Category: outbreak

No Genome is an Island

Vibrio vulnificus bacteria

There was no cholera in Haiti until October 2010, when epidemic cholera swept the country. Within 6 months, more than 250,000 people were sickened and 4,000 died. A catastrophic earthquake earlier that year had exacerbated human and environmental risks by displacing millions of people and disrupting public health infrastructure. But there would have been no Read More >

Posted on by Marta Gwinn, Consultant, McKing Consulting Corp, Office of Public Health Genomics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention1 CommentTags , , , ,

Genomics in Public Health Preparedness: Chance Favors the Prepared Mind

pyramid with Environment (people, animals, plants, microbes) on top; in the left corner Pathogen (bacterial, viral, parasite); in the right corner Host (human, animal)

Contagion, catastrophe, even “zombie apocalypse”— whatever the threat, an all hazards approach goes a long way toward protecting individuals and communities. But besides delivering broad-spectrum medical and technical support, the public health system has to be ready to investigate. Public health sciences help keep “better safe than sorry” from becoming “better luck next time” by Read More >

Posted on by Marta Gwinn, Consultant, McKing Consulting Corp, Office of Public Health Genomics, Centers for Disease Control and PreventionLeave a commentTags , , , , , , , ,

Genome vs. Genome: E. Coli Sprouts in Germany

sprouts

Public health officials around the world are watching what they hope is the final stage of a massive outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infections that began in Germany in May. On June 10, officials of the German federal disease control center, the Robert Koch Institut, announced that raw vegetable sprouts were indeed the Read More >

Posted on by Marta Gwinn, Consultant, McKing Consulting Corp, Office of Public Health Genomics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention5 CommentsTags , , , , ,