Category: Disease Investigation

Coming (Back) to America? What 2013 Can Teach Us About Dengue in the United States

jumbled picture of words related to dengue fever

By Tyler Sharp 2013 was a banner year for dengue in the United States: an outbreak with 22 associated cases was identified in Florida; another outbreak was detected in south Texas along the U.S./Mexico border;  Aedes aegypti, the most efficient mosquito vector of dengue, was detected in central-California; a locally acquired dengue case was detected Read More >

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Outbreak of Meningitis Causing Health Officials to Look Overseas for Help

male scientist working in lab

By Thomas Clark, MD, MPH This time last year public health officials were grappling with a meningitis outbreak linked to fungus found in tainted medication.  Now officials are trying to rein in a different outbreak of meningitis, more specifically meningococcal disease, popping up on a college campus, including Princeton University. Read More >

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Just One Breath: How Voices of Valley Fever Were Heard Coast to Coast

By William Heisel One year ago, valley fever was a disease that few people outside of Arizona or Central California had heard of. Caused by breathing in spores from a fungus that grows in the dirt throughout the Southwest, coccidioidomycosis – as it is formally known – can cause serious illness and a painful death. It spreads Read More >

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The Reality of Outbreak Investigations: Dengue in Angola

Aerial view of Angola

By Tyler Sharp and Ryan R. Hemme Wanna know a secret? Here it is. Chances are, the same reason you’re reading this blog is why many folks at CDC do what they do: a fascination with infectious diseases and a desire to help others. Although the work of CDC employees is frequently glamorized in movies Read More >

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The Next Monopoly? What “Pandemic” teaches us about public health

Close up of the Pandemic board game

By Sherline Lee Even for an epidemiologist who works in public health preparedness and response, being asked to explain to the public what we do at CDC can be difficult.   Read More >

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From CDC to ABC: H7N9 from Hong Kong

Taking on the role of interim CDC director can be an intimidating task, but an impending pandemic can make the position exponentially more daunting. This is the situation Dr. Richard Besser faced in 2009 when he stepped into his new job. But Besser took the task head on and guided the country’s premier health agency Read More >

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