Health Wanted: Outbreak Response

The Episode

Whether it’s an Ebola outbreak that threatens to cross borders or an explosion of cyclospora cases in our own country, it seems like everyone has opinions about how outbreaks should be handled. 

This week on Health Wanted, we’re asking: “How DO you respond to a disease outbreak?”

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The Listener Questions

Is "old people smell" a real thing? What causes it?

The distinctive smell of the elderly is a real physical phenomena. It’s believed to be caused by a compound called 2-noneal, which is an unsaturated aldehyde. We know other aldehydes have a range of smells (like formaldehyde, or benzaldehyde, which gives almonds their smell). It’s the product of fatty acids on the skin oxidizing and breaking down.

As we age, we produce more of this compound, and we have fewer antioxidants so more of it breaks down. This causes a distinct smell. The smell is often described as musty, greasy, or dusty. 

But it’s not their fault, and it’s not a factor of hygiene. These fatty acids are well protected in their lipid layer, and regular soap and water isn’t enough to best it. Allegedly, soaps made with things like persimmon extract or green tea extract can better break down the compound because they contain polyphenols, which are antioxidants. You can also try an exfoliating bodywash with alpha hydroxy acid (known as AHA) to break down and remove the compounds.

Others have suggested a diet rich in antioxidants can also help address the issue at its root by helping to prevent the oxidation of lipids in the first place.

The research on these tactics is thin, but it won’t hurt, and it’s certainly a better approach than VeryWellHealth’s recommendation of wearing scented lotions or perfumes. I think we can all agree trying to cover smells you find unpleasant with perfumes is never the trick you think it is.

How do you know if the turmeric you’re buying has lead?

The first thing to know is that fraud is pretty common in the international spice world and has been going on since the dawn of spice trade itself. Spice fraud, also called economically motivated adulteration, occurs when a spice is intentionally bulked up with fake ingredients to increase profits.  

As the demand for a spice grows, so too does the incentive to cut costs and corners whenever possible. This adulteration of turmeric and other spices is a public health threat globally, particularly in countries that are producing a lot of product but don’t have the same regulatory oversight that we’re used to.  

Long before it ends up in your spice drawer, turmeric starts out as a root that is then boiled, dried, and ground down into the powdered spice we are all familiar with. When the turmeric roots don’t have enough time to dry properly, instead of turning their characteristic bright yellow, the roots become black-ish. This is when lead comes into play. In order to sell the improperly dried turmeric roots, it became common practice for wholesalers to mix a cheap yellow pigment in with the roots: lead chromate.

Lead chromate, also known as chrome yellow, is an orange-yellow powder that has been used for centuries as a pigment in things like industrial paint, like that used for road markings. Lead chromate contains both lead and hexavalent chromium. There is no known safe level of exposure to lead, and hexavalent chromium is a known carcinogen.

So, to keep your conscience and your cooking, clear: do not buy spices from outside the U.S.

Spices purchased abroad are more likely to ciontain lead compared to those purchased locally in the U.S. In the U.S., local and national surveillance and regulatory controls are in place to curtail the sale and distribution of contaminated products, making them far less likely to contain lead.

Of course, contaminated products can still fall through the cracks. You may remember seeing this in action a few years ago when there was a major recall on cinnamon applesauce pouches that were contaminated with lead chromate. But all of the cases of lead poisoning in this instance were identified through routine childhood lead surveillance, which really emphasizes the importance of public health surveillance in keeping people healthy. 

You might also consider looking for turmeric brands that openly share batch testing results or a certificate of analysis on their websites. And if you want to be extra careful, you can always cut out the middle man and buy whole turmeric roots to make your spice from scratch.

How worried should I be if mosquitoes near me test positive for West Nile virus?

Fulton County here in Atlanta actively monitors the mosquito population for West Nile virus, and recently they tested some mosquitoes trapped in Grant Park and found they were carriers of the virus. 

That sounds scary, but West Nile virus is not new to the United States. In fact, it is the largest cause of mosquito-borne disease in humans in the U.S. Some people who get it will develop severe illnesses that can result in permanent effects and even death, but most people infected with West Nile virus do not develop any symptoms. 

What’s really concerning about this is not that there are mosquitoes in the area infected with West Nile virus, because that’s nothing new, it’s the timing. According to the CDC, this is the earliest start to the West Nile virus season the U.S. has ever seen, with more human cases reported at this point in the year than at any time since 2004. 

To put this into perspective: Since 2004, we have averaged about 10 human cases of West Nile virus reported to the CDC by the end of June, but this year 48 cases have been reported by the end of June. 

And it’s all thanks to climate change. Warmer temperatures expand mosquito territory and extend how long mosquito season can last. The longer the transmission seasons are, the more West Nile Virus we’re going to see in both mosquitoes and humans. 

Here are the symptoms of infection:

• Mild illness will have flu-like symptoms such as fever with headache or bodyaches, joint pain, vomiting, diarrhea, or rash. 
• Severe illness can affect the central nervous system, so it will come with additional symptoms such as neck stiffness, disorientation, and muscle weakness. 

So stay safe out there, and don’t forget your bug spray.

Catch all the listener questions and Laurel’s answers on the full episode of Health Wanted by:

• Streaming at wabe.org or the WABE app
• Subscribing on Apple or Spotify
• Watching on WABE's YouTube channel