The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has updated its report to confirm the Salmonella serotype Tennessee contamination was contained within the ConAgra Foods Inc. plant in Sylvester, Georgia. There are no findings that suggest the contamination occurred after the jars of Peter Pan and Great Value brand peanut butter left the manufacturer. While testing continues, government investigators believe the contamination was caused by unclean jars or poorly maintained equipment in the manufacturing facility.

The number of people sickened in the nationwide outbreak currently totals 370 in 42 states.

The contamination also has affected other brands of food though the sale of bulk peanut butter. With reports that peanut butter from the ConAgra plant was sent to a food processing unit in Humboldt, Tennessee, the FDA has issued a warning for the public to discard several brands of ice cream and dessert toppings containing the suspect peanut butter. A recall on those items is also currently in effect.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) reports that Salmonella poisoning causes approximately 600 deaths in the U.S. each year.

For more from the CDC on Salmonellosis, please go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/salmonellosis_g.htm

According to a University of Michigan researcher, a mathematical model focused on the relationship between climate variations and cholera outbreaks may hold the key to reducing the effects of the infectious waterborne disease. Speaking at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, theoretical ecologist Mercedes Pascual addressed the potential use of the model to prevent widespread cholera transmission through the ability to forecast cholera events.

Over the past seven years, researchers at the University of Michigan have found that an environmental phenomenon known as the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) influences cycles of cholera in Bangladesh. As a source of climate variability, ENSO produces weather and environmental consequences around the globe, including redistribution of rains with flooding and droughts.

Currently, Pascual is exploring the possibility of using the model as an early warning system for cholera outbreaks. The model could inform decisions about vaccination programs and targeted disease prevention strategies.

Paraguay has declared a 60-day state of emergency as an outbreak of dengue fever continues to spread across the South American nation. According to Paraguay's health minister, more than 16,200 cases of dengue fever infection and ten fatalities have been reported this year, eight times the total for the all of 2006. Health experts believe that the dramatic rise in the disease cases is due to a heavy rainfall and unusually warm weather, boosting the population of the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

Sometimes known as "bonebreak fever", the majority of the Paraguay cases are standard dengue fever with symptoms that include high fever, intense headaches, and joint and muscle pain. Approximately 50 of the cases are the more severe hemorrhagic form of the disease, which is marked by a sudden fever, rashes and possible internal bleeding.

According to public health officials, covering or removing items that collect water and act as mosquito breeding grounds can help prevent the spread of dengue fever. It is also recommended that containers or receptacles that previously held water should be wiped thoroughly with a strong bleach or chlorine solution.

Recent findings on the outbreak report that the use of expired fumigation chemicals for the past two years may have led to a built-up resistance in the mosquito population. The health official in charge of Paraguay's dengue fever abatement program was recently removed for permitting the use of the expired chemicals.

For more information on the outbreak from the United Nation's ReliefWeb, please go to:
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/dbc.nsf/doc108?OpenForm&rc=2&emid=EP-2007-000031-PRY

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its Human Health Research Program (HHRP) Web site earlier this month. The site is a one-stop resource for information on the agency's public health research, outlining general information about EPA human health studies and providing links to specific research projects.

The HHRP is an integrated, multidisciplinary research program that provides science needed to improve EPA's ability to assess risks to human health from environmental pollutants. The program was established to respond requirements for the Agency to conduct research on human health. These requirements are included in a range of laws, including the Food Quality Protection Act; Clean Air Act; Safe Drinking Water Act; and the Children's Health Act.

The HHRP site is organized into four strategic research themes based on the research program's major goals:

• Biological (Mechanistic) Research
  Research that explores the underlying biological processes triggered by exposure to environmental contaminants
• Cumulative Risk Research Research
  that assists in assessing the overall risk posed by exposure to mixtures of pollutants in the environment
• Research on Susceptible Subpopulations and Lifestages
  Research that provides new data on how environmental pollutants can affect the health of aging populations, children, ethnic/cultural groups and those with genetic and/or medical conditions
• Tools for Risk Management Decisions
  Research aimed at developing the measurement tools and biological indicators needed to help the EPA assess the public health impact of regulatory decisions and determine the effectiveness of actions to reduce health risks

To visit the new EPA Human Health Research Program site, please go to: http://www.epa.gov/hhrp/

In The News-is a bi-weekly, online service from the Water Quality & Health Council.  The publication is updated every other Friday and can be viewed by logging onto www.waterandhealth.org.  To receive the publication via e-mail, please click here and enter your e-mail address to join our mailing list.