News & Perspective

The FBI today confirmed the presence of the toxin ricin in letters intended for President Obama and other officials this week, following the agency's arrest of a Mississippi man yesterday in connection with the mailings.

(CIDRAP News) – Federal authorities said today that a letter addressed to President Obama contained a substance that initially tested positive for the deadly toxin ricin, amid investigations of suspicious mail sent to at least three senators.

(CIDRAP News) – Coccidioidomycosis, or valley fever, a fungal infection that causes influenza-like symptoms and often leads to hospitalization, has increased "dramatically" in the US Southwest in recent years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported today.