5 More People Die From Listeria Linked to Boar’s Head Meats, C.D.C. Says

The nationwide outbreak that started in May has been connected to eight deaths. The C.D.C. is advising people not to eat any recalled products.Five more people have died after consuming products tainted with listeria that have been linked to Boar’s Head deli meats over the last three weeks, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday, bringing the total number of deaths in a nationwide outbreak to eight.In total, 57 people have been hospitalized because of the bacteria in the outbreak that started in May, the C.D.C. said. As a result of the outbreak, the company has recalled millions of pounds of meat. The recall includes about 70 products — including those made from ham, beef and poultry — that were manufactured at its plant in Jarratt, Va. The recall mostly affects products that are sliced at the deli counter, the company said in a statement on its website.The five new deaths are one person from Florida, one person from Tennessee, one from New Mexico and two people from South Carolina, according to health officials.The numbers make it the largest outbreak of listeriosis since 2011, when at least 13 people in eight states died eating cantaloupe contaminated with listeria.The C.D.C. is warning people not to eat the recalled deli meats. Health officials are telling consumers to check their fridges for any recalled Boar’s Head products. (The C.D.C. is telling people to look for “EST. 12612” or “P-12612” inside the USDA mark of inspection on the product labels. Some of the products have sell-by dates that last until October 2024.)Listeria can live on surfaces, like meat slicers, and foods, even at refrigerated temperatures. Symptoms usually start within one to four weeks after ingesting the bacteria, but can take up to 10 weeks to show up, according to the C.D.C.Mild symptoms of listeriosis include a fever, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. More severe symptoms include headache, a stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Every year, about 1,600 people in the United States develop serious listeria infections, according to the C.D.C. The bacteria are naturally found in soil and can contaminate foods such as dairy products, leafy greens and fruits. Most people who ingest the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes don’t get sick, but certain high-risk individuals, including pregnant women and people who are over 65 or immunocompromised, can become seriously ill.

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Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, Had Surgery for Breast Cancer

Ms. Ferguson, the ex-wife of Prince Andrew, had a single mastectomy after a routine mammogram. A spokesperson said her prognosis was good.Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York and ex-wife of Prince Andrew, the disgraced son of Queen Elizabeth II, underwent a single mastectomy after a breast cancer diagnosis, she said during an episode of her podcast that was released Monday.She received the diagnosis after a routine mammogram, she said during the episode of “Tea Talks With the Duchess & Sarah,” a new weekly podcast that she hosts with the entrepreneur Sarah Thomson. Ms. Ferguson did not say when the operation occurred but noted that the podcast was being recorded the day before it was to take place. Ms. Ferguson displayed no symptoms and did not find a lump, according to the podcast.“It’s very important that I speak about it,” said Ms. Ferguson, 63, noting that both her father and stepfather died from cancer.“I’m telling people out there because I want every person listening to this podcast to get checked,” she said.Britain’s National Health Service offers routine mammograms to women beginning at age 50. In the United States, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which issues guidelines about preventive care, recommended this year that all women start routine breast cancer screening at 40. The previous recommendation had been 50.Ms. Ferguson’s surgery was successful and her prognosis is good, a spokesperson told The Associated Press. Ms. Ferguson was released from King Edward VII’s Hospital in London, which has long treated members of the British royal family.Ms. Ferguson has long been involved with the Teenage Cancer Trust, an organization in Britain that aims to help young people with cancer. Ms. Ferguson opened the trust’s first specialist cancer unit in a London hospital in 1990, according to the organization’s website.She said she was inspired to become involved with cancer charities after her stepfather died when he was 50.Ms. Ferguson married Prince Andrew in 1986 at Westminster Abbey in London. They divorced a decade later but continue to live together in Windsor. They have two daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and three grandchildren.Nicknamed “Fergie,” Ms. Ferguson has long been a fixture in Britain’s newspapers, which have pored over her weight, her love life, her divorce and her exclusion from the 2011 wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Since then, she has made what can be described as a comeback, publishing historical novels, a children’s book and starting her podcast.She said on Monday’s episode that she was focused on getting fit and healthy after her recent diagnosis.“There’s no choice, I can’t make another excuse,” she said. “I have to go through this operation and I have to be well and strong.”

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Is It Safe to Go for a Run in Wildfire Smoke?

