterranean Thin Crust Pizza packaged in a 12.7 ounce box and marked with UPC Code 1862732905 3 and Best If Used Before date of either May10 12NU, May18 12NU, or May19 12NU;

• Kashi Roasted Vegetable Thin Crust Pizza packaged in a 12.2 ounce box and marked with UPC Code 1862737342 1 and Best If Used Before date of either May09 12NU or May14 12NU;

• Kashi Mushroom Trio and Spinach Thin Crust Pizza packaged in an 11.9 ounce box and marked with UPC Code 1862737344 5 and Best If Used Before date of May17 12NU.

No other Kashi frozen pizzas or other products are included in the recall, and no consumer complaints have been reported. The products were distributed nationwide through U.S. retail grocery stores.

"People who buy Kashi trust the quality and safety of our foods," said David DeSouza, general manager. "We apologize for this situation and are working closely with our suppliers and retail customers to resolve it quickly."

Consumers with questions or who would like a replacement may contact the Kashi Consumer Response Center at 877.864.3521 Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern time, or visit http://www.kashi.com/

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Key Resources for Parents to Help Their Children Stay Safe


Today’s guest blog is by Angela D. Mickalide, PhD, MCHES, Director of Research and Programs, Safe Kids USA.

As a mother of two teenagers and a staff member for Safe Kids USA , I am reminded daily of how important my role as a parent has been in keeping my children safe and injury free. Some of it is common sense, but also much of what we as parents need to do is advance planning to take the necessary precautions to keep our children safe.

At Safe Kids USA, our mission is simple – to help prevent injuries to children. It’s a mission that you might think every parent and caregiver should have. But sadly, preventable injuries are the greatest killer of kids from ages 1 to 14. More than 5,000 children die in the U.S. each year from injuries that could have been prevented, and another 6 million kids sustain an injury serious enough to seek medical attention!

Motor vehicle-related accidents; drowning; fire and burns; sports-related accidents; choking, suffocation, and falls are among the leading causes for these injuries.

What we’ve found is that injuries to children can be avoided if parents and caregivers are educated on some very important and easy steps to keep their children safe. For example, on April 17, we will launch a national sports safety campaign supported by Johnson & Johnson that will focus on ways to keep young athletes healthy and injury free.

In all, we have more than 20 public awareness campaigns that we offer parents and caregivers through our network of 600 safety coalitions and chapters that operate in all 50 states. Since our work began in 1987, the death rate for children 14 and under in the U.S has declined by 45 percent. However, more work still needs to be done in preventing injuries to children at home, at play and while they are on their way!

For more Information: www.safekids.org.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Eye Injuries and Playing it Safe


Each year in the United States, there are approximately 600,000 documented sports-related eye injuries. Of these, roughly 72 percent occur in individuals younger than 25 years, and 43 percent in those younger than 15 years.

To support National Public Health Week, the American Public Health Association’s Vision Care Section is emphasizing the importance of protective eyewear for children participating in sports. Sports play a significant role in the lives of most children. While involvement in sports offers a variety of health benefits, participation always carries the risk of injuries, including eye injuries. With children engaged in so many athletic activities, the need for protective eyewear has never been more urgent.

As a parent, caregiver, teacher, school nurse or coach, you can help prevent children’s sports eye injuries by taking the following steps:

1. Know that almost ALL sports-related eye injuries are preventable. Whatever the sport, whatever the child’s age…appropriate protective eyewear is the best defense against eye injury!

2. Learn about the eye injury risks associated with sports before allowing children to participate.

3. Consult an eye doctor for protective eyewear recommendations before enrolling a child in any sports program.

4. Discourage participation in high-risk contacts sports such as boxing, since adequate eye protection does not yet exist for this sport.

5. Only enroll children in after-school organized sports through school districts, community centers, park districts and recreation centers where adults supervise all sports activity.

6. Meet with a child’s coach or athletic trainer to make sure that proper procedures are in place to deal with a child’s eye injury should one occur.

