The World Needs a Strong CDC!

For the fight against new or emerging pathogens like CRE or tracking huge outbreaks, as seen with the recent contaminated steroid injection disaster, we need a strong and well-funded CDC. Apparently, many former CDC Directors agree. In a recent Politico Editorial, William H. Foege (1977-83); Julie Gerberding (2002-08); Jeffrey P. Koplan (1998-2002), James O. Mason (1983-89); William L. Roper (1990-93); and David Satcher (1993-98) expressed great concern that the CDC isn't properly prepared for the threats they are required to face.

The former Directors used the recent steroid-injection case to highlight how stretched thin the current CDC is. Recently, over 300 staff have been pulled in to help respond to the fungal outbreak leaving multiple food-borne illness outbreaks, novel H3N2v swine flu emergence in the Midwest and global issues like SARS-like viruses arising in the Middle East all without an adequate response from our front line public health defenders. You should read the complete editorial.  I agree with everything they say, well, except when they say "Americans depend on a strong CDC." I think it's the whole world.

image source: wikipedia

Novel H3N2 Influenza in Iowa: More bad news from pig country

PIGS: Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain

When it rains, it pours.  Dr. Patricia Quinlisk, medical director for the Iowa Department of Public Health, announced today that a novel H3N2 influenza A strain had infected three Iowa children.  Evidence points to one child transmitting the virus to the other two. There have been seven prior cases of this strain, all in the US (Maine, Indiana and Pennsylvania) and all apparently linked to animal exposure, which makes the Iowa cases unique. All but one case has been in children under 10 years old, suggesting prior year exposure to H3N2 might be protective. Perhaps it's ironic that this novel swine strain was first transmitted from human-to-human right here in pig country.

Sources: Des Moines Register 11/22/2011 and Winnipeg Free Press 11/22/2011

Addendum: Iowa just added 2,300 jobs, which I think is about double our human population.  I think two job seekers family members (update:  actually just in for Thanksgiving) from other states even moved in with Dan this past weekend.  Getting crowded here, which might be increasing the flu transmission.

Actual update on the virus: "In these ten most recently reported cases, the virus has been a swine H3N2 virus with the M segment gene borrowed from the 2009 H1N1 virus. Essentially a hybrid – a new reassortant virus - that until this summer had not been seen before." source: Avian Flu Diary