Fresh Loaf

Percentage of Georgia adults who qualify as obese: 28

Percentage of Georgia children age 10-17 who qualify as obese: 37

Georgia’s national rank among the 50 states for adult obesity: 14

Georgia’s national rank among the 50 states for childhood obesity: 3

Number of the top 10 most obese states that are in the South: 8

Percentage of national health care costs associated with chronic disease, much of which can be traced to obesity: 70

Percentage by which a metro Atlantan is less likely to become obese if that person lives in a walkable neighborhood: 7

Extra number pounds of pounds the average person packs on when he or she lives in a pedestrian-unfriendly city: 6

Atlanta’s rank, out of 40, on a recent list of pedestrian-friendly cities: 22

Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Georgia Tech, Heartland Institute, Smart Growth America, Trust for America’s Health, WalkScore.com

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President Barack Obama stunned the nation today as he showed his affinity for “celebrity culture” — Dr. Sanjay Gupta, anyone? — and named well-known New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman to head the Atlanta-based U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Reached for comment at a nanotechnology conference in Hong Kong, Friedman said he did not understand the question, denied the appointment, and asked why our publication is named “Creative Loafing.” We called him a liar, said he was wrong about the Earth being flat, and told him his moustache was well developed.

No, really, but Obama did name a new CDC director today. He’s New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Frieden! His department came up with the awesome (really) idea to distribute subway-themed condoms. He sounds like a hellraiser and we welcome him to our city!

(more…)

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All this week, the Atlanta Bicycle Campaign encourages residents to leave their cars in the garage, hop on the ole Huffy, and participate in Bike to Work Week.

The nonprofit has banded together with Atlanta Transportation Management Associations, the Clean Air Campaign, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other velocipede advocacy groups and clubs to host cycling-related events and activities.

Tonight you can find a number of deals and discounts at participating bike shops to gear up for the week. Tomorrow you can find a Bike Buddy to help bring you up to speed. On Wednesday, downtown’s Woodruff Park will be the site of Bike Fest, a lunch hour celebration of all things cycling. On Thursday, you can participate in carpool-esque bike trains.

Visit the Atlanta Bicycle Campaign to register for an emailed discount coupon, enter into a prize drawing, and learn more information about this week’s activities. Be sure to also check out the city’s other cycling groups and resources such as Sopo Bicycle Cooperative and Faster Mustache.

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Number of confirmed cases of swine flu in the United States, as of April 30: 109

Number of U.S. states with confirmed cases of swine flu, as of April 30: 13

Number of confirmed human cases in Mexico, where the unknown strain originated, as of April 30: 97

Number of cases in Georgia as of April 30: 1

Number of confirmed deaths in Mexico from swine flu as of April 30: 7

Number of confirmed deaths in U.S., as of April 30: 1

Number of Tamiflu courses the federal government has released in response to the outbreak: 12.5 million

Total number of Tamiflu courses the federal government has stockpiled: 50 million

Number of people who died from swine flu during a 1976 outbreak: 1

Sources: ajc.com, cdc.gov, who.int, abcnews.go.com, The Associated Press

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Well, that’s no fun.

From WSB-TV:

The CDC confirmed a case of swine flu Thursday at West Georgia Medical System Hospital in LaGrange in Troup County.

Troup County health officials said Wednesday night during a public meeting that a sample from a patient at the hospital was sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for testing. The sample came back possible for swine flu.

The patient, a 30-year-old female, is from out of state. CDC officials said she has a history of traveling to Cancun, Mexico.

More info at WSB.

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DEATH BECOMES THEM: A skeletal death works in the world of pathogenic microbes in “Memento Mori” (translation: “Remember that you are mortal”).

Did the bubonic plague extinguish Europe’s feudal caste system and trigger the rise of the middle-class bourgeoisie? Did yellow fever end the trafficking of African slaves to the New World? Did the Spanish flu halt World War I? According to Outbreak: Plagues that Changed History currently on view at the CDC’s Global Health Odyssey Museum, the answers are maybe, maybe and maybe. And although it’s assuredly an oversimplification to attribute some of history’s biggest events to any single cause, Outbreak puts forth the intriguing notion that many of the defining currents of human social and cultural history around the globe have at least been influenced by some of the planet’s smallest inhabitants.

