The Placard

The Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors — Manitoba Branch —

Volume 13, Issue 3

Summer 2013

CIPHI/Manitoba

The Placard

Inside this issue:

President’s Message

Editor Search

Baby PHIs

2

3

3

Staff Announcements

In Memoriam

Honouring their Contribution

4

5

6-7

Conference Memories

Honouring the Centennial

Dr. Butler Jones Steps Down

Alberta Flooding

8-10

11

12

13

EHP Week Announcement

In the News

On-Line Resources

Tidbits

14

15-17

18

19

Journal Articles

Sponsors

Membership Application

Truth or Twaddle

20

21-23

24

25

Have a great Fall!

Winnipeg, MB

Winnipeg, MB June 25, 2013

Vancouver, BC August , 1953

And ...

Now.

Then...

The Placard

Page 2 Summer 2013

CIPHI/Manitoba

President’s Greetings

The Manitoba Branch hosted the 79th Annual Educational Conference from June 23-26th at the his-

toric Fort Garry Hotel in Winnipeg. The conference provided ample opportunity to learn, network and

socialize with colleagues, speakers and exhibitors. Close to 300 delegates, speakers, exhibitors and

special guests attended the conference. The conference celebrated CIPHI’s 100th year in style and

hopefully those that had the opportunity to attend left with a feeling of renewed optimism for our or-

ganization and their profession.

The highlight of the conference was the photo shoot near the Manitoba Legislature Building. The

Manitoba Government had created a floral display of our CIPHI logo and had erected a sign to rec-

ognize our 100th anniversary. Well over 100 delegates took the opportunity to partake in the photo.

The photo is available at http://www.ciphi100.ca/ciphi-100-photoshoot

The other highlight of the conference was the President’s Banquet. Two of our Branch members

were honoured with awards for their dedication to CIPHI. I would like to congratulate Julie Scarpino

for receiving the Alex Cross Award and Bernie Chrisp for receiving the Life Member Award. Both are

very deserving.

In closing, I would like to thank our conference steering

committee and the many volunteers from the Manitoba

Branch who did a fantastic job. I would also like to thank all

of the delegates, speakers and exhibitors who attended to

help CIPHI celebrate 100 years of Distinction in Public

Health Protection.

Darcy Chrisp

Manitoba Branch President

The Placard

Ali and Sana welcomed and

are enjoying the blessing of a

baby girl to their family. Asiya

Noor Rana was born on June

14, 2013, weighing in at 6lbs

7ounces and 18” long. Asiya

and Sana are both doing well.

Page 3 Summer 2013

CIPHI/Manitoba

Change Is Good! Our Newsletter Has a New Editor

The Placard is pleased to announce that Kathleen

Martin has agreed to take over as editor of the

Branch’s newsletter. Kathleen, a Brandon Manitoba

PHI, demonstrated her computer savvy and creative

abilities when she made some impressive documents

for the Centennial Conference.

And after eight years as editor, it really is high-time we shook things up with some new talent behind the

desk.

I would like to thank the Executive for the opportunity

to showcase our branch. And to all my “field corre-

spondents” (you know who you are), thank you for

providing me with all the material — material that kept

these pages fun and interesting for so many years.

Please support Kathleen by e-mailing her anything

you’d like to share with the PHI world.

Sincerely,

Andreas

It has been a number of weeks since I got the call

from Andreas, “Hey Kathleen, do you want to be the

new Editor of The Placard?” Andreas’ charm that we

all know very well, likely got me to agree. I personally

believe that his motives were well thought out and

planned, including taking this photo of, as he put it

“The New Editor and the VERY OLD EDITOR.”

Taking on the task following Andreas, I have to say is

a little daunting! Your ideas, suggestions, recommen-

dations are greatly appreciated. Please forward to:

Kathleenannemartin@gmail.com

Cheers,

Kathleen

Birth Announcement

A Warm Welcome to Rafael

Barros, Chris Bergeron and

Monique Nguyen to the Health

Canada—First

Nations and Inuit Health

Branch Team!

The Placard

Page 4 Summer 2013

CIPHI/Manitoba Staff Announcements Congratulations Kiran Sidhu on your certification this past June! After com-

pleting her practicum in Morden, she has joined the Portage La Prairie Of-

fice (and her colleague “made her take this picture!).

Kiran enjoys trying out new restaurants and lounges, so give her a call if you

ever need a suggestion.

Yoga, dodge ball and volunteering with the Winnipeg Pet

Rescue occupy her evenings and weekends.

A job well done with your hard work at the AEC.

Perhaps a position on the Branch Executive is in her

future…

Kiran’s favourite animal!

Congratulations! Tony Oghomienor certified in October 2012.

Tony completed his practicum with the Winnipeg Region, and joined the

Steinbach Office in February 2013.

