Epidemics and pandemics

Food poisoning outbreaks prompt oversight efforts, I
In 1973, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) employed 35,000 inspectors; in 2007, the FDA employed 6,700 inspectors; at the same time, food imports into the U.S. increased exponentially
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World's swine flu cases top 6,000
There are now 33 countries reporting an estimated total of 6,080 confirmed swine flu cases, including 3,009 in 45 U.S. states, 2,446 in Mexico, and 358 in Canada; the death total is relatively low — 65, of which 60 were in Mexico, three in the United States, one in Canada, and one in Costa Rica
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UCI awarded $45 million for infectious disease research
Research facility receives finds to improve detection, treatment, and vaccine development
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Swine flu spread justifies treating it as a pandemic
The spread of the swine flu justifies treating it as an epidemic; researchers calculate that, in Mexico, on average, each person who contracts flu passes it on to between 1.4 and 1.6 other people; whenever this number — called the reproductive number — is more than 1, it means that a disease is transmissible
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Personal air-purification system to fight epidemics
London-based Tri-Air develops a personal air-purification system — it may be attached to one’s belt — which simulates the natural purification properties of fresh air; it creates airborne cascades of hydroxyl radicals, which naturally occur outdoors, to destroy microbes that could include viruses
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Start-up offers technology to stop spread of communicable diseases
Israeli start-up CartaSense has a monitoring technology — a tag that integrates a sensor, battery, micro controller, non-volatile memory, and a radio frequency circuit that transmits to a control unit — that allows farmers to know each animal’s vital statistics
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Artificial flower kills mosquitoes dead with poisonous nectar
Georgia Southern University researcher develops artificial flower which lure disease-carrying mosquitoes with its bright colors and sweet smell — and then kills them with its poisonous nectar; Professor Thomas Kollars: “One man can’t defeat mosquitoes. They have killed more people than all wars combined. But I can start being part of the team that defeats them”
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Japan to start developing swine flu vaccine
CDC sends Japan’s National Institute of Infectious Diseases a sample of the new type of flu strain, and NIID will begin to work on a modified swine flu virus, then distribute the virus to four Japanese vaccine makers and institutions
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PrimerDesign to develop DNA tests for Mexican strain of swine flu
U.K. company races against the clock to produce the world’s first DNA test for the Mexican strain of swine flu
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Computer simulation of swine flu worst case in U.S. projects 1,700 cases
Computer simulation of worst-case swine flu epidemic in the United States projects 1,700 cases in four weeks from now; affected locations largely correspond to major transportation hubs in the country
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CDC shipping new flu test kit
CDC is shipping new test kits to the states to expedite testing of people with flu-like symptoms; also, a lab with the new test has been set up in Mexico
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Airport flu scanners as global health alert increases
Australian government orders all airports to use thermal imaging systems to detect passengers who may be infected with swine flu; the scanners can detect if a passenger has a raised body temperature
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Travel ban will not meaningfully slow spread of epidemic
Computer modelers say that travel restrictions will do more harm (economic damage) than good (slow the spread of the flu); prevention and treatment are better measures
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Lancet: Pandemic closer but not inevitable
Prestigious British health journal said “The world has moved closer towards a pandemic, but it is not yet inevitable”
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US-CERT warns of swine flu-related phishing scams
The swine flu outbreak is about two weeks old, but criminals are already e-mailing millions of phishing e-mails which purport to offer the latest information about the disease
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