2010 Accomplishments
The Division of Foodborne,Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases protects public health nationally and internationally through the prevention and control of disease, disability, and death caused by foodborne, waterborne, and environmentally transmitted infections.
Responding to foodborne and diarrheal disease outbreaks—better, quicker detection and response
- Assisted 19 Epi-Aids and 20 other single/multistate outbreak investigations
- PulseNet labs used DNA “fingerprinting” to identify clusters of illnesses faster—submitting over 70,000 DNA “fingerprints” in 2010
- Launched Foodborne Outbreak Online Database (FOOD), which allows public access to CDC's database of foodborne outbreaks
- PulseNet International, through its seven national and regional laboratory networks, continued tracking foodborne infections around the globe
- Co-led and developed a strategic plan for WHO/Global Foodborne Infections Network
Understanding and tracking foodborne pathogens and infections—improve scientific information
- Released first estimates of foodborne illness burden in more than a decade
- New trends in foodborne illness identified by FoodNet (Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network)
- Estimating the attribution of illness to specific food commodities and communicating the dangers of raw milk and raw milk products
- Biostatistics and data management training includes 32 classes in basic statistics and statistical elements of epidemiology for CDC staff
Making water safer in the United States—through water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) expertise
- Worked with state partners to provide epidemiologic, environmental, and/or laboratory support Epi-Aids to Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Florida, and Mississippi and 10 outbreak consultations
- Helped improve the overall capacity of states to recognize, investigate, and report waterborne outbreaks through trainings, consultations, assistance, and operation of the National Outbreak Reporting System (NORS-Water)
- CDC's Healthy Water Web site exceeded 1 million page views only 2 years after its launch
- Submitted climate change water adaptation report to the president
Saving lives and reducing water-, sanitation-, and hygiene-related illness internationally—through Global WASH expertise
- The Safe Water System program brought sustainable safe water systems to 24 countries, adding Zimbabwe in 2010
- Assisted Ministries of Health with response to outbreaks and promoted global access to WASH
- Rapidly produced Web-based prevention and clinical management guidance in Haiti cholera response
- Countries treated over 60 billion liters of water—enough to meet the annual needs of 8 million families and prevent 2.7 million diarrheal episodes—using Safe Water System
Preventing and controlling fungal infections—in the United States and around the globe
- Worked with state partners to provide epidemiologic, environmental and/or laboratory support through Epi-Aids to Jamaica, Arizona, and Wisconsin; as well as support for 20 other outbreak investigations
- Built capacity in states to recognize, investigate, and report outbreaks through training, consultations, and assistance
- Published first national incidence estimate for fungal infections in transplant recipients derived from TRANSNET data
- Conducted analysis of candidemia surveillance showing that incidence has increased in Baltimore and nearly doubled in Atlanta
- Completed preliminary studies in Thailand of lateral flow (“dipstick”) assay for detecting cryptococcal antigen, so this common infection can now be rapidly, easily, and economically diagnosed
Treating cholera in Haiti—providing direction and resources
- Helped develop the rapid surveillance system, led epidemiological investigations, and taught the Haitian medical community how to treat cholera
- Committed over 11,000 staff hours in 5 months to support response
- Provided algorithm for laboratory-based screening of stool samples that helped save funds and human resources
- Created CDC's first cholera prevention and control training manual for community health workers
- Created multilingual community health worker training materials used across Haiti in response to the cholera epidemic
- Partnered with Haiti's Ministry of Health in drafting and releasing timely press releases, scientific updates, and MMWR reports
- Collaborated with the CDC Biotechnology Core Facility to sequence entire genomes of the Haiti cholera bacteria and made them publicly available
Contact Us:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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