When he’s not spending time with his two kids and wife, he can be found

listening to music, reading and swimming.

Tony’s favourite TV shows happen to be

Duck Dynasty and Parenthood.

Welcome Home Kiran Brar!

Kiran was born and raised in Winnipeg. After studying at University of Mani-

toba, she received her Environmental Health Degree from Concordia Univer-

sity College of Alberta. Following graduation she worked in Edmonton and

Camrose. Kiran continued her education; completing a Masters in Public

Health in 2011 and currently working on a PhD in public health, specifically

epidemiology.

When not busy with her educational pursuits, she enjoys going to the gym,

shopping and reading.

Welcome to Manitoba Inez Leitch!

Inez has joined the Dauphin Office. She is happy to

be living in wide open spaces again, following living in

the Concrete Jungle or The Big Smoke—better known

as Toronto. She has previously worked as a PHI in

two of Canada’s largest cities. Although it’s only be a

couple of months in Dauphin, Inez has been wel-

comed to the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #20,

taking guitar lessons and checking out the local

Taekwondo club.

The Placard

Page 5 Summer 2013

CIPHI/Manitoba

In Memoriam

On May 2, 2013 Ron Slater passed away at his home in Brandon at the age

of 60. He leaves behind his daughters Christie, Kimberly, son Colin, and his

grandchildren Logan, Coleton, Dylan and Jake. He was predeceased by his

parents and his sister.

Ron was born in Virden, MB August 19, 1952, and lived in Ebor, MB for a few

years before his family moved to Virden permanently. Ron took all his school-

ing in Virden and following graduation, attended Ryerson University in Toron-

to, where he received his certificate in Public Health Inspection. Ron started

his career in Public Health in Swan River, MB in 1974. In 1977 he relocated

back to Virden and continued his career as a Public Health Inspector. In

1994, Ron assumed an Environment Officer’s responsibilities and relocated

to Brandon. He later retired in 2005.

In his early years, Ron enjoyed playing, broomball, curling, fishing, camping

and time at the cottage at Oak Lake, MB. Ron didn’t travel far without his

guitar and could be easily persuaded to play and sing some good old country

classics. Later, Ron continued to enjoy golfing, fishing, curling and expanded

his personal skills to include carpentry, plumbing, electrical and some crea-

tive inventing. Aside from family, Ron’s greatest passion was his Kinsmen Membership. Ron held every executive

position, including Deputy Governor and was awarded a life membership from the Virden Kinsmen Club. Many of

Ron's contributions his communities are still being used and appreciated today.

Ron was honoured by family, friends and associates on May 9, 2013 at the Virden Legion, where he held member-

ship for several years.

Donations in memory of Ron may be made to the Canadian Diabetes Association or the MS Society.

Lyle Powell passed away peacefully in Souris Health Center at he age of

84 years. He will be dearly missed by his wife Dolly, his brother Gordon,

daughter Susan, son Scott and grandchildren Cailin and Steven.

Lyle grew up on the family farm inn the R.M. of Glenwood where he at-

tended Wolflea & Hunnington Schools. He joined the 12th Manitoba Dra-

goons in 1944 and served with the regiment until 1958 when it was dis-

banded. Lyle graduated Souris Collegiate in 1948. From 1949-1950,

Lyle spend 6 months with the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps at Camp

Borden and a further 6 weeks in April with the Canadian Army in Manito-

ba. He was then called out in June 1951 for a month duty with the active

force at Wainwright Alberta. In 1956 he was awarded the 5th Service

Chevron with Maple Leaf. From 1951-1957 Lyle worked with the CPR as

a brakeman in Souris, Minnedosa & Winnipeg.

In 1958 Lyle graduated from the Manitoba Technical Institute as a Public Health Inspector and worked for the De-

partment of Health in Brandon from 1959-1970 and was later transferred to the Department of Agriculture, Dairy

Branch where he retired in 1989.

During his retired years, Lyle enjoyed farming, gardening and his family. Lyle was a lifetime member of the Souris

Legion Branch #60.

A graveside service was held on July 10th at the Souris Cemetery. In memory of Lyle, donations may be made to

the Souris Museum c/o Town of Souris, Box 518, MB R0K 2C0 or charity of choice.

The Placard

Page 6 Summer 2013

CIPHI/Manitoba

Honouring their Contribution: 100 Members of Distinction The 100 Members of Distinction project is part of the Canadian Institute

of Public Health Inspectors centenary celebrations. The 100 Members of

Distinction Subcommittee included; Koreen Anderson, Agnes Atkinson,

Valerey Davidson, Len Gallant, Wayne Johnson, Angella Kim, Tim Roark,

Klaus Seeger, Charlie Young and Ashley Yu. The committee collected in-

formation and photos of individuals who advances the Environmental

Health profession and CIPHI.

