Lost Specimens And Exposure To Viruses: CDC Safety Incidents Detailed
A USA Today investigation reports on a series of safety-related incidents at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that the agency has tried to keep secret. And malaria vaccine researchers recruit human volunteers.
USA Today:
CDC Keeps Secret Its Mishaps With Deadly Germs
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has faced congressional hearings and secret government sanctions over its sloppy lab safety practices, is keeping secret large swaths of information about dozens of recent incidents involving some of the world’s most dangerous bacteria and viruses. CDC scientists apparently lost a box of deadly and highly-regulated influenza specimens and experienced multiple potential exposures involving viruses and bacteria, according to heavily-redacted laboratory incident reports obtained by USA TODAY. (Young, 1/4)
The Associated Press:
Volunteers Get Bit To Test New Strategy For Malaria Vaccine
Researchers infected lab mosquitoes with genetically weakened malaria parasites, and then recruited volunteers willing to be bitten — a lot — to test a possible new strategy for a vaccine. The idea: Vaccinate using living malaria parasites that are too weak to make people sick. It’s a huge challenge, and while Wednesday’s study is a small step, it illustrates the urgent quest for a powerful malaria vaccine. (Neergaard, 1/4)
In other public health news —
Kaiser Health News:
A Peer Recovery Coach Walks The Frontlines Of The Opioid Epidemic
Charlie Oen’s battle with addiction started when he was 16 and his family moved to Lima, Ohio. It was the last stop in a string of moves his military family made — from Panama to North Carolina, Kentucky, Texas and Germany. “I went toward a bad group because those were the people that accepted me,” he says. Drugs became a substitute for real friendships. ... One year later, he started working as a peer recovery coach, using his own experiences to help other people stay in recovery. (Herald and Sable-Smtih, 1/5)