CDC warning system proves itself during E. coli outbreak

There is plenty of blame to go around for the recent E. coli outbreak, and we have not been shy about pointing out the possible cuplrits. We would be remiss, however, if we did not point out some of the heroes as well. Lost amid the outrage is the fact that, although many food proccessors obviously did not behave as well as they might have, federal and state authorities did — thanks to, of all companies, Jack in the Box. It was a 1993 E. coli outbreak at that hamburger chain that inspired the creation of a food safety surveillance system coordinated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that permits public-health officials to share information and communicate quickly during an outbreak.

At the system’s center is PulseNet, a computer network made up of public health laboratories around the country. As scientists find and identify strains of infectious diseases, the results are uploaded to the CDC, where their DNA is compared against other submitted samples. During this month’s outbreak, scientists in Wisconsin were the first to report E. coli infections to PulseNet. Five days later reports began coming in about possible E. coli in Oregon as well. Surveys of infected patients in both states indicated a pattern of spinach eating, and so CDC officials immediately asked for a DNA analysis of the Oregon strain. The two matched up exactly, prompting the Food and Drug Administartion to immediately issue a warning against eating bagged spinach. All told, it took less than a day to identify a shared strain and warn the public. Not bad for a government initiative. Not bad at all.

-read more in Jane Zhang’s Wall Street Journal report