News & Perspective

(CIDRAP News) – The surge in West Nile virus (WNV) infections in many states over the summer led to a temporary shortage of diagnostic test kits that at one point halted testing at some commercial and local labs and led one state to warn health providers to reserve the tests for the most seriously ill patients.

(CIDRAP News) – Public health leaders, recalling and reflecting on the anthrax letter attacks of 2001 in a lengthy report released today, say the nation is better prepared to respond to such an emergency than it was 10 years ago, but their confidence is tinged with fear of slipping backward in the current era of budget cutting.