Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Little Progress In Curbing Two Foodborne Bugs That Cause The Most Illness
Reuters: U.S. Report Shows Mixed Progress On Curbing Foodborne Pathogens
U.S. cases of two deadly types of foodborne pathogens have fallen sharply since 2008, but rates of other key types of foodborne bugs have increased, according to the latest report on nine pathogens tracked by health officials. "The picture is mixed," said Dr. Patricia Griffin of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's division of foodborne diseases, adding, "Most of it is not good news." Despite making progress in certain areas, U.S. health officials have made no progress in curbing overall rates of Salmonella and Campylobacter - two pathogens that cause the highest number of illnesses in people. (Steenhuysen, 5/14)
The Wall Street Journal: When E. Coli Becomes A Business Opportunity
Dozens of companies are sprouting to help U.S. food makers tackle a wave of new federal safety regulations and intensified enforcement of the nation’s food laws. The startups are racing to capitalize on the need by farms and food processors to step up vigilance of food-borne pathogens after a string of outbreaks in the last decade have sickened thousands, prompting a major overhaul of U.S. food safety laws and stepped-up criminal prosecutions of executives at companies implicated in the cases. (Newman, 5/14)
In other health and science news -
The New York Times: U.S. Introduces New DNA Standard For Ensuring Accuracy Of Genetic Tests
The federal government opened the door to a new era of genetic medicine on Thursday by introducing a standard way to ensure the accuracy of DNA tests used to tailor treatments for individual patients. Scientists have identified hundreds of genetic mutations that appear to increase the risk of diseases, including cancer, Alzheimer’s and cystic fibrosis. But laboratories often report different results when they analyze genes obtained from samples of the same blood or tissue, because of variations in their testing equipment and methods. (Pear, 5/14)
