28
Aug
2015
Outbreaks

The Latin American Cholera Epidemic of the 1990’s: My View from the Inside
14
Aug
2015
Outbreaks
by Stephen A. Hubbs, PE

Legionella Outbreak in the Bronx

Cooling towers on building roof tops are believed to be the breeding grounds of bacteria responsible for a summer outbreak of Legionnaires’ Disease in New York City.  The outbreak began on July 10.  As of August 13, twelve deaths and 119 cases of illness have been attributed to the disease, which is caused by Legionella... Read More »
01
May
2015
Outbreaks
by Fred Reiff, PE

Recent Trends in Waterborne Disease Outbreaks in the US

When waterborne outbreaks occur, US local and state health departments are obliged to report them to “WBDOSS,” the national Waterborne Disease and Outbreak Surveillance System.1 Since 1985, outbreak data have been compiled and published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the “Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report”2 (MMWR).... Read More »
12
Sep
2014
Outbreaks
by Joan B. Rose, PhD

What Happened to Toledo’s Drinking Water: Understanding Microcystins

This summer, 500,000 residents in and around Toledo, Ohio were alerted that their tap water had been declared undrinkable as a result of microcystin contamination.  For several days, residents could not shower or cook with their tap water and they were instructed to drink bottled water while some restaurants, schools and businesses closed, inconveniencing many. ... Read More »
29
Aug
2014
Outbreaks
by Stephen A. Hubbs, PE

Addressing Legionella: Public Health Enemy #1 in US Water Systems

The United States has one of the safest drinking water supplies in the world, thanks to the steadfast efforts of thousands of water treatment professionals. The men and women of the water treatment industry implement technologies 24/7 that protect us from former waterborne killers like typhoid fever, cholera and hepatitis A. With those enemies held at bay, what, you may ask, is the greatest microbial threat lurking in US tap water today? The answer is the bacterium Legionella, public health enemy #1 in US water systems, posing a particular risk to hospital patients. Controlling Legionella will take some novel approaches and regulatory adjustments.... Read More »
25
Apr
2014
Outbreaks
by Joan B. Rose, PhD

CNN Highlights the Water Crisis in Haiti

A sixteen year old girl in Miami wakes up on a normal day, showers, dresses, eats breakfast, and is off to school, filled with thoughts of friends and classes. Seven hundred miles away in Haiti, sixteen year old Vidjinia Methelus begins her day at dawn with a 30 minute walk to an irrigation stream where... Read More »
10
Jan
2014
Outbreaks
by Stephen Gradus, PhD

Milwaukee, 1993: The Largest Documented Waterborne Disease Outbreak in US History

An Interview with Dr. Stephen Gradus, Ph.D., MT(ASCP), D(ABMM), City of Milwaukee Health Department. Waterborne disease outbreaks are relatively rare events in our time, but just over two decades ago, Milwaukee experienced the largest documented drinking water outbreak in US history. Caused by the chlorine-resistant parasite Cryptosporidium parvum,the outbreak affected over 400,000 people—25 percent of... Read More »
03
May
2013
Outbreaks
by Chris Wiant, MPH, PhD

Remember the Alamosa (Outbreak)!

“Remember the Alamo!” was the battle cry of Texans avenging the deaths in 1836 of nearly 200 of their own at the hands of the Mexican Army at the Alamo, a small mission chapel in San Antonio.  One hundred seventy-two years later in Alamosa, Colorado—a place with a similar name—a different sort of battle was... Read More »