Category: Disease Outbreak

Rabies Scare Leads to Quick Public Health Action

Bats

By Jacquelyn Lickness When a hospital in South Carolina spotted bats flying through its facility, officials sprang into action launching an investigation to prevent a possible rabies outbreak. Because bats are commonly infected with the virus, any contact with the flying mammals is taken very seriously. The hospital quickly involved state public health officials, who then reached Read More >

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Giving Students First Hand Experience

Emory students holding up sheets of paper

By Annum Shaikh We often hear about CDC professionals who are preparing the nation and responding to various public health emergencies. But what about the students who are contributing to these initiatives? Close to the CDC campus in Atlanta resides a group that provides students with practical experience in public health emergency preparedness and the Read More >

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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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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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