The following is a list of the Manitoba Branch Members of Distinction:

Albert Atamanchuk1 Tim Ness11

Frederick Charles Austin2 Alexander Officer12

Bernie Chrisp3 Ebenezer Brown Officer13

John Joseph Courteau4 Percy Pickering14

Alexander Cross5 Dr. Edwouard Johnston Rigby15

Dr. Alexander Douglas6 Collin Dean Sargeant16

Stéfane Gravelle7 John Richard Sokolowski17

Ernest WJ Hague8 Bruce Stephen18

Mike LeBlanc9 William Jackson Turner Watt*

June Lawson10 *No photo available

Please take some time and read the biographies of the 100 Members of

Distinction. The biographies and supplemental information is available

at www.ciphi100.ca.

1

2

3

4

5 6 7 8 9

10 11 12 13 14

15

16

17

18

The Placard

Page 7 Summer 2013

CIPHI/Manitoba

Honouring their Contribution: Award Recipients 2013 During the 79th Annual Education Conference, three Manitoba Branch members were honoured for their

past and present contributions to our profession.

Congratulations to Bernie Chrisp on receiving the

Life Membership Award.

The Life Membership award is granted to a member of CIPHI for

their outstanding service to the Institute, their professional and /

or their community for an extended period of time.

Bernie’s list of achievements include: Member of the Branch Exec-

utive and President, Chairman of the National Board of Certifica-

tion, Chairman of Manitoba Games, Founding member of Crime

Stoppers Manitoba, Recipient of Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal

(2012).

Congratulations to April Gravelle on receiving the

Manitoba Distinguished Member Award.

The Distinguished Member Award is granted to a member of the

Manitoba CIPHI Branch who has contributed to the advancement of

CIPHI and / or the field of Environmental Public Health.

April’s contributions include: committee member on several policy

and practice documents for Manitoba Health, reviewing the on-line

“Skills Enhancement” program modules, and sitting member on

NSF International’s Committee on Warewashing Standards.

A luncheon in Brandon was held at a later date. As noted in the

nomination “April stays behind and covers off everybody’s districts.”

Congratulations to Julie Scarpino on receiving the

Alexander Cross Award.

The Alexander Cross Award is granted to a member for displaying the

highest standards of professional practice during the past year.

Julie has displayed her dedication to the profession with her employ-

ment with the City of Winnipeg and her volunteer positions with CIPHI.

Her tireless energy and enthusiasm was especially noted with the

memorable 2013 AEC celebrating CIPHI’s Centennial.

We were honoured to have the presence of Alexander Cross’ grand-

daughters, Arlene and Heather to present the award to Julie Scarpino.

The Placard

Page 8 Summer 2013

CIPHI/Manitoba CONFERENCE MEMORIES

John and Alex Officer, grandsons of Alexander Officer; presenting the Alex-

ander Officer Award to Kari Engele-Carter on behalf of the Five Hills Re-

gional Health Authority and the Saskatoon Regional Health Authority.

The Placard

Page 9 Summer 2013

CIPHI/Manitoba CONFERENCE MEMORIES

The Placard

Page 10 Summer 2013

CIPHI/Manitoba CONFERENCE MEMORIES

Abell Pest Control Inc.

ALS Global

Aquatic Life Ltd.

Boisco Enterprise Ltd.

Canadian Chlorine Chemistry Council (C4)

Cape Breton University

Concordia University College of Alberta

Dyna-Pro Environmental

First Nation University of Canada

FOODSAFE

Food Development Centre

Freeborn & Associates

Health Canada Regional Pesticide Department

HealthSpace

Hedgerow Software Ltd.

Inverness Canada

Lowry Associates

Manitoba Blue Cross

MGEU

Manitoba Health

NCCEH

NCCID

NSF International

Pinchin Environmental

Poulin’s Pest Control

Process Cleaning Solutions

Public Health Agency of Canada

Traveling Public Program

Public Health Workforce

Ryerson University

Thermor Ltd.

TrainCan

Underwriters Laboratories Ltd.

Virox Technologies

Thank You to Our Sponsors! With the continued support of our Sponsors, it is possible for

annual educational conferences to occur and

enhance the sustainability of CIPHI

The Placard

Page 11 Summer 2013

CIPHI/Manitoba HONOURING THE CENTENNIAL

Dan Furlan presenting Darcy Chrisp with CIPHI’s

Centennial Organization Award during Manitoba

Historical Society’s Annual Meeting on June 8, 2013.

Didn’t get a

chance to visit

the Museum

at the AEC?

Take the “CIPHI Centennial

Museum—Virtual Tour”

Find the

video on

YouTube.

