I asked our AI friends – What are the pros and cons of replacing FDA Commissioner Makary with me – here is the response? This is a very timely question — Makary resigned as FDA Commissioner today, May 12, 2026, amid reports of internal tensions and policy clashes, with the vaping dispute reportedly being a […]
During June of 1999, both the Washington State Health Department and the Oregon Health Division independently investigated clusters of diarrheal illness attributed to Salmonella serotype muenchen infections in each state. As of July 13, 1999, 15 states and two Canadian provinces had reported 207 confirmed cases associated with this outbreak; additional 91 cases of S. […]
This outbreak arises out of Salmonella enteriditis infections that occurred at the Wyndham Anatole Hotel in Dallas, Texas during March and April of 2002. According to Robert Tauxe, of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the Wyndham Salmonella outbreak is geographically the largest in history and the first outbreak to involve the residents of all […]
On December 1, 2000, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) issued a press release stating that 17 Minnesota citizens had been infected with the same strain of the E. coli O157:H7 bacteria during November 2000. Most of the individuals consumed ground beef from SuperValu/Cub Food stores, and days later began to show signs of infection. […]
On June 30, 2003, Lake County Health Department (LCHD) received a report from Lake Forest Hospital indicating that a patient was ill with a Salmonella infection. The LCHD immediately contacted the patient and interviewed him, using a questionnaire that is standard for the epidemiological investigation of foodborne illness outbreaks. One of the first things learned […]
In mid-October, 1999, an unusually high number of hepatitis-A cases were reported among individuals residing in Northeast Seattle and Snohomish County. At the same time, the Snohomish Health District reported an increased number of hepatitis-A cases reported among individuals who resided in Snohomish County, but who worked in the Northeast Seattle area. Because the infected […]
According to the Final Reports issued by the State on October 6 and 9, 2000, the outbreak was first noted on July 24 when staff at Children’s Hospital notified the City of Milwaukee Health Department regarding a cluster of E. coli O157:H7 cases. Eventually, sixty-four confirmed cases were discovered – 62 linked to the Layton […]
Doctors at Penrose St. Francis Health Services in Colorado quickly determined that the cause of William and Alexander’s diarrheal illness was likely to be infectious since both boys were experiencing similar symptoms. Each child submitted a stool specimen on August 16, 2005. Preliminary laboratory results were released on August 18 and showed that “sorbitol negative […]
BJ’s Wholesale Club, Inc. (“BJ’s”) is a membership-only supermarket that offers, according to its website, a “no-frills” environment [that] helps keep prices low. When you walk into a BJ’s, you’ll find cement floors, open-beamed ceilings, simple shelving – and plenty of savings.” What BJ’s members are not supposed to find are ground beef products contaminated […]
In late October 2004, the North Carolina Division of Public Health (NCDPH) received several reports of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) among North Carolina residents who had attended the State Fair, which ran from October 14 to 24 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Since attendance at the fair typically averages 800,000 visitors annually, the NCDPH recognized the […]
On August 22, 2000, Marion County Health investigators contacted the Oregon Health Department to report that a number of County residents were suffering from E. coli O157:H7. Three days later Wendy’s International, Inc voluntarily closed its Salem restaurant. The findings by the Marion Health Department made the link to this Wendy’s restaurant clear: The matched […]
On July 17, 2002, Spokane Regional Health District (SRHD) contacted the Washington State Department of Health (WDOH) to report a cluster of diarrheal illnesses among a group of teenaged girls who had recently attended a drill team dance camp at Eastern Washington University (EWU). Laboratory tests conducted the WDOH Public Health Laboratory would later confirm […]
Late in the day on Friday, August 29, 2003, staff in the Communicable Disease (CD) section at the St. Clair County Health Department (SCCHD) received a telephone call from Brett Hellinga, a Sangamon County (Illinois) resident, who reported that he, his roommate and fiance (Jamie Eastwood Hellinga), and a friend from Rantoul, Illinois (Katie Reed) […]
In late June of 2002, residents of Monroe County began to fall ill with Salmonella infections. As their illnesses were confirmed by laboratory testing, hospitals and doctors began reporting the illnesses to the Monroe County Health Department. By June 22, the total number of confirmed cases had reached 17. According to the Health Department, the […]
On May 12, 2004, the Oregon State Public Health Laboratory identified a cluster of five patients infected with Salmonella Enteritidis (SE). The isolates of these patients stool cultures were found to be genetically indistinguishable through the use of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). The five patients were from four Oregon counties and had onsets of illness […]
Pennsylvania State health officials first learned of a potential HAV outbreak from emergency room doctors in Beaver County, who reported an unusually high number of hepatitis A cases in late October, 2003. Investigators from the health department began investigating the people who had fallen ill, and determined that the common thread for all was having […]