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(CIDRAP News) – The federal government's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) amended its June 2002 recommendations on smallpox vaccinations for healthcare workers this week in an effort to ensure that the healthcare system will have enough immunized people to deal with a smallpox outbreak.

(CIDRAP News) – In the 1960s, the rate of vaccinia virus transmission from people newly vaccinated against smallpox to nonimmunized people was low, but the rate could be higher today because of medical differences between populations then and now, according to a new analysis by smallpox experts.

(CIDRAP News) – Federal health officials announced today that three environmental samples taken from a Pennsylvania poultry processing plant contained a Listeria strain matching that of patients in the current listeriosis outbreak in the Northeast. The announcement came 3 days after the company expanded its recall of turkey and chicken products from the original 295,000 pounds to a record-setting 27.4 million pounds.

(CIDRAP News) – The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced this week that companies can petition the agency for permission to use terms like "electronic pasteurization" in place of "irradiation" on the labeling for irradiated foods.

(CIDRAP News) Ð A Pennsylvania company is recalling 295,000 pounds of ready-to-eat turkey and chicken because of possible Listeria contamination, but the recalled products have not been linked to the recent rash of listeriosis cases in the Northeast, federal health officials announced yesterday.

On August 30, 2002 (day 0), the Pennsylvania Department of Health announced that it was investigating an apparent outbreak of listeriosis involving 20 cases

(CIDRAP News) – Federal health officials say they believe deli turkey meat is the source of a listeriosis outbreak that dates back to midsummer and has grown to 43 cases in seven states, but they have not specified the source of the meat.

The outbreak stood at 43 cases in Pennsylvania and six other states yesterday, with seven deaths and three miscarriages or stillbirths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

(CIDRAP News) – Two leading medical societies this week urged caution on proposals for smallpox immunization for the public, days after federal health officials expressed qualified support for the idea.

(CIDRAP News) – A Milwaukee packing company has expanded its recall of ground beef over concern about potential Escherichia coli O157:H7 contamination and has temporarily closed one of its plants under pressure from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

(CIDRAP News) – A listeriosis outbreak in Pennsylvania and neighboring states has expanded to 40 cases, with seven deaths and three miscarriages or stillbirths, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced yesterday. The source of the outbreak remained unknown.

(CIDRAP News) Ð Citing six illnessoutbreaks over the past 2 1/2 years, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hasupdated its warning about the dangers of eating raw or lightly cooked sproutsto include mung bean sprouts as well as alfalfa sprouts.

(CIDRAP News) – More than 50 recent cases of E coli O157:H7 infection in Wisconsin and several other states may be linked with ground beef that was recalled last week by a company in Milwaukee, according to state and federal health officials.

(CIDRAP News) – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced today it is awarding $1.2 million to a group of managed care organizations for a pilot program to monitor millions of patient records for early signs of a terrorist attack.

(CIDRAP News) – Citing evidence of increased Escherichia coli O157:H7 on beef carcasses, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced this week that beef slaughter and grinding plants will be required to add safety steps aimed specifically at the pathogen.

(CIDRAP News) – Anyone who may have been exposed to smallpox should be vaccinated against the disease, regardless of contraindications such as eczema or HIV infection, according to the mass-vaccination guide released this week by federal health officials.

(CIDRAP News) – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today released detailed guidelines to help state and local health departments organize efforts to vaccinate the entire population against smallpox within 10 days in case the disease re-emerges.

(CIDRAP News) – The smallpox vaccine being produced by Acambis plc for the US government worked well in its second trial, generating a characteristic vaccinia lesion in all recipients and causing no serious adverse events, the company said this week.

(CIDRAP News) – Federal health officials are trying to identify the source of a listeriosis outbreak that has involved at least 26 cases, with four deaths, in Pennsylvania and neighboring states in recent weeks.

(CIDRAP News) – In response to a US senator's speculation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says there is no evidence that bioterrorism has played a role in the spread of West Nile virus to and within the United States.

(CIDRAP News) – The United States deserves good marks for its efforts to improve core aspects of public health preparedness in the past year, but the nation performed generally poorly in international aid and cooperation to reduce threats to public health, according to the American Public Health Association (APHA).