Tag: cdc

Contagion: How One Person Can Set Off a Measles Outbreak

Americans may be victims of their own success when it comes to the eradication of infectious diseases and take their disease-free lives for granted, says Jorge Parada, MD, hospital epidemiologist and medical director of the Infection Prevention and Control program at Loyola University Health System. “There are plenty of countries in the world where measles and chicken pox are very commonplace; I have served in Angola where mothers begged...

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CDC disease detective explains why ambulance chasing is crucial to tracking Ebola

(CDC) Ambulance chasing is a discouraged practice in the US – but in Liberia it’s exactly what Neil, a CDC disease detective in the Center for Global Health, had to do as part of his efforts to stop the spread of Ebola at its source. “We would follow ambulances that were called to pick up suspected Ebola cases. We would keep our distance and observe how they collected patients, and would make corrections to any lapse in infection control. As soon...

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