Community Health News

What's Happening Now?


Recall of Several Brands of Cinnamon Applesauce Pouches With High Amounts of Lead

The FDA has issued a public health alert related to lead exposure in certain brands of cinnamon-containing apple puree and applesauce pouches manufactured November 22nd and later. The brands are WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit pouches, Schnucks-brand cinnamon-flavored applesauce pouches, variety packs, and Weis-brand cinnamon applesauce pouches. Do not eat these products and throw them away if you have them at home. As of November 22nd, there have been 52 reports of elevated blood lead that are potentially linked to the recalled products, with potential cases ranging from less than 1 to 4 years of age.

If you or your child ate these products, you should contact your healthcare provider about blood lead testing. If your child had an elevated lead level after eating this product, contact the Sedgwick County Health Department at 316-660-7300.

Although most children do not show obvious symptoms of lead poisoning, short-term symptoms can include headache, abdominal pain and vomiting. Long-term exposure can cause irreversible hearing, growth, and development, behavior problems and poor performance in school. 

Additional Resources:
https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/investigation-elevated-lead-levels-applesauce-pouches-november-2023
https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/default.htm


COVID-19 Status in Sedgwick County – March 2024

In Sedgwick County, emergency department data shows a decrease in COVID-19-related visits (0.7%) for the week of February 11 compared to the most recent peak in emergency department visits, which occurred December 24 (2.3%). COVID-19 hospitalizations are 5.8 per 100,000 residents (an increase from the previous week), and hospitalizations are still low per the CDC’s COVID-19 Hospital Admission Level. The number of active clusters has been decreasing in the past two weeks.

The currently dominant strain of COVID-19 in the United States is still JN.1. The JN.1 variant came from the BA.2.86 Omicron variant that was circulating earlier in 2023. So far, it has not been shown to cause more severe symptoms, but it appears to be more transmissible than previous variants. The updated vaccine is still effective at preventing severe illness. Tests and treatments also still work for JN.1. The CDC at this time does not believe JN.1 poses any additional risks to public health compared to previous variants.

Read More CDC Variant Proportions

As of January 1, 2024, the Sedgwick County COVID-19 dashboard is no longer
on the website and StoryMaps are no longer being updated.


Notifiable Disease Investigations

Read about the epidemiology (disease investigation) program at the Sedgwick County Health Department