Morning Rounds: Swine Flu Plan And E.coli Update

Today's headlines bring new twists in the ongoing battle to stave off pandemic flu and food-borne infections.

First, flu. July has barely begun, but federal health officials are already preparing a back-to-school plan that will likely put swine-flu vaccine clinics — and 100 million doses of vaccine — on school campuses by mid-October (assuming that it's safe, and works).

At a "flu summit" at NIH yesterday, officials said the vaccine wouldn't be just for students; schools are a handy venue for getting to young people, who seem to be at most risk of serious illness with this H1N1 flu strain. Children, pregnant women, health care workers and young adults with chronic illnesses would likely be first in line, with another 500 million doses to be deployed through the fall as they become available. Getting vaccinated will probably be voluntary, said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

The national flu plan still has soft spots that need firming, the Washington Post notes. For example, frustrated local leaders said they'd like stronger guidance about if and when to close schools in the midst of a widespread outbreak. But the CDC's Richard E. Besser said closing schools will only help contain the flu if kids are kept home, instead of sent off to libraries, malls and community centers by beleaguered — or working — parents.

Meanwhile, the mystery of how E.coli 0157 got into cookie dough continues. It turns out the strain of bacteria that turned up in one package of Toll House dough from Danville, Va. in June is genetically different from the strain that sickened at least 72 people across 30 states.

Did multiple strains infect the same package?

 

Nobody knows, though the FDA's David Acheson told ABC that "there's no indication that this was deliberate." At a press conference yesterday, Acheson said,

We've followed everything that we think is most liklely and haven't come up with anything. It is unlikely that we will ever make a final determination of how this contamination occurred.

Nonetheless, after scouring every inch of Nestle's Danville plant for clues and E. coli and finding neither, the FDA has cleared workers there to resume cookie-dough mixing.

Nestle says they'll plaster "clean batch" on the new tubes and tubs of dough in hopes of reassuring consumers and retailers.