Recent News

By Region: North America

Obama administration takes new action to improve public health

(HHS) Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced new investments that will help strengthen the nation’s public health workforce and fight disease and illness. “These investments are part of our work to promote public health and they will help strengthen our efforts to fight disease and illness before they happen,” Secretary Sebelius Read More »

August 30, 2012
| Filed under North America, Policy & Initiatives, and Public Health
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African experts meet over biosafety protocol

(Africa Science News) Delegates from 15 African countries signatories to the Cartagena Protocol are meeting Tuesday in Pretoria, South Africa to review and discuss matters touching on the implementation of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. The meeting is a preparatory session for the sixth Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties Read More »

August 29, 2012
| Filed under Africa, Asia/Pacific, North America, South Asia, Biosafety, and International
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Rare Rodent-Borne Disease Hantavirus, Connected to Two deaths, Third Illness Confirmed

(The Guardian Express) Hantaviruses are negative sense RNA viruses in the Bunyaviridae family. Humans may be infected with this virus through rodent bites, urine, and saliva or contact with rodent waste products. Some of these viruses can be potentially fatal in humans causing hemorrhagic fever and worse. In recent days two deaths have been the Read More »

August 29, 2012
| Filed under Africa, North America, Agents & Toxins, International, and Public Health
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Salmonella Strain Linked to Multistate Outbreak Found at Cantaloupe Farm

(Food Safety News) The strain of Salmonella that has now sickened 178 people in 21 states has been found on samples of cantaloupes from the southwestern Indiana farm previously suspected to be the source of the bacteria, confirming the link between the grower and the ongoing outbreak. Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Read More »

August 29, 2012
| Filed under North America, Agriculture, and Public Health
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Antibiotic residues in sausage meat may promote pathogen survival

(EurekAlert) Antibiotic residues in uncured pepperoni or salami meat are potent enough to weaken helpful bacteria that processors add to acidify the sausage to make it safe for consumption, according to a study to be published in mBio®, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology, on August 28. Sausage manufacturers commonly inoculate Read More »