Has Anyone Noticed An Uptick in Hospital/ER Cases of Kidney Problems?

[Blackhatjack]

If the source of the contaminated wheat gluten is selling it for human consumption, how do we know that it has not entered the AMerican food chain?

Obviously, the smaller animals have been more severely affected(more cats than dogs). So it might be more important to look at whether children have been more affected.

If there were increased cases of this nature, wouldn't the proper authority for reporting same be the CDC(Center for Disease Control)?

There is definitely something not standard about the way this has been handled. Senator Durbin's letter indicates that Menu Foods has received over 300,000 complaints. And the name of the supplier was not released until today. And you go to their website and find that the product is being marketed for human consumption.

[Kagemusha]

1. To be honest, I can't say it isn't standard, in how it's been handled, for pet food

As in, handled like a PR problem for the pet food industry first and foremost, and the testing and ruling out of this and that and the other thing as being in service of ending that PR problem. Industry back-scratching in these matters seems the norm as I see it, not the exception.

Having said that, the FDA itself said that the CDC would be the one to handle some sort of poison outbreak in the human population. That said, I don't expect ancedotal reporting on a message board to replace the CDC's work in this matter. I at least have more confidence in the CDC than the FDA here.

There was a good story on the lab that worked on narrowing down the real problem today. I mean, no matter what I might think of FDA managers and PR flacks, these are issues that must involve real, hard-core science. (Now that has nothing to do with not naming the supplier and I see no justification for that...)

[orleans]

2. can you please add some links to your post? thanks. n/t

[Blackhatjack]

6. Here is a link to the named exporter and Durbin's press release and more...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x555730

[jobycom]

3. Now that you mention, there was a rash of kidney problems attributed to a virus

or a bug around Austin. I also spoke to someone in Boise who said the same thing had hit his work pretty hard. Most of the people at my work, including me, had it. We all assumed it was a type of flu, and those who went to the doctors for it said there were a lot of people with the same symptoms. Doctors just prescribed anti-bodies to treat secondary infections. It was odd, because no one had much of a fever to go with this virus.

Several people described the virus as feeling like kidney stones or a kidney infection (including me).

Never thought about it, but the timing was right. My boss had it so bad he missed a lot of work and had to have a major surgery postponed. I got it bad enough that I've been walking doubled over for a while. I remember going shopping and realizing I was pushing my hand into my lower back without thinking about it, to make the pain better. I remember thinking that was odd, but when I looked around the store, I saw several others in the same pose.

I've still got lingering issues from it, though the symptoms have lessened. I've never had anything like that before.

You got me wondering...

[HeeBGBz]

4. I was doing that about a week ago

Pain up under my ribs in the area of my kidneys and spleen. I started treating it as an intestinal thing and started taking some enzymes to try to relieve the pressure. I'm feeling better now, but I was hardly eating anything for about two weeks.

[rainbow4321]

5. I work on a renal floor

and I can't say that we have had an increase in unusual kidney diagnosis/patients.

[Liberty Belle]

7. Keep this kicked...

[w4rma]

8. I didn't think that the supplier's name had been released. Just the exporter's name. (nt)

[Blackhatjack]

9. It would be easy for the CDC to issue a one paragraph statement it did'nt enter the human food chain

So why have they not done that yet?

It is not like they did not know about it in February.