Food safety

Zogby Interactive Survey Finds Concern Over Vaccine Safety Cited As Top Reason

Utica, NY - As the H1N1 swine flu vaccine becomes increasingly available, 46% of adults who are considered by the CDC to be members of high priority groups plan to ignore the CDC's recommendation for vaccination. The Zogby International interactive survey also finds that the top reasons high risk adults plan to skip the vaccine include concern over the safety of the vaccine (38%) and a general sense that they simply do not need the vaccine (32%).    » read more »

Requests GAO Audit on Reducing Illnesses and Death Due to Contaminated Raw Oysters; Audit Would Determine Effectiveness of ISSC Risk Management Plan in Reducing Deaths Due to Raw Oysters Contaminated with Vibrio Vulnificus

November 17, 2009 -- Washington, DC -- Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (D-CT) today sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) requesting an audit of the Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference’s (ISSC) risk management plan for Vibrio vulnificus (Vv).

The audit would determine whether the risk management plan being used by the oyster industry, and promoted by the ISSC, is effective in reducing illnesses and death due to oysters contaminated with the Vv bacteria.    » read more »

Bill Will Guarantee Up to Seven Days of Paid Sick Leave for Workers Infected By the H1N1 Virus

November 17, 2009 -- Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-3) today will introduce emergency legislation that will guarantee paid sick days for those who are infected by the H1N1 virus. Last week, Dodd chaired, and Congresswoman DeLauro testified at, a hearing of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Subcommittee on Children and Families in response to the H1N1 pandemic.    » read more »

November 17, 2009 -- The current pandemic of H1N1 influenza highlights vulnerabilities in the world’s plans for dealing with widespread health emergencies, but also offers opportunities to better prepare for more deadly epidemics that will surely arise in the future, experts said at a recent symposium held in New York City.

The 16 October meeting, sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations and the journal Science, brought together experts on science, economics, public health and foreign relations to assess the impact of the flu pandemic and future implications.    » read more »

US interim data show lower doses of antigen may suffice to generate a protective immune response against A(H1N1)

Basel, November 17, 2009 - Novartis announced today new interim data from ongoing clinical trials demonstrating that a single 7.5µg dose of the company's influenza A(H1N1) 2009 unadjuvanted vaccine, half of the currently-approved US dose, fulfilled immune response criteria associated with protection in adults and the elderly (>=65 years of age).    » read more »

Last Week Schumer Requested The FTC Step Up Enforcement Actions Against Websites Peddling Fake H1N1 Cures and Prevention Methods

November 16, 2009 -- Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is embarking on a major crackdown on companies selling phony H1N1 remedies. As the problem of fake remedies grows worse, and concerns about the H1N1 flu increase, the FTC announced that they would take further enforcement action against ten companies that are peddling fake H1N1 remedies on-line.    » read more »

Protects Families and Assists Farmers

November 16, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. –Today the Senate took another step closer to passing legislation that will give the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the resources it needs to ensure the safety of our nation’s food supply. The Senate Agriculture Committee released the chairman’s draft of the Food Safety Modernization Act, which includes Senator Jeff Merkley’s provisions to improve traceability of contaminated processed foods and protect the organic farming and sustainable agriculture industries.    » read more »

13 November 2009 -- As of 8 November 2009, worldwide more than 206 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, including over 6250 deaths.

As many countries have stopped counting individual cases, particularly of milder illness, the case count is likely to be significantly lower than the actual number of cases that have occurred. WHO is actively monitoring the progress of the pandemic through frequent consultations with the WHO Regional Offices and member states and through monitoring of multiple sources of data.

Situation update:    » read more »

Washington, DC - 11/12/2009 - New polls of voters in selected states – Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Ohio – show overwhelming support for measures that would give the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) new authority to ensure the food Americans eat does not make them sick, according to a new poll commissioned by the Pew Health Group and conducted by a respected bipartisan team of pollsters at Hart Research (Democratic) and Public Opinion Strategies (Republican).

The polls, conducted in October, demonstrated an overwhelming majority of voters support food safety legislation that would give the FDA these new powers.    » read more »

Washington, DC - 11/12/2009 - Over the next several weeks, the U.S. Senate has an historic opportunity to take a major step toward improving food safety for all Americans.

That is why a coalition of public health professionals, consumer organizations and groups representing victims of foodborne illness is sending the message that it is time to “Make Our Food Safe for the Holidays!”    » read more »

Announces Counties Are Conducting Vaccination Clinics As More H1N1 Vaccine Becomes Available

November 13, 2009 -- New York Governor David A. Paterson today announced that county health departments across New York are mobilizing to conduct H1N1 flu vaccination clinics as more vaccine becomes available in the State.

“Due to delays in manufacturing the H1N1 vaccine, our statewide vaccination campaign has not been mobilized as rapidly as we had hoped,” Governor Paterson said. “As we move into the middle of November, more H1N1 vaccine is becoming available, and health care providers are receiving more shipments. Some county health departments have already held vaccination clinics, and others are gearing up to hold them in the next two weeks.”    » read more »

ANNAPOLIS, MD (November 13, 2009) – Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley issued the second in a series of online H1N1 (Swine) Flu web updates on H1N1 (Swine) Flu today, including a status update on the spread of the disease and an update on the seasonal flu and H1N1 vaccines. To date, state officials have ordered 100% of the H1N1 vaccinations available to Maryland distributors, more than 750,000 doses.    » read more »

November 14, 2009 -- AUGUSTA – Two more deaths have been reported linked to H1N1 influenza in Maine, bringing the total to five since August, and a Kennebec County long-term care facility is experiencing an outbreak of H1N1, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control.

A Hancock County resident between the ages of 25 years old and 50 years old and a Kennebec County resident older than 65 years old died last week. Both had H1N1 and both had underlying conditions.    » read more »

Nov 13, 2009 -- BATON ROUGE – Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary Alan Levine today applauded the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) decision to delay a proposed plan banning the interstate sale of untreated raw Gulf oysters in warm months. Both the Governor and Secretary had previously expressed their concerns with the proposal directly to the FDA, which has now agreed to commission a study on both the economic impact of any decision for the oyster industry and how to decrease the incidence of vibrio vulnificus infection.

Governor Jindal sent a letter to FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg on Tuesday, outlining the effects of its proposed regulations on the state’s oyster industry.    » read more »

Panenza®, non-adjuvanted pandemic vaccine, licensed for use in adults and children 6 months of age and older

Lyon, France – November 16, 2009 - Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of the sanofi-aventis Group (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY) announced today that the French drug agency Afssaps (Agence française de sécurité sanitaire des produits de santé) has granted marketing authorization in France for Panenza®, its non-adjuvanted Influenza A(H1N1) 2009 monovalent vaccine, produced at Sanofi Pasteur’s facility in Val de Reuil, France. The vaccine was made available to French health authorities.    » read more »