The Placard

Page 12 Summer 2013

CIPHI/Manitoba

Despite “tremendous progress” in his rehabilitation, Chief

Public Health Officer Dr. David Butler-Jones said that “it will

not be far enough and fast enough for what is needed.”

In the event of another public health emergency on the scope

of a listeria outbreak or H1N1 flu pandemic, “the agency and

country needs someone with a stamina I no longer possess,”

Butler-Jones said in a message sent Friday to Public Health

Agency of Canada staff.

“Over the past year since my stroke, I have made tremendous

progress for which I am extremely grateful,” he said.

“Excellent doctors, therapists, hard work and the support of

family, friends and colleagues have accomplished a lot.

“While much has been recovered, I have found it is not suffi-

cient for the frequent challenges faced and time commitment

required to fulfill the responsibilities of the Chief Public

Health Officer.”

On June 28, 2013 Dr. David Butler-Jones

announced that he would step down as

Chief Public Health Officer with the Public

Health Agency of Canada

The Placard

Page 13 Summer 2013

CIPHI/Manitoba

Four Public Health Inspectors from Manitoba Health were asked to

join a multi-provincial Public Health team in Alberta in early July to

assist Alberta Health Services in responding to the flood disaster that

hit southern Alberta in late June. These four were Karen Leewing,

Joe Brenot, Dave Nedecky and Darcy Chrisp.

We were deployed to Calgary on July 4th and began a full day of orien-

tation on July 5th. We spent the next week and a half work-

ing primarily in High River where approximately 75% of the homes

and buildings were either affected by flood water or sewer backup. Some staff also did work in Calgary and Bragg

Creek where flooding also had an impact.

Our job consisted of going door to door to talk with homeowners

and provide practical advice on cleaning up their homes after the

flooding and/or sewer backup. We also provided advice on other

services that were available to the

community during this trying

time. We tried to identify as many

rental dwellings as possible so that

these could be followed up to ensure

that the landlords were taking the

proper actions to clean up their prop-

erties. Some staff that stayed beyond my deployment were involved in doing a more

thorough assessment of homes that were badly flooded to determine if they could ev-

er be rendered fit for occupancy.

The amount of devastation that was observed was unreal. Despite the devastation,

homeowners and Alberta

Health Services were very

appreciative of the work we were doing and our skills

and abilities were an asset to the recovery pro-

cess. Thankfully, we do not have to be involved in this

type of work very often but the PHI staff from Manitoba

Health are competent and positioned to assist whenever

necessary.

Would you be prepared?

Following the devastating natural and human-caused disasters that have

occurred in Canada and abroad as of late; I have questioned if I would be

prepared. And the quick answer is No. After living in The Pas for close to 5

years, I was a little more conscious of an emergency road kit but realize

that I was missing more than half of the essential items.

In light of some of the disasters that have occurred, I think it is time to be a

little more prepared. The Red Cross has a full list of items that should be in

a 72-hour Disaster Preparedness Kit, or can simply be purchased at

https://shop.redcross.ca/

For that person that has everything, do they have an emergency kit?

Public Health Inspectors Assist after Devastating Flooding in Alberta

Darcy Chrisp

Flood waters 20 days later.

Site preparation for temporary housing.

Laundromat on wheels.

The Placard

Page 14 Summer 2013

CIPHI/Manitoba

The Placard

Page 15 Summer 2013

CIPHI/Manitoba

St. Paul inspections: State not giving up control anytime soon By Christopher Snowbeck and Frederick Melo

Pioneer Press Posted: 07/27/2013

Now that the state of Minnesota

has taken over St. Paul food and lodging inspections, it doesn't

plan to give back the task any-time soon.

Until this month, St. Paul con-ducted the inspections under

delegation agreements with two

state agencies. But those agree-ments were terminated over

health concerns, and state offi-cials say new agreements could

not be negotiated for two to five years.

For the first time since the state takeover, leaders of the two

agencies met this week with the Pioneer Press to discuss their

concerns with St. Paul inspec-tions and where to go from here.

"We're in this for the next couple of years," Health Commissioner

Ed Ehlinger said. St. Paul officials, however, be-

lieve there's room to renegotiate the agreements more quickly. In

the meantime, they hope the state's inspection program won't

hurt city businesses. This month, the state Health and

Agriculture departments termi-nated the agreements after a

series of reports documented health risks with the city's in-

spection program. In the interview this week, Eh-

linger summed up problems in a

final report he received in May: "inadequate inspection frequen-

cy; inaccurate and incomplete inspections; inadequate staff

that weren't well trained; the fact that they just weren't doing in-

spections that really needed to be done."

"We realized it's a bad situation now, and they're not making

progress to correct it," Ehlinger said.

During an evaluation of the city inspection program in June

2012, state health officials found so many problems that St.

