News & Perspective

(CIDRAP News) – For many years, public health personnel have cited the estimate of 70% to 90% when talking about the level of protection afforded by seasonal influenza vaccines. But last week's meta-analysis of flu vaccine studies in The Lancet Infectious Diseases—along with several other studies in recent years—has raised the question of whether it's time to change the message about flu vaccines.

(CIDRAP News) – Public health officials today announced the launch of the first national accreditation program for health departments, a move designed to create a voluntary national standard to measure and improve the performance across a range of health departments, from local to state.

The group of national and local leaders made the announcement at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.

(CIDRAP News) – Early diagnosis and treatment were crucial in helping a Florida man beat the odds by recovering from inhalational anthrax, a rare and often deadly disease, according to a Minneapolis physician who treated him.

(CIDRAP News) – An investigation into the origins of Minnesota's first human anthrax case in many years is focusing on where the patient might have been exposed to the deadly pathogen, Minnesota State Epidemiologist Dr. Ruth Lynfield said today.

(CIDRAP News) – A person hospitalized in Minnesota has contracted inhalational anthrax after traveling in western states, officials from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) announced today.

In a release, the MDH said that the agency and its partners at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are investigating the infection, which apparently stemmed from environmental exposure.

(CIDRAP News) – Five US metropolitan areas will receive a total of $400,000 in grants from the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to incorporate US Postal Service (USPS) volunteers into plans to deliver antibiotics after an anthrax attack.