Outbreak is the artistic brainchild of painter and illustrator Bryn Barnard. Barnard’s 2005 book of the same name targets middle school children with lush gouache and oil paintings that bring to life key moments in world history. It shows how a slew of unimaginably destructive epidemiological disasters gave us the world we live in now. The current CDC exhibit comprises Barnard’s original paintings along with maps and text borrowed from the book. It’s the first collected public showing of the work, and as is typical for CDC exhibitions, Outbreak aims to make explicit connections between broad health issues and daily life. (more…)

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FIRE ANTS: All U.S. fire ants can be traced back to a handful of queens that stowed away on a boat from Argentina to Mobile, Ala., in the 1930s, according to a UGA entomologist.

BRETT AND THE JETS: Brett Favre was traded early this morning by the Packers to the New York Jets, ending his historic tenure in Green Bay on a sour note.

KWAME KILPATRICK: The mayor of Detroit is ordered to jail for violating the terms of his bond.

CRACKDOWN: Atlanta police begin an “indefinite” crackdown on panhandling, drug-dealing and other tourist-worrying behavior in Five Points.

CHAMBLISS: Says he’s ready for the Democratic “onslaught” now that Jim Martin is the nominee.

TED TURNER: Naturally occurring anthrax is found on his Montana ranch.

WAIT WATCHERS: CDC researchers in Atlanta report that the average nationwide emergency-room wait time has grown from 38 minutes to almost an hour over the past decade, due to increases in patients and decreases in hospital resources.

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FEE FOR ALL: Atlanta City Councilman Jim Maddox proposes taxing $1 for tickets to pro sporting events and major concerts in the city to help soften the looming $140 million budget shortfall.

14TH STREET BRIDGE: Dead to us.

GET OUT OF MY CAR: Between March 2007 and March 2008, American driving dropped at the steepest rate since record keeping began in 1942.

ABATED BREATH: Beginning next year, asthma sufferers will have to switch to the more expensive CFC-free inhalers for environmental reasons, good for ozone but a blow to Atlantans who already live in an asthma-unfriendly city.

YOU GOT CONSERVED: As utilities start raising rates to make up for reduced usage, the dark side of conservation is rearing its head across the Southeast.

ONE FLU OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST: Study released Monday says strains of bird flu are getting closer to conditions that could lead to a human pandemic.

GETTING BROWSY: The “browser wars” of the mid-’90s are heating back up, as Mozilla readies Firefox 3.0 for release in June and Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 8 is due later this year.

FRIGHTENING IN A BOTTLE: Orlando man sells bottles that he claims have ghosts in them.

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GAME 6 TONIGHT: I’ve seen Celtic Pride. We have to keep Daniel Stern and Dan Akroyd away from Joe Johnson today.

GANGBUSTERS: Gang experts say the NBA only drew attention to Paul Pierce’s apparent gang sign during the Celtics Game 4 loss in Atlanta by fining him for it.

TEAT-TOTALING: Three out of four moms now breast-feed their babies, according to the CDC, an “all-time high” since the mid-’80s.

BRIDGE JUMPERS STANDERS: I-985 closed down yesterday; I-20 closed down this morning. Neither jumper jumped.

LOW FLOW: The state wants to extend lower flows from Lake Lanier through May 31, but just about everyone south of Atlanta doesn’t.

CLAYTON SCHOOLS: Gov. Perdue signs two bills into law to safeguard Clayton students and hold the school board more accountable as de-accreditation looms closer.

AIR ABERRANT: If you’re waiting for Atlanta to get off the list of top 10 most polluted cities, don’t hold your breath. Actually, maybe you should.

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Despite all the criticism the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has received — from the exodus of top scientists to the low morale of employees — the public recently rated the organization the best federal agency. The poll, conducted by Harris Interactive, was released a week after a government survey showed only 40 percent of CDC employees trust their leaders.

The varying results make you wonder: Is the public not reading the news or do they not care that the nation’s leading public-health agency could be suffering from bureaucratic changes and budget cuts? Or are CDC employees a bunch of whiny, decently paid scientists who’re just uncomfortable with change?

(more…)

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