A total of 22 people in San Francisco fell ill in August in an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to Burma Superstar, a restaurant in the Richmond neighborhood, according to an outbreak report released Monday
Continue Reading Final Report: 22 Sickened in Bay Area Burma Superstar E. Coli Outbreak
Social Media Apps Use Twitter to Track Illness Outbreaks
The opportunity to use social media platforms to report and track foodborne illnesses is becoming increasingly feasible as more and more people use social media to discuss the ins and outs of daily life. In
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Tracking Down the Source of Outbreaks: It’s Complicated
At an FDA lab in Denver, Microbiologist Melissa Nucci preps for testing peanut butter samples for Salmonella. Photo courtesy of FDA’s flickr. With a globalized food supply brought to us by increasingly complex supply chains,
Continue Reading Tracking Down the Source of Outbreaks: It’s Complicated
Publisher’s Platform: It is Past Time to Step Up on Foodborne Illness Surveillance
Cyclospora outbreak going on since June 1 and we do not know the source. Did you hear the joke about the two doctors and a trial lawyer? I am sure there might be something funny
Continue Reading Publisher’s Platform: It is Past Time to Step Up on Foodborne Illness Surveillance
Cyclospora Outbreak Highlights Differing Epidemiology Philosophies
As state and federal officials continue working to pinpoint the source of the June Cyclospora outbreak that sickened at least 275 people in the Midwest, one prominent epidemiologist has criticized the investigation’s speed and effectiveness.
Continue Reading Cyclospora Outbreak Highlights Differing Epidemiology Philosophies
Public Health: Are We Too Slow?
This article was co-authored by Dr. Kathleen Vidoloff, Emergency Risk Communication Officer for Oregon Public Health Division, and Dr. Jean O’Connor, former Oregon Deputy Public Health Director. One of the many roles of public health
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Hawaii E. coli Outbreak Offers Lesson on Challenges of Epidemiology
More than a month after the Hawaii State Department of Health announced an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 on the island of Oahu, epidemiologists at the agency say they still hope to determine the source
Continue Reading Hawaii E. coli Outbreak Offers Lesson on Challenges of Epidemiology
CDC Launches iPad App Game for Playing Outbreak Detective
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has launched a “Solve the Outbreak” iPad app that lets people play disease outbreak investigator, as if they were in the agency’s Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS). According to
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More Salmonella Illnesses Linked to Contaminated Mangoes
Health officials today reported 2 more Salmonella illnesses linked to mangoes imported from Mexico, bringing the case count up from 103 — as reported yesterday — to 105. The 2 newly recorded illnesses were in
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Publishers Platform: How can we stop outbreaks earlier
Looking at the Salmonella Tuna Scrape (they really need a better name for it) outbreak numbers yesterday, it got me spending some of my day at work today looking at CDC data over the last
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