Paul received a rating of

"termination," the worst possi-

ble score, Ehlinger said. A state evaluation of Minneap-

olis' inspection program in 2010 also found significant

problems, but Minneapolis was rated just "unacceptable."

"St. Paul was at a much lower

level," Ehlinger said. "That meant that a lot of the systems

that were in place ... really needed to be changed quickly if

we were going to protect the public's health."

In November, St. Paul and state officials conditionally agreed to

a plan to resolve the issues within two years. But the May

report suggested the city wasn't making enough progress, Eh-

linger said, and it was time to terminate.

CITY'S CONCERNS

City officials acknowledged their inspection program wasn't per-

fect, but they insisted they were making improvements.

This month, St. Paul sought a restraining order to prevent the

state takeover, but a Ramsey County district judge denied the

request. This week, the city agreed to not pursue further

legal action. Under its delegation agreement

with the Agriculture Depart-

ment, the city was responsible for inspections of about 630

retail food facilities, such as grocery and convenience

stores. An agreement with the Health Department gave the

city responsibility for inspecting food, beverage and lodging

establishments as well as pub-lic pools.

City officials say the $1 million that St. Paul collected in licens-

ing fees each year did not cover the cost of a staff of 15 inspec-

tors and supervisors, and the department was subsidized by

taxpayers at about $350,000 a

year. Nevertheless, the city was ea-

ger to retain the food, swim-ming pool and lodging division

within the St. Paul Department of Safety and Inspections.

With the economy beginning to

reassert itself, new restaurants and retail businesses are con-

sidering whether to open in St. Paul or go elsewhere, city offi-

cials say. Offering a "one stop shop" for health, entertainment,

alcohol, tobacco, fire and build-ing permits had been part of

the city's pitch. Department of Safety and In-

spections Director Ricardo Cer-vantes said he's eager to talk

with state officials about how to work together in a way that

invites new business to St. Paul. "When a restaurateur has been

looking to open a new location, we have the fire inspector, and

the building inspector, and the health inspector and code en-

forcement all in the same room," said Joe Spencer, the

mayor's director of arts and culture.

He said businesses appreciated the streamlined approach.

Now, business owners will have to deal with state health inspec-

tors to serve food and city in-

spectors for most everything else. That adds to bureaucracy

and potential delay, according to the mayor's administration.

There's also concern that the state may be less flexible than

the city in terms of special events such as the recent

Hmong Freedom Festival in Como Park, which drew many

out-of-state vendors with limited English skills. To accommodate

last-minute entries, city inspec-tors met with some booth oper-

ators during the actual week-end of the festival and helped

them get licensed on the spot.

HIGHER EXPECTATIONS

The state agency leaders say they are simply focused on

maintaining public health -- a focus that they believe should

be good for businesses, too, since it helps keep customers

healthy.

There was no single public health incident that prompted

the state to intervene, Ehlinger said. And there was no clear

indication that people were getting sick or dying as a result

of problems with the St. Paul inspections program.

"That shouldn't be the test of food safety, however --

(whether) somebody died or didn't die," said Dave Freder-

ickson, the state agriculture commissioner.

Public health agencies never have complete information

about all cases where people get sick from food served in a

restaurant or store, Ehlinger said. While state officials try to

get information on all such illnesses, the focus in evaluat-

ing restaurants and food retail-ers is monitoring the systems

that are in place to protect people, he said, rather than

tallying the sick. In recent years, health officials

have learned more about food

safety risks, and how to pre-vent problems, Ehlinger said.

As a result, the state in 2010 launched a new grading sys-

tem for evaluating when com-munities like St. Paul are dele-

gated the state's job of doing inspections.

To some extent, the failing grade for St. Paul was a func-

tion of higher expectations for public health.

"We really are upgrading our oversight of these things to

make sure food is safe," Eh-linger said.

In The News

The Placard

Page 16 Summer 2013

CIPHI/Manitoba

Principal of school in India where 23 children died after eating free lunch arrested Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/principal-of-school-in-india-where-23-children-died-after-eating-free-lunch-arrested-

1.1380984#ixzz2eKdmkcB1

In The News

PATNA, India -- The principal of a primary school in eastern

India where 23 children died last week after eating lunch

prepared with contaminated oil was arrested Wednesday,

nine days after she went into hiding, police said.

Meena Kumari fled as soon as the children began falling ill

after eating the lunch cooked at the school in Bihar state.

Twenty-three children between the ages of 5 and 12 died

after eating the meal and many others fell ill.

Forensic tests have revealed that the lunch contained toxic

levels of a deadly pesticide.

A police team investigating the deaths arrested Kumari on

Wednesday, and authorities were questioning her to estab-

lish how the pesticide got mixed with the food, said police

superintendent Sujit Kumar.

Bihar's education minister, P.K. Sahi, has said the principal

bought the ingredients for the meal from a shop owned by

her husband, who has fled.