Yes, it’s Global Running Day. No, you probably shouldn’t go for a run today.The New York Road Runners canceled all its Global Running Day-related events on Wednesday as smoke from wildfires in Canada drifted over large parts of the United States. “If you’re in NYC or any affected area, please read and follow your city’s health advisory regarding air quality for June 7, and consider running another day.”On Tuesday, the running club had already urged people not to go for a run outside, and to log their outdoor miles after the skies had cleared. This is especially true for people who suffer from chronic respiratory conditions like asthma.A 2021 study by the European Heart Journal concluded as much, saying that an increase in exercise in a highly polluted environment “may adversely affect cardiovascular health.”“People should avoid exercising outdoors during smoky conditions,” California’s Air Resources Board advises. “Exposure and the resulting health effects depend on the amount of time spent outside, level of exertion, level of air pollution, and possible existing health conditions.”Smoke from wildfires includes a mix of particles. Some — like dust or smoke — are big enough to be seen with the naked eye. Others, however, are microscopic, about one-fifth to one-30th as wide as a human hair. Those tiny ones can travel deep into a person’s lungs and bloodstream. For runners, smoky conditions can also hinder visibility. During exercise, people largely breathe through their mouths instead of their noses. The mouth — unlike the nose — doesn’t have a natural filtration system for pollutants, which means more pollutants can enter the body, according to the American Lung Association. And the ultrafine particles aren’t exhaled during exercise.“If you’re a New Yorker with heart or breathing issues, be careful when you’re outdoors,” New York City’s mayor’s office advised. “Try to limit outdoor activities today to the absolute necessities.”On Tuesday, New York’s air quality rating briefly ranked as the worst of any city in the world, according to the IQAir World Air Quality Index.For competitive athletes, there may be another reason to postpone an outdoor run: Polluted areas may also cause you to run slower, a 2019 study found.If the conditions last, several days’ worth of polluted air could have a cumulative effect, Australia’s Sports Commission said, “lowering an athlete’s threshold for symptoms.”

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Man Who Has Fathered Hundreds Is Barred From Donating Sperm

A court in the Netherlands ruled that a man who fathered at least 550 children in the past 16 years had lied to prospective mothers and fertility clinics.A man who has fathered between 550 and 600 children over the past 16 years is not allowed to donate any more sperm to prospective parents, a court in the Netherlands ruled on Friday.According to The Hague District Court, the man lied about the number of children he had already fathered, the number of sperm donations he had made and his intention to donate even more sperm.“All these parents are now confronted with the fact that the children in their family are part of a huge kinship network, with hundreds of half siblings, which they did not choose,” the court said.Because of Dutch privacy laws, the government has not publicly named the man, Jonathan Jacob Meijer, 41, in the court proceedings as the donor in question. However, in an email to The New York Times for a 2021 article about him, a spokesman for the health ministry confirmed his identity. “Donors must sign an agreement with their clinic that they don’t donate sperm at other clinics,” Gerrit-Jan KleinJan wrote. “The sperm donor you are writing about made this agreement as well. Nevertheless, he donated at more sperm banks resulting in 102 babies.”The court’s ruling came after Mr. Meijer was sued by the Dutch Donor Child Foundation, which represents the interests of sperm donors’ children, and a mother who had one of his children. “The children deserve a rest,” the mother, who went by Eva but omitted her last name, said in a statement on Friday.Citing negative psychological consequences for the children, the court said that barring Mr. Meijer from continuing to donate was in the children’s best interest. It would be hard for them to cultivate relationships with so many biological half siblings, and it adds to a higher chance of incest, the court said.In the Netherlands, Mr. Meijer donated sperm to at least 11 fertility clinics, according to court documents. Each of those clinics allows his sperm to produce 25 children or be donated to a maximum of 12 mothers, as is the rule in the Netherlands. Mr. Meijer also lied to the clinics, according to court records, telling each clinic that he hadn’t donated elsewhere and wasn’t planning on doing so in the future.A report from 2017 concluded that Mr. Meijer had fathered 102 children through Dutch clinics between 2007 and 2017. Between 2015 and 2018, he also donated sperm to a fertility clinic in Denmark that, at the time, didn’t place a limit on the number of children produced from donated sperm and that sent semen to people in other countries.In addition to his clinic donations, Mr. Meijer also offered his sperm on various social media platforms in the Netherlands and abroad. According to the court, Mr. Meijer keeps in touch with multiple parents.The Dutch Donor Child Foundation — which posted an image of two clinking champagne glasses on Twitter in celebration of the verdict with the words “important step forward!” — supported the ruling. “We’re happy that the judge ruled that it’s not a good idea to have countless half-siblings,” Ester de Lau, a board member, said.Dutch lawmakers are in the process of implementing new rules for sperm donors to protect the interests of the children. The Dutch House of Representatives debated the issue this month.“In the Netherlands, we think it’s important that everyone has facts about their lineage,” according to Ernst Kuipers, the minister of health, welfare and sport. It has been possible for donor children to request such information since 2004. But the government wants to establish a central registry that would show whether a sperm donor has donated to multiple clinics.“The new rules would discourage undesirable situations in which sperm donors sometimes father hundreds of children,” according to the proposed bill.Ms. de Lau said she supported the bill, but that it needed to go further to ensure that donor children could also look up any possible private donations and donations abroad. “The registry can start in the Netherlands, but needs to be international,” she said. “This isn’t something that is limited to the Netherlands.”Rules surrounding sperm donation vary across Europe. In Belgium, the health minister announced a similar registry after it became clear that Mr. Meijer had also been active there.Richard van der Zwan, Mr. Meijer’s lawyer, told the court that his client wanted to help parents who had trouble conceiving, The Associated Press reported. Mr. van der Zwan couldn’t immediately be reached for comment on Friday.Mr. Meijer said he was not acting selfishly and that his continued sperm donations would not negatively affect any subsequent children, the court said. But the court ruled that the interests of the children and other parents outweighed those of Mr. Meijer’s to continue to offer himself as a donor.

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