Fresh Loaf

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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From the Washington Post:

The Georgia peanut plant linked to a salmonella outbreak that has killed eight people and sickened 500 more across the country knowingly shipped out contaminated peanut butter 12 times in the past two years, federal officials said yesterday.

Read the rest

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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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