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Each year in the United States, a few isolated cases of plague are reported. This year, possibly because of increased spring rains leading to an increase in the rodent population, an unprecedented 13 cases of plagues have occurred in 4 states already.
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Influenza can lead to death from pneumonia as well as exacerbations of underlying diseases of the heart, lungs, or other organ systems. More than 90% of deaths attributed to influenza and pneumonia occur in the elderly, and in the United States the mortality rate has been rising.
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In response to several high-profile drug misadventures including the rofecoxib (Vioxx®) withdrawal from the market, the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) asked the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to assess the drug safety system in the United States.
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Health care workers who care for infants younger than 12 months old should be the first in line to receive the new pertussis vaccine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends.
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Synopsis: Extensive processing and prolonged incubation of blood cultures in patients with fever of unknown origin or of endocarditis were not effective in the detection of etiologic pathogens.
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Investigators have confirmed the first outbreak of invasive infection caused by Aspergillus ustus. The mold rarely infects humans, as only 15 systemic cases have been reported among hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients. In the outbreak, six patients with infections were identified. Three infections each occurred in both 2001 and 2003.
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Petussis outbreaks among health care workers are of special concern because of the risk for transmission to vulnerable patients. Last year, the CDC detailed pertussis outbreaks among health care workers and patients that included hospital outbreaks in Pennsylvania and Oregon.1 The outbreaks, which occurred before the availability of the new pertussis vaccine, are summarized below to underscore the disruptive nature of nosocomial pertussis outbreaks.
