Listening

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Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. an infant
    • ex. The nurse takes care of the infants in the hospital.
  2. sicken
    • ex. Several students were sickened after eating the food at the school event.
  3. an outbreak
    • ex. There was an outbreak of food poisoning after the party.
  4. contaminated
    • ex. Officials said the water was contaminated and not safe to drink.
  5. sue
    • ex. The family chose to sue the hospital for a mistake.

Article

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US health officials say several infants have been sickened in an outbreak of botulism, an illness caused by a type of bacteria that affects the stomach. It is linked to contaminated baby milk products. According to the FDA, 37 infants who drank ByHeart’s baby milk products since August became sick. All the babies were taken to the hospital, but no deaths have been reported.

The FDA said the outbreak has affected babies from about 2 weeks to 9 months old. Symptoms of infant botulism may include weak muscles and trouble swallowing. ByHeart removed all its milk products from stores after one can tested positive for bacteria. ByHeart normally sells about 200,000 cans of baby milk per month. FDA officials have visited the company’s factories in Iowa and Oregon as part of the investigation.

Families of sick infants have begun to sue ByHeart. They say the milk was not safe and that the company failed to protect customers. As a result, they want money to help pay for medical bills and emotional damage. Meanwhile, health officials say cases have been reported in more than 12 states from August to November.

This material was based on an article by The Associated Press.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Contaminated Products

  • What products do you think are most important to keep safe from becoming contaminated (ex. infant milk, food)? Discuss.
  • ByHeart removed all its milk products from stores after a can tested positive for bacteria. In your opinion, what should a company do when it learns its product is contaminated? Discuss.
  • What kind of punishment do you think companies that sell contaminated products should face? Discuss.

Outbreaks

  • Do you know of any recent outbreaks in your country? Discuss.
  • What do you think companies and governments can do to prevent outbreaks? Discuss
  • Why is it important for health officials, like the FDA, to investigate outbreaks quickly? Discuss.