Dec 11, 2009
Many food facilities flout FDA registration rules
A study of a sample of US food facilities shows that many did not comply fully with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) registration rules designed to help trace contaminated foods, according to the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General (OIG). The office examined registration compliance at a "purposive sample" of 130 food facilities. Officials found that 5% of the facilities had not registered with the FDA and that 48% had not provided accurate information, such as emergency contact phone numbers. More than half (52%) of the facility managers said they were unaware of the FDA's registration requirements. The OIG recommended several steps to improve the situation; the FDA generally agreed with the advice and said it has already begun some of the recommended steps.
HHS OIG report
WHO confirms Vietnam's latest H5N1 case
The World Health Organization (WHO) today confirmed Vietnam's latest human case of H5N1 avian influenza, a fatal illness that was reported by Vietnamese media Dec 1. The victim was a 23-year-old man who lived in Dien Bien Phu; he fell ill Nov 18 and died 10 days later. His case increased Vietnam's H5N1 count to 112 cases with 57 deaths. Earlier reports said the man had eaten duck blood pudding before he got sick, but the WHO said the source of his exposure is still under investigation.
Dec 11 WHO statement