The school's cooks have told authorities that the principal controlled the food for the government-provided free daily lunch.

One of the cooks said that the cooking oil appeared different than usual, but that the principal told her to use it anyway.

On Wednesday, Bihar's chief minister and top elected official, Nitish Kumar, said the government would punish all those who

were responsible for the tragedy.

"No one will be spared," Kumar told reporters, adding that state authorities were working to streamline the school lunch pro-

gram to prevent the recurrence of such a mishap.

India's midday meal plan is one of the world's biggest school nutrition programs. State governments have the freedom to de-

cide on menus and timings of the meals, depending on local conditions and availability of food rations. It was first introduced

in the 1960s in southern India, where it

was seen as an incentive for poor par-

ents to send their children to school.

Since then, the program has been repli-

cated across the country, covering

some 120 million schoolchildren. It's

part of an effort to address concerns

about malnutrition, which the govern-

ment says nearly half of all Indian chil-

dren suffer from.

Although there have been complaints

about the quality of the food served

and the lack of hygiene, the incident in

Bihar appeared to be unprecedented

for the massive food program.

Indian schoolchildren, who consumed a free mid day meal at a school in

the Saran district of Bihar state, recuperate at a ward after receiving

fruits and bread at the Patna Medical College and Hospital in Patna.

http://www.news.com.au/

Indian school children light candles as they pay tribute to school children that died from food

poisoning in Saran district of Bihar state, at a government school in Amritsar.

http://www.news.com.au/

The Placard

Page 17 Summer 2013

CIPHI/Manitoba

In The News

Deadly Amoeba Found For First

Time In Municipal Water Supply

Richard Knox

Retrieved from:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/09/15/222197599/deadly-amoeba-

found-for-first-time-in-municipal-water-supply

A 4-year-old child who died of a rare brain infection in early

August has led Louisiana health officials to discover that the

cause is lurking in the water pipes of St. Bernard Parish,

southeast of New Orleans.

It's a type of single-celled amoeba called Naegleria fowleri,

about a tenth the width of a human hair. Some call it a "brain-

eating" amoeba, although it does its damage by causing a dev-

astating immune reaction rather than by actually devouring

brain tissue.

Officials are pumping more chlorine into the municipal water

supply to kill the bugs and advising the parish's 40,000 resi-

dents how to avoid infection. They say the risk is tiny.

As we'll discuss shortly, it's not easy to get infected, and drink-

ing the water poses no risk. But still, finding such a dangerous

microbe in the drinking water is troubling and noteworthy.

"This is the first time that it has been found in the drinking

water in the United States," Louisiana state epidemiologist

Raoult Ratard tells Shots.

But it won't be the last, he says — because health officials are

now trying to pin down the cause of previously unexplained

encephalitis cases. About 40 percent of cases of this danger-

ous brain inflammation have no known cause. "Five years ago,

we would never have known that this recent case was caused

by the amoeba," Ratard says.

Another new element: The Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention now tests water supplies when a case of amoebic

encephalitis is discovered, to see where the bug came from.

For instance, in 2011 two Louisiana residents — one a 20-

year-old man from St. Bernard Parish — died of amoebic en-

cephalitis after using tap water to rinse their nasal passages,

using a popular device called a neti pot. Health officials as-

sumed that contaminated tap water was the source of the

infection, but it was never proved.

This summer the amoeba infected the brains of two other US

children – a 12-year-old Florida boy, who died, and a 12-year-

old Arkansas girl, who survived. She may be one of only three

known to survive the infection in the United States.

These alarming deaths are likely to remain rare – but not quite

as rare as health officials used to think.

"We're going to see more cases," Ratard says. Instead of three

to five cases of amoebic encephalitis per year across the na-

tion, "maybe we'll go to 10 a year," he says. "I don't expect

we'll have a hundred."

The episode vividly illustrates how humans live in a sea of po-

tentially lethal microbes that, amazingly, seldom kill.

In this case, it's because Naegleria fowleri is only dangerous

when it gains entry into the brain. It does that when water con-

taining the amoeba gets inhaled very deeply, into the area

where the roof of the nasal passages meets the floor of the

brain.

"To get infected, the amoeba has to get to the ceiling of your

nose – way, way up there," Ratard says. "At the top of the nose

you have a little paper-thin plate made of bone with a bunch of

holes, a little bit like a mosquito net. The holes are for the ol-

factory nerve. So the amoeba is crawling up the nerve and

gets into the brain. "Drinking amoeba-contaminated water

poses no risk, presumably because the single-celled organ-

isms can't survive in stomach acid. Normal bathing or shower-

ing isn't a risk because even if tap water is contaminated, it

doesn't penetrate into the deepest nasal passages.

