Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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Squeamish Feds Learn From 1976 Swine Flu Debacle

Panic and Gerald Ford caused hundreds to receive unnecessary shot

(Newser) - Federal health officials are hoping to avoid a catastrophic case of déjà vu as they develop plans to inoculate Americans against swine flu, the Washington Post reports. A vaccine released during the 1976 flu outbreak left dozens dead and hundreds reporting serious side effects like blindness and paralysis. Now,...

Flu-Phobic Consider Intentional Infection

(Newser) - With panic over the H1N1 flu virus on the wane, some Americans are pondering allowing themselves to become infected in hopes of building immunity against potentially more virulent strains, the New York Times reports. Doctors are split on the idea. "I think it's totally nuts," says a flu...

US Sees 2nd Flu Death; CDC Eases Up on Schools

(Newser) - Texas health officials said today that a US woman who lived near the Mexico border has died from swine flu—the second death in the nation and first of a US resident, USA Today reports. The news, however, comes amid continued confidence that the H1N1 virus remains relatively mild here,...

Firm Warned of Flu Weeks Before WHO Alert

Watchdog discovered threat in daily Web scan; notified CDC

(Newser) - A company that specializes in biosurveillance issued a warning about swine flu more than two weeks before the World Health Organization announced the possible threat, McClatchy reports. The Washington state firm, Veratect, scans tens of thousands of Web sites every day in search of potential medical concerns. It reported a...

1976 Swine Flu Scare Taught What Not to Do

Threat led to backlash against flu vaccine

(Newser) - No matter how health officials handle the possible swine flu outbreak, it's likely to go better than it did in 1976. Back then, the government ordered a mass inoculation after one man in New Jersey died of the flu and others were sickened, the Los Angeles Times reports. Within 10...

Obama Exposed to Possible Swine Flu Case

(Newser) - President Barack Obama was exposed this month in Mexico to a potential case of swine flu the day before the ailing Mexican official died, reports the Independent. Distinguished archeologist Felipe Solis, who met Obama at a state dinner, showed the president around Mexico's anthropology museum 11 days ago during Obama's...

Perry Asks Feds for Swine Flu Meds

Seems like only yesterday he was talkin' 'bout a secession

(Newser) - Turning sharply from tea party-inspired talk of secession, Texas Gov. Rick Perry is responding to three known cases of swine flu in his state by asking the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to hand over 37,430 precautionary doses of antiviral meds, the San Marcos Daily Record reports....

8 NYC Students Have Swine Flu, CDC Says

Bloomberg confirms suspicions, awaits tests on more students

(Newser) - The CDC has confirmed that eight New York City schoolchildren were infected with swine flu, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said today, stressing that the cases were mild and many are recovering. The city is awaiting the tests of additional samples to see if more students are infected. Some students at St....

Swine Flu Cases Rise to 11 in US; 8 Probable in NYC

'We don’t think we can contain the spread of this virus:' CDC official

(Newser) - Swine flu pandemic fears grew today as three new cases surfaced in Kansas and California, bringing the US total to 11. Meanwhile, doctors diagnosed eight "probable" cases among New York City schoolchildren, MSNBC reports. The US victims appear to be recovering, in contrast to Mexico, where 81 people have...

CDC Prepares Swine Flu Vaccine

(Newser) - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has prepared a seed stock of vaccine for the swine flu that has killed dozens in Mexico and infected a handful of Americans, Time reports. The CDC has not begun mass production of the vaccine, opting instead to see if the outbreak reaches...

Bizarre Swine Flu Strikes West

Newly detected swine flu virus may be spreading from person to person

(Newser) - Seven people in California and Texas have been struck by swine flu despite having no contact with pigs, the Los Angeles Times reports. Baffled investigators believe the unusual, newly detected form of the flu may be spreading from person to person. The symptoms are similar to standard influenza, leading officials...

CDC Soft-Pedaled Signs of DC Lead Poisoning
CDC Soft-Pedaled Signs of DC Lead Poisoning
investigation
Apr 10, 2009 12:53 PM CDT

CDC Soft-Pedaled Signs of DC Lead Poisoning

(Newser) - A CDC report withheld evidence linking water contamination to lead poisoning in Washington, DC, children, reports Salon. The 2004 study said city water caused only slightly increased blood lead levels, but thousands of blood tests were missing from the influential report, which may have skewed results. And just 3 years...

US Food Safety Not Improving: Feds

CDC shows plateau in food sickenings over the last three years

(Newser) - The safety of the US food supply from disease or contamination has not significantly improved in recent years, the New York Times reports today. A survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that occurrences of major illnesses from tainted food have held steady for the past 3...

Rocket Fuel Chemical Found in Baby Formula

(Newser) - Traces of a chemical used in rocket fuel have been found in several brands of powdered baby formula, according to a CDC study. The chemical, perchlorate, has also been found in several cities’ water supplies; if that water is combined with contaminated formula, it could exceed the level of perchlorate...

American Salt Intake Is 2X Too High

(Newser) - Most Americans eat way too much salt, and people with salt-sensitive medical conditions consume twice as much as they should, Scientific American reports. The American average is 3,456 milligrams per day. The FDA guideline for someone not at risk is 2,300 milligrams, or one teaspoon. For older people,...

Pet-Related Falls Injure Thousands
Pet-Related Falls
Injure Thousands
Mar 27, 2009 1:40 AM CDT

Pet-Related Falls Injure Thousands

A study has found that 1% of emergency room trips are due to falls linked to pets

(Newser) - America's dogs and cats are responsible for 86,000 serious falls a year, the Washington Post reports. A federal study found that 1% of all emergency room visits for fall-related injuries were the result of owners tripping over pets or being pulled off balance during walks. Dogs were blamed for...

Would Better Laws Have Caught Salmonella Scare?
Would Better Laws Have Caught Salmonella Scare?
ANALYSIS
Feb 23, 2009 6:33 PM CST

Would Better Laws Have Caught Salmonella Scare?

(Newser) - A third of US states do not require testing of the salmonella bacteria involved in reported illnesses, possibly hampering national efforts to identify outbreaks, MSNBC reports. If testing were mandatory, proponents say, a strain’s widespread dissemination could be more quickly identified and the source more easily pinpointed. But states...

Peanut Corp Closes Texas Plant
 Peanut Corp Closes Texas Plant 
Feb 10, 2009 10:56 AM CST

Peanut Corp Closes Texas Plant

Firm linked to salmonella outbreak suspends operations at 2nd facility

(Newser) - The peanut company at the center of an investigation into a deadly national salmonella outbreak said today that it has suspended operations at a second processing plant. Peanut Corp. of America said in a statement that it was voluntarily suspending operations at its Plainview, Texas, plant while state and federal...

Tamiflu Useless Against Dominant Flu Strain

Substitute isn't safe for everyone

(Newser) - The dominant flu strain circulating in much of the US is nearly 100% resistant to Tamiflu, the most commonly used antiviral, the Los Angeles Times reports. Despite a milder than usual flu season, the resistance is still causing concern, and the CDC is advising doctors to substitute Tamiflu with Relenza,...

Salmonella Outbreak Raises a Red Flag

'We're lucky,' but drug-resistant bacteria lie in wait, experts warn

(Newser) - The ongoing salmonella outbreak has sickened hundreds of people and played a part in eight deaths, and that's the good news, experts tell MSNBC. The strain in question responds to the standard treatment, but other varieties of the salmonella bacteria have become increasingly resistant to antibiotics in recent decades."...

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