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Source: http://www.pddnet.com/news-ap-tenn-state-health-dept-lab-stays-busy-all-year-062709/
Tenn. state health dept. lab stays busy all year
By The Associated Press
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Tenn. state health dept. lab stays busy all year
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) ? While the number of swine flu cases in Tennessee is dropping, the state Health Department's laboratory is as busy as ever.
Epidemiologist Tim Jones said he recently noticed a 322 percent increase in cases of pertussis, better known by its common name ? whooping cough.
Although the total number of cases was low, just 76 in the first six months of the year, Jones wanted to know what was behind the spike.
His conclusion? There weren't more cases, just more people being tested for the disease.
Jones said that made the increase good news because it reflected greater awareness among doctors and could encourage more adults to get booster shots against the disease.
While pertussis isn't usually dangerous for adults, it can be deadly for children.
State lab director David L. Smalley told Nashville newspaper The Tennessean his laboratory doesn't miss a beat.
Even in the middle of the swine flu outbreak "we kept on looking for salmonella, chlamydia, shigellosis and HIV," he said.
Last year his staff traced an outbreak of the bacterial infection shigellosis to day care centers that were not observing proper hygiene.
The lab also tests blood samples from every one of the 85,000 babies born in Tennessee each year for rare genetic conditions. And employees check pollution levels in the state's rivers and lakes.
Despite the important work the lab does, since 2002, federal funding for state laboratory services has dropped by almost $2 million, according to heath department records.
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Information from: The Tennessean, http://www.tennessean.com
Tenn. state health dept. lab stays busy all year
By The Associated Press
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Tenn. state health dept. lab stays busy all year
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) ? While the number of swine flu cases in Tennessee is dropping, the state Health Department's laboratory is as busy as ever.
Epidemiologist Tim Jones said he recently noticed a 322 percent increase in cases of pertussis, better known by its common name ? whooping cough.
Although the total number of cases was low, just 76 in the first six months of the year, Jones wanted to know what was behind the spike.
His conclusion? There weren't more cases, just more people being tested for the disease.
Jones said that made the increase good news because it reflected greater awareness among doctors and could encourage more adults to get booster shots against the disease.
While pertussis isn't usually dangerous for adults, it can be deadly for children.
State lab director David L. Smalley told Nashville newspaper The Tennessean his laboratory doesn't miss a beat.
Even in the middle of the swine flu outbreak "we kept on looking for salmonella, chlamydia, shigellosis and HIV," he said.
Last year his staff traced an outbreak of the bacterial infection shigellosis to day care centers that were not observing proper hygiene.
The lab also tests blood samples from every one of the 85,000 babies born in Tennessee each year for rare genetic conditions. And employees check pollution levels in the state's rivers and lakes.
Despite the important work the lab does, since 2002, federal funding for state laboratory services has dropped by almost $2 million, according to heath department records.
___
Information from: The Tennessean, http://www.tennessean.com