Brain infections from the amoeba usually pop up in late sum-

mer, when warm water favors its reproduction and many peo-

ple are diving into ponds to escape the heat.

Since uncounted numbers of people swim in waters that un-

doubtedly contain amoebae, Ratard says, it's a wonder there

aren't more infections. Public swimming pools pose no risk

because chlorine kills the microbes.

The child who died last month in St. Bernard Parish while visit-

ing from Mississippi, had been playing a long time on a

Slip'n'Slide connected to a household water faucet.

It took about two weeks for the CDC to determine that the

child had a Naegleria fowleri infection. Then state officials

started investigating how.

"We collected the hose and got some samples from the out-

side faucet, water heater, and toilet tank water," Ratard says.

After testing verified amoeba contamination, Louisiana offi-

cials put out a press release about the case.

Further testing of tap water in four nearby areas revealed the

presence of Naegleria fowleri, as officials announced on

Thursday.

Understandably, the announcement has sparked considerable

local anxiety, even though health officials have stressed that

the risk is low – and can be avoided entirely by common-sense

precautions.

Local officials have shut off the water at school drinking foun-

tains, although it's hard to imagine how schoolchildren could

inject that water deep into their noses.

In a couple of weeks, officials will retest the St. Bernard Parish

drinking water to ensure that added chlorine has eliminated

the threat – for this season at least.

The Placard

Page 18 Summer 2013

CIPHI/Manitoba

There’s an App for That!

Check out the many swimming pool Apps for pool operators. Mon-

itor test results, determine dosing requirements, keep track of

maintenance, a review of RWIs.

Simply search swimming pool

Easy as 1, 2, 3!

Simply insert the volume of water, the initial chlorine residual and the desired chlorine

residual and Voila! This handy little website will calculate the volume and weight of so-

dium hypochlorite needed for spray bottles, sinks, cisterns and pools!

Aquatic Training Courses

have been updated NSPF offer a variety of on-line courses; from basic to ad-

vanced level of training, designed for pool operators, to

EHOs/PHIs. The Pool Operator Primer course might be

the solution for new pool operators. Need a refresher on RWIs? The Recreational Water

Illnesses course offers a comprehensive and detailed understanding about the control

of RWIs. Don’t forget to log your PDHs for any on-line course you take.

ON-LINE RESOURCES

Nelson Has His Own Website Your Environmental Public Health Questions Answered in

eleven environmental health categories.

www.nelsonfok.com

The Placard

Page 19 Summer 2013

CIPHI/Manitoba

When Jigsaw Met Ron

Bucket and spade back in the cupboard Pete returns for another

series of I'm a Public Health Professional Get Me Out of Here with

an international exclusive. During three great weeks in Canada he

caught up with Ron de Burger who's Director of Healthy Environ-

ments in Toronto as well as sharing a love of all things tennis Ron

was able to give Jigsaw a great insight into Environmental Health in

Canada.

Written, Produced, and Presented by Pete Hill for JigsawPSPH

As featured on UK Health Radio's Health Kicks Show and the iTunes Store

JigsawPSPH working with RHEnvironmental.co.uk to secure a better future for Public Health

Listen to the podcast at: http://jigsawpsph.podomatic.com/

3D Floor Plans…

Could this possibly be the

future? (I hope so!)

TIDBITS

The Placard

Page 20 Summer 2013

CIPHI/Manitoba

Assessing mobile food vendors (a.k.a. street food vendors)—methods,

challenges, and lessons learned for future food-environment research S.C. Lucan | M. Varona | A.R. Maroko | J. Bumol | L. Torrens | J. Wylie-Rosett

Public Health— Volume 127, Issue 8 , Pages 766-776, August 2013

Objectives: Mobile food vendors (also known as street food vendors) may be important sources of food, particularly in minor-

ity and low-income communities. Unfortunately, there are no good data sources on where, when, or what vendors sell. The lack

of a published assessment method may contribute to the relative exclusion of mobile food vendors from existing food-

environment research. A goal of this study was to develop, pilot, and refine a method to assess mobile food vendors.

Results: Of 372 identified vendors, 38% did not answer brief-interview questions (19% were ‘in transit’, 15% refused; others

were absent from their carts/trucks/stands or with customers). About 7% of vendors who ultimately answered questions were

reluctant to engage with researchers. Some vendors expressed concerns about regulatory authority; only 34% of vendors had

visible permits or licenses and many vendors had improvised illegitimate-appearing set-ups. The majority of vendors (75% of

those responding) felt most comfortable speaking Spanish; 5% preferred other non-English languages. Nearly a third of ven-

dors changed selling locations (streets, neighbourhoods, boroughs) day-to-day or even within a given day. There was considera-

ble variability in times (hours, days, months) in which vendors reported doing business; for 86% of vendors, weather was a de-

ciding factor.

