News & Perspective

(CIDRAP News) – The big Escherichia coli O104:H4 epidemic in Germany comes at a time when methods of testing for pathogenic E coli are changing, posing some challenges for public health officials intent on detecting E coli outbreaks quickly and monitoring trends as accurately as possible.

(CIDRAP News) – The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said yesterday that it and public health partners in several states are investigating a Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak linked to lab exposure that has so far sickened 73 people in 35 states.

(CIDRAP News) – In a recent update on pandemic influenza preparedness planning, the US government reported meeting more than 90% of a long list of objectives it set for itself about 6 months ago.

The report charts progress on a wide range of preparedness measures, from shoring up laboratory capabilities to planning for distribution of critical medical supplies and preparing checklists for various sectors of the economy.