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(CIDRAP News) – In an effort to shed some light on a potential side effect of smallpox vaccination, researchers are launching a federally funded pilot study of the effects of smallpox vaccines on cardiac cells in mice.

(CIDRAP News) – The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said today it is producing a comprehensive new action plan for reducing pathogenic contamination in fresh produce and wants public input on it.

(CIDRAP News) – The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week approved the first generic versions of ciprofloxacin (Cipro), the antibiotic that drew national attention when it was used after the mail-borne anthrax attacks in 2001.

(CIDRAP News) – The outbreak of Ebola hemorrhagic fever in southern Sudan had increased to 30 cases with seven deaths as of yesterday, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported today.

The outbreak has grown slowly since it was reported in Yambio County of Western Equatoria province in May, according to WHO reports. The agency originally reported 19 cases with four deaths on May 24. By Jun 7 officials said there were 28 cases with seven deaths.

(CIDRAP News) – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published a guidebook to help medical examiners and coroners detect and respond to bioterrorism.

(CIDRAP News) – The US Postal Service (USPS) has begun installing anthrax-detection systems in major mail-processing centers and hopes to have the equipment in 100 facilities by the end of this year.

After testing the Biohazard Detection System (BDS) for nearly 2 years in Baltimore, the USPS began installing the system in major processing and distribution centers in March, said Bob Anderson, a USPS spokesman in Washington, DC.

(CIDRAP News) – The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) says 1,127 cattle were tested in the first week of its expanded testing program for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and were found free of the disease.

(CIDRAP News) – The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new and faster blood test to help confirm a diagnosis of anthrax infection, federal health officials announced today.

(CIDRAP News) – The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has proposed shifting about $55 million in biodefense funds from ongoing state preparedness programs to several new programs, focusing largely on efforts in 21 major cities.

(CIDRAP) – An investigation of Salmonella illness cases associated with raw almonds has identified 29 cases in 12 states and one Canadian province, dating back as far as September 2003, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported today.

(CIDRAP News) – A firm in Kent, Wash., is recalling raw alfalfa sprouts because they may be linked with a recent increase in Salmonella infections in Washington and Oregon, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced yesterday.

(CIDRAP News) – Another flock of about 24,000 chickens was sacrificed this week near the site of an outbreak of avian influenza in Texas after screening tests indicated possible infection, according to the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC).

(CIDRAP News) – The General Accounting Office (GAO) has urged federal agencies to step up their efforts to determine if the use of certain antibiotics in animals endangers human health by making bacteria resistant to those antibiotics.

(CIDRAP News) – Chinese health authorities have called off emergency measures for SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), saying the latest outbreak is under control, according to Xinhua, China's state news agency.

(CIDRAP News) – The nation's first human cases of West Nile virus (WNV) infection were reported last week in New Mexico and Arizona, marking the first time the West Nile season has begun so far west.

The New Mexico Department of Health announced last week that a man in San Juan County had tested positive for the virus and had recovered after having only mild symptoms.

(CIDRAP News) – The outbreak of Ebola hemorrhagic fever in southern Sudan has increased to 25 cases with six deaths, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced today.

The WHO had reported 19 cases and four deaths May 24 when it first confirmed the outbreak in Yambio County of Sudan's Western Equatoria province. The agency said it is continuing to help with surveillance, case management, and follow-up with contacts of patients.

(CIDRAP News) – The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) said yesterday it has awarded contracts to two companies to develop vaccines based on the H5N1 avian influenza virus in an effort to limit the risk of a human influenza pandemic.

(CIDRAP News) – A flock of 24,000 chickens at a farm in northeastern Texas was destroyed yesterday because of evidence of a new outbreak of avian influenza, according to the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC).

(CIDRAP News) – The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today issued a final rule spelling out its procedures for detaining food suspected of being hazardous because of intentional or accidental contamination.

(CIDRAP News) – The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced this week it is allocating $498 million for grants to states to help healthcare facilities improve their ability to cope with bioterrorist attacks and other emergencies that could cause many casualties.