Past Updates from the Clinician Registry Listserv

Update Sent March 02, 2009

NOTE: This document is provided for historical purposes only and may not provide our most accurate and up-to-date information. The most current Clinician's information can be found on the Clinician Home Page.

The following updates were made to CDC information and guidance from February 23 - March 2, 2009. If you have any questions on these or other clinical issues, please write to us at coca@cdc.gov.

Today's topics Include:

COCA Call Reminder
Food Safety
Pandemic Influenza
Infectious Diseases
Seasonal Influenza
Travelers' Health

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COCA Call Reminder

Investigating Respiratory Disease Outbreaks: An integrated approach to investigations, specimen collection, and pathogen identification

Date: Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM ET

Please visit the COCA website for the presenter slides and dial-in information at:
http://www.emergency.cdc.gov/coca/callinfo.asp

Food Safety

Washington Firm Recalls Frozen Ground Chicken Products That May Contain Foreign Materials - USDA - Feb. 27
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the recall of approximately 13,776 pounds of frozen, ground chicken products from Lucy's Enterprises, Inc., a Kent, Wash., establishment as the products may contain foreign materials.

16-ounce packages of "Trader Joe's, Chile Lime Chicken Burgers," with the date code "3158" embossed on the side of the box. Each package contains four chicken burgers. The products were distributed to Trader Joe stores nationwide
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_008_2009_Release/index.asp

Marron Foods Recalls Instant Non Fat Dry Milk Boxes That May Contain Foreign Material - FDA - Feb. 27
Marron Foods, a Durand, WI. company is voluntarily recalling approximately 140 cases of Non Fat Dry Milk that may contain a piece of metal that came off the packaging equipment which was discovered as part of regular maintenance. Swallowing fragments of metal may constitute a choking hazard. Product was distributed in Safeway Food stores nationally.
http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/marron02_09.html

Search for Peanut Butter Product Recalls - FDA - Updated Daily
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to maintain the searchable database that will be updated as new information becomes available: http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/peanutbutterrecall/index.cfm

Pandemic Influenza

Scientists Identify Lab-Made Proteins That Neutralize Multiple Strains of Seasonal and Pandemic Flu Viruses - NIH - Feb. 22
Scientists have identified a small family of lab-made proteins that neutralize a broad range of influenza A viruses, including the H5N1 avian virus, the 1918 pandemic influenza virus and seasonal H1N1 flu viruses. These human monoclonal antibodies, identical infection-fighting proteins derived from the same cell lineage, also were found to protect mice from illness caused by H5N1 and other influenza A viruses.
http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/news/newsreleases/2009/flu_mab.htm

NIAID Media Availability: Flu Virus Foiled Again: Second Research Team Finds Same Common Achilles’ Heel in Seasonal and Pandemic Flu Viruses - NIH - Feb. 26
Researchers at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, supported in part by the National Institutes of Health, have identified a common Achilles’ heel in a wide range of seasonal and pandemic influenza A viruses.
http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/news/newsreleases/2009/flu_universal.htm

Infectious Diseases

Completeness and Timeliness of Reporting of Meningococcal Disease— Maine, 2001–2006 - CDC MMWR - Feb. 27
Neisseria meningitidis is an important cause of invasive bacterial disease in the United States, with a total of 1,077 cases of meningococcal disease reported in 2007. The case-fatality ratio is 10%–14%, and 11%–19% of survivors have long-term sequelae.
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5807a3.htm

Lab Tests Show Two-Drug Combination Effective Against Drug-Resistant TB Bacteria - NIH - Feb. 26
In a finding that could soon help people infected with untreatable, highly drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB), scientists have shown that two FDA-approved drugs work in tandem to kill laboratory-grown strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the bacterium that causes TB.
http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/news/newsreleases/2009/TB_drug_combo.htm

Seasonal Influenza

Seasonal Influenza Weekly Report: Influenza Summary Update - CDC - Feb. 27
During week 7 (February 15-21, 2009), influenza activity increased slightly in the United States.
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/

Weekly US Map - CDC- Feb. 27
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/usmap.htm

Taking Care of Yourself: What to Do if You Get Sick with Flu - CDC -
Updated Feb. 23
While getting a flu vaccine each year is the best way to protect against flu, influenza antiviral drugs can fight against influenza, offering a second line of defense against the flu.
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/takingcare.htm

Travelers' Health

Cholera in Zimbabwe and Neighboring Countries - CDC - Feb. 27
An outbreak of cholera has been reported by health officials in Zimbabwe. According to the United Nations Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, from August 26 through February 25, 2009, 83,265 suspected cases and 3,877 deaths have been reported in the country.
http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/contentCholeraZimbabwe.aspx

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