7. Familiarize themselves with the warning signs of an eye injury and know when to seek treatment.

The following symptoms should be treated as medical emergencies – requiring immediate attention at a hospital or by an eye doctor:

• Blurred vision that does not clear with blinking

• Loss of all or part of the field of vision

• Sharp stabbing or deep throbbing pain

• Double vision

• Something on the cornea (the clear membrane that covers the iris)

• Cut or torn eyelid

• Cut, scratched or punctured eye

• One eye that does not move as completely as the other

• One eye that protrudes more than the other

• Layer of blood between the cornea and iris.

The American Public Health Association addresses this issue in its “Promoting the Use of Protective Eyewear for Children in Sports” policy statement. Among those efforts promoted in this statement are recommendations to enact state legislation across the country that would require eye protection for children playing sports; to encourage health educators and facilitators of sports programs to teach the value of quality fitted sports protective eyewear; to conduct studies on the cost-effectiveness of sports protective eyewear; and the employment of risk management strategies by insurance companies promoting the use of protective eyewear.

Upwards of 90 percent of sports eye injuries can be prevented through the proper use of protective eyewear. Injuries can range from temporary to permanent vision loss. This is indeed a public health concern that must be addressed.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

One-a-Day Action Steps for Children’s Product Safety
Today’s guest blog is by Jessica Gawrysiak of Kids In Danger (KID). KID is a nonprofit dedicated to protecting children by improving children’s product safety.
KID’s new report, Moving toward Safety, finds that there were 160 recalls for children’s products in 2010, covering over 44 million individual products from last year alone – most of which remain undetected in homes and child care facilities.

During National Public Health Week, check your children’s products for recalls and other safety issues with these easy action steps from KID, one for each day.

1. Take inventory of your children’s products for safety. Use KID’s Child Product Inventory Sheet to track products you buy and use to care for your child. Check your list against the one maintained by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and sign up for CPSC’s alerts to stay up-to-date.
2. Visit the new public database website. Launched on March 11, CPSC’s new publicly-accessible product safety database will, for the first time, give you a place to submit and view report of problems with products, or incidents and injuries associated with consumer products, to help you learn of and remove unsafe children’s products before someone gets hurt. Visit KID’s blog post on the database to learn more.
3. Check your crib for safety. In December, CPSC adopted the world’s toughest crib standards following recalls of millions of cribs due to entrapment deaths and injuries. While cribs will now be tested to rigorous standards, it is important to check your crib for recalls and other safety issues. Learn more about the new standards and what they mean to you.

4. Spread the word. Sign up for KID’s safety email alerts and encourage friends and family to do the same. Pass on the important message of children’s safety in your community.

5. Prepare for yard sale season: With nicer weather quickly approaching, yard sale season is upon us. Follow these Yard Sale Safety Tips and check to make sure your donations are safe.

6. Understand car seat safety: The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is now advising parents to keep children in rear-facing car seats until age 2 or until the child reaches maximum height and weight limit for the seat. Learn more. Read other car seat safety tips here and make sure to check your car seat for recalls at the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) website.

7. Support KID: KID is proud to report a banner year in children’s product safety with tough new testing standards, the first formal warning against sleep positioners, the launch of the new public database and a ban on the dangerous drop-side crib design going into effect in June. Consider making a gift today to help KID continue our lifesaving work. Download this flyer for more ideas on how to support KID!

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Be prepared for this influenza season!

Platte County Health Department will begin offering Seasonal Flu Vaccinations at the Parkville location Thursday, October 7, 2010 in walk-in clinic between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. The vaccine will be available on Mondays and Wednesdays at the Platte City location beginning Monday, October 11, 2010 from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Remember to practice good handwashing techniques to protect you and your loved ones this flu season!
http://www.dhss.mo.gov/EHOG_manual/pdf/Ch_4_Appendix6.pdf

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Ready In 3

Is your family prepared for an Emergency? Ready in 3 provides three steps to help you and your family be prepared.
1). Create a plan for you, your family and your business.
2). Prepare a kit for home, car and work.
3). Listen for information about what to do and where to go during an actual emergency.
 Go to http://www.dhss.mo.gov/Ready_in_3/ for more information.