Conclusions: Mobile food vendors have a variable and fluid presence in an urban environment. Variability in hours and loca-

tions, having most comfort with languages other than English, and reluctance to interact with individuals gathering data are

principal challenges to assessment. Strategies to address assessment challenges that emerged form this project may help

make mobile-vendor assessments more routine in food-environment research.

Swimming pools and health-related behaviours: results of an Italian

multicentre study on showering habits among pool users

C. Pasquarella | L. Veronesi | C. Napoli | S. Castaldi | M.L. Pasquarella | E. Saccani | M.E. Colucci | F.

Auxilia | F. Gallè | V. Di Onofrio | S. Tafuri | C. Signorelli | G. Liguori

Public Health— Volume 127, Issue 7 , Pages 614-619, July 2013

Objectives: Showering before entering a swimming pool is highly recommended to reduce the risk of biological and chemical

contamination. This study evaluated the behaviour of indoor swimming pool users; analysed the variables associated with lack

of showering; and assessed awareness of the importance of showering. Study design Cross-sectional study.

Results: In total, 4356 questionnaires were analysed. Sixty-five percent of interviewees always showered before entering the

pool. The main reason given for pre-swim showering was ‘to wash oneself’ (50.5%); or ‘to get used to the temperature of the

water’ (44.3%); and 5.2% answered ‘for both reasons’. Risk factors significantly associated with lack of showering were: fe-

male sex (odds ratio (OR) 1.37, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2–1.59), age 14–17 years (OR 5.09, 95% CI 3.40–7.64); not

reading the swimming pool rules (OR 1.24, 95% CI 1.10–1.41); living in Central Italy (OR 3.3, 95% CI 2.65–4.1) or Southern

Italy (OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.18–1.55); and previous/current attendance of a swimming course (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.48–1.97).

Conclusions: The results revealed low compliance with the rule of showering before entering a swimming pool, and little

awareness of the preventive role of showering in the hygienic management of swimming pools. There is a need for targeted

educational interventions to inform swimming pool users of the reasons for the importance of showering before entering a

pool.

JOURNAL ARTICLES

The Placard

Page 21 Summer 2013

CIPHI/Manitoba

The Placard

Page 22 Summer 2013

CIPHI/Manitoba

The Placard

Page 23 Summer 2013

CIPHI/Manitoba

The Placard

Page 24 Summer 2013

CIPHI/Manitoba

The Placard

CIPHI Manitoba Branch

P.O. Box 171, 208 Provencher Blvd.

Winnipeg, Manitoba

R2H 3B4

Please visit us at: www.ciphi.mb.ca

Your Manitoba Branch Executive Includes:

Darcy Chrisp, President

Stéfane Gravelle, Past President

Rhea Lefko, Vice President

Shaun Miles, Treasurer

Dana Gallant, Secretary

Greg Stevenson, Councilor

Kathleen Martin, Councilor

Ali Rana, Councilor

Stephen Yeo, Councilor

Carmen Cross, Webmaster

Kathleen Martin, Editor — The Placard

(kathleenannemartin@gmail.com)

The Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors — Manitoba Branch —

Truth or Twaddle? Typhoid Mary’s Daughter

Married Mom’s “Stalking”

Sanitary Inspector (From Sarnia Star)

In a strange historic twist, the daughter of Mary Malone/Typhoid Mary wed the sani-

tary inspector (known today as a public health inspector) who doggedly pursued her

mother over a hundred years ago.

In a recent Skype interview from his Sarnia home, the grandson of Mary Malone,

John McElton, explained the never-reported story.

“My grandmother was a cook all over New York state,” McElton said. “And because

she was healthy (asymptomatic), she believed there was no way she could have

been responsible for all those deaths and illnesses.”

But the state health department wouldn't let it go. They put their best investigator on

the case — young Mr. Cecil McElton.

“Apparently, my father (Cecil) hounded his mother-in-law like Holmes closing in on

Moriarty,” McElton joked. “But in the course of dozens of interviews with Typhoid

Mary, Dad also fell in love with her daughter, Ada — my mother.”

Cecil McElton ended up solving the mysterious outbreaks by contacting Mary

Malone’s previous employers. And even though she tried to avoid capture by chang-

ing her name, the trail of illness she left behind always implicated at her and her

poor personal hygiene habits.

Needless to say, Mary Malone was not impressed with her daughter’s choice of suit-

ors. But at the time of the engagement and wedding, Typhoid Mary was forcibly con-

fined, so there was little she could do or say.

Mary Malone died at the age of 69 in quarantine. An autopsy revealed her gall blad-

der was teeming with salmonella typhi bacteria.

Page 25 Summer 2013

CIPHI/Manitoba

Log those Professional Development Hours!

Attending the AEC earns you six

professional development hours for

each day you attended.