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4 www.DesertMessenger.com August 8, 2018 T��� ����� ������� �� D����� M�������� Cattle operation may have caused E. coli outbreak linked to romaine, says FDA Senior Moments Quartzsite Senior Center 40 S. Moon Mountain Ave. 928-927-6496 www.facebook.com/ Quartzsite-Senior-Center Now on Summer Hours: Open MONDAY, WEDNESDAY & FRIDAY 9:00am -3:00pm LUNCH Served 12:00 sharp. Stop in and pick up a menu and Activity Sheet or See us on Facebook. Hello Quartzsite Community Mem- bers. The University of Arizona Co- operative Extension-La Paz County is offering a free Diabetes Preven- tion Class to the Quartzsite Com- munity. If you are interested in knowing more, please contact the La Paz County Offi ce at (928)669-9843 to sign up for our information ses- sion. The minimum to hold the class it 5 people. Free diabetes prevention class On July 31 and August 1, 2018, the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) participated in a meeting of the Leafy Greens Food Safety Task Force that was formed in response to the serious outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 associat- ed with romaine lettuce that occurred earlier this year. During the meeting FDA shared preliminary hypotheses from the Environmental Assessment in Yuma to facilitate conversations with state and local offi cials, industry and local growers on the hypotheses and associated actions necessary to prevent such an outbreak from occurring again. As FDA has previously stated, samples of canal water have tested posi- tive for the outbreak strain of E. coli. FDA continues to consider that con- taminated water coming into contact with produce, either through direct irrigation or other means, is a viable explanation for the pattern of con- tamination. But other hypotheses were discussed as well. FDA notes that the canal is close to a Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO), a facility with a large number of cattle on the premises. The CAFO can hold in excess of 100,000 head of cattle at any one time and the FDA traceback information showed a clustering of romaine lettuce farms nearby. In a press release the FDA said, "Our experts continue to work on examin- ing potential links between the CAFO, adjacent water, and geologic and other factors that may explain the contamination and its relationship to the outbreak. Additional sampling activities will be conducted to further explore and narrow down hypotheses in the near future. Our fi ndings will be detailed in a fi nalized environmental assessment report. "We urge other government and non-government entities, produce grow- ers in the region, and those engaged in managing the canal systems to work with FDA and marshal and deploy resources to achieve our collective food safety goal. Broad engagement from the surrounding community is criti- cal to developing and implementing remediation measures to reduce the potential for another outbreak. We believe local in-depth knowledge and actions are critical in helping resolve this issue in order to protect public health. " As of June 27, the CDC reports that 210 people in 36 states have become ill. These people reported becoming ill in the time period of March 13, 2018 to June 6, 2018. There have been 96 hospitalizations and fi ve deaths The Environmental Assessment report will be made publicly available when complete. For updates visit www.fda.gov. LA PAZ COUNTY IS NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR HOUSING REPAIR La Paz County is accepting applications for Housing Rehabilitation funded through a grant from the Arizona Department of Housing. The goal of this program is to alleviate health and safety issues in the home, correct code violations, weatherization / energy effi ciency, and accommodations for accessibility. The work may contain all or some of the components. Pro- grams may change based on funding or priorities. Applicants must meet one of the following priorities: Disabled, Elderly, Families with Children under the age of 18, and Veterans. This program comes with income limits, limits of assistance, and lien requirements. You must live in La Paz County or within the unincorpo- rated areas of La Paz County. Maximum amount of assistance may be up to $50,000 based on need. This assistance is in the form of a deferred forgivable loan at 0% interest, with a 5/10/15 year recapture period. A lien is placed on the property un- til such time period is over. The loan is forgiven if the owner does not sell the property within the 5/10/15 year lien period. All work will be done by licensed contractors, procured by La Paz County. No funds are given to the home owner directly. Mortgage, taxes, and insurance must be current. The home must be your primary residence for a period of at least one year and cannot be located in a fl oodplain. At the time of interview, you will be informed of the all necessary documents needed. This program is designed to improve housing conditions in La Paz Coun- ty. Please do your part by maintaining your property and home to help improve the appearance for your neighborhood. Please contact Denise Bishop, WACOG Consultant at 928 208-5841, or email at dbishopconsulting04@hotmail.com for an application for assis- tance. Placement on the waiting list is based on the date and time com- pleted application is received. Housing rehabilitation repair offered

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