Following a series of recent, high-profile outbreaks of Escherichia coli and Salmonella infections, several U.S. lawmakers announced plans this week to make food safety a top priority when the new Democrat-majority Congress convenes in January. A key part of reform could focus on legislation first introduced in 1999 by Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) that would place the food safety divisions of the Department of Agriculture and the Food & Drug Administration under one umbrella. DeLauro will chair the House agriculture appropriations subcommittee staring in January 2007, and confirms that her first hearing will focus on food safety.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), 76 million cases of foodborne illnesses are reported annually in the U.S. Among the notable national food security problems over the past months are those involving organically-grown spinach, tomatoes and, most recently, a suspected lettuce-based gastrointestinal illness outbreak associated with Taco Bell restaurants.

The original DeLauro-Durban act proposed creating a new agency that would require the registration and regular inspection of slaughterhouses, food processing, storage and distribution facilities, as well as a sampling program to ensure that food industry procedures are effective and food products meet established safety standards.

Expectations are that any legislation will undergo a good deal of scrutiny. Despite the recent high profile cases, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) data show that reports of foodborne illness have actually declined in recent years, with E. coli, Listeria and Salmonella infections trending downward between 9 and 32 percent since 1998.

The Water Quality & Health Council (WQ&HC) has launches a new one-stop resource for flu prevention information, personal health awareness tips and home disinfection guidelines. Found at http://www.waterandhealth.org/flu, the flu information and preparedness resources were developed to keep individuals, families and communities healthy and prepared throughout the flu season and all year round.

Following the tagline "Everybody Can Help Prevent the Flu", the WQ&HC microsite emphasizes back-to-basics personal hygiene and an awareness that everyone is responsible for public health as the keys to a healthier community. A hallmark of the site, the WQ&HC's "4 Simple Steps to Reducing Flu Risk" brings together the following basic and effective flu prevention recommendations:

1. Get Your Yearly Flu Vaccine
2. Practice Good Personal Hygiene
3. Use disinfectants in your home to reduce the spread of viruses
4. Stay home if you become ill

In addition to the seasonal flu information, the WQ&HC has also gathered up-to-date pandemic flu preparedness information and resources from a variety of government agency and organizational sources. Featured on the site is a WQ&HC original - Dr. Ralph's Flu Preparedness Closet, a family-friendly home preparedness checklist developed to help families prepare for a potential long-term social-distancing that may occur in the event of a pandemic flu outbreak. From drinking water to prescription medications to a supply of disinfecting chorine bleach, Dr. Ralph provides an easy-to-use resource for making sure families are prepared to stay safe and secure during a pandemic flu event.

The WQ&HC's flu preparedness microsite can be found at:
http://waterandhealth.org/flu/index.html

To download Dr. Ralph's Flu Preparedness Closet, please go to:
http://waterandhealth.org/flu/drralph_checklist.pdf

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), up to 1.8 million people are at risk for outbreaks of cholera, malaria and other infectious diseases following major flooding across East Africa. Six weeks of unusually heavy rains have caused waterways to overflow, displacing more than 1 million people and killing at least 150. Currently the nations most affected by the flooding and potential disease episodes are Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia.

While no official confirmation has been given by health officials in the region, it is believed that drinking and household water sources have been contaminated since latrines and shallow wells in the affected areas have collapsed or have been buried under the flood waters. Based on recent WHO reports, up to 40,000 cases of acute diarrheal disease have been reported in Ethiopia alone during the flooding, including 403 deaths.

The inadequacy of disease outbreak preparedness, including low vaccination rates, lack of stockpiling emergency medicines and equipment, and poor infection control in healthcare facilities continue to be a key concern of WHO.

For information on the East African floods from The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), please click on ReliefWeb - Horn of Africa Floods 2006

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced it is funding a new global drinking water initiative, promoting household water filtration and purification in communities that lack access to clean household water resources. The five-year, $17 million global project will be led by the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH) and will reportedly begin in India. The World Bank has estimated that 21% of all communicable disease in India is due to poor water quality.

The World Health Organization (WHO estimates that approximately one out of every six people worldwide lack access to safe drinking water, causing an estimated 2 million deaths each year.

The new PATH effort will target "the end of the pipeline" - individual households where clean water can reduce the risk of disease. In a recent Associated Press interview, a PATH spokesperson demonstrated the simple steps that can be taken to provide safe household drinking water. By adding inexpensive iron sulfate powder and chlorine to a muddy water sample, the water was separated from the impurities and disinfected for safe use.

PATH will be working with manufacturers, including Proctor & Gamble (makers of PUR® Purifier of Water sachets) and Unilever to develop household water treatment products as well as affordable table-top water purification systems.

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.