News & Perspective

(CIDRAP News) – The results of a small study reported this week suggest that the immunity induced by smallpox vaccination may last 35 years or longer—considerably longer than experts have generally believed.

(CIDRAP News) – As foodborne diseases increase, innovations for improving food safety are sure to follow. And, in fact, such practices are already showing up in grocery stores and at food science institutions around the country.

(CIDRAP News) – Researchers at Rockefeller University report that they have isolated an enzyme from a bacteriophage that shows promise as a tool to quickly detect and kill Bacillus anthracis, the anthrax bacterium.

(CIDRAP News) – Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tommy G. Thompson has named the 21 members of his Council on Public Health Preparedness, which will advise HHS on dealing with public health emergencies, including bioterrorism.

Aug 23 (CIDRAP News) – An outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7 infection has been linked with visits to a Pennsylvania dairy and petting farm that allowed public access to animals. Findings of the extensive scientific investigation of the outbreak are reported in the Aug 22 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The article highlights the need to consider zoonotic transmission during searches for the source of such outbreaks.

(CIDRAP News) - Fresh produce is not generally considered a common source of foodborne illness but, in fact, the incidence of this problem is on the upswing, according to results of a survey published in the August issue of the Journal of Food Protection. In recent years, the number of cases of illness linked with eating fruits and vegetables has risen from 2% to about 8% of reported cases.

(CIDRAP News) – When epidemiologists at Miami–Dade County Health Department noted an unusual rise in the incidence of typhoid fever during the winter of 1998-99, they faced a mystery. According to a report by Dolores J. Katz and associates in the Jul 15 issue of the Journal of Infectious Diseases, the clues to the source of the outbreak represented a new arena for public health surveillance.

(CIDRAP News) – An outbreak of Salmonella infections linked to tomatoes affected at least 141 people, including 48 organ transplant recipients, who attended the US Transplant Games in Florida in late June, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported yesterday.