U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Learn more about medical countermeasure professional development at FDA: http://ow.ly/10zDm1

Together we can protect babies from serious vaccine-preventable diseases. Share your support for immunization.Join the @CDCgov ‪#‎NIIW‬ Thunderclap & let the world know you support childhood vaccines http://thndr.me/BxLBbH

Check out the updated Office of Partnerships Website!! The updated site aims to inform federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial officials about FDA's functions and its commitment to safeguard public health. http://go.usa.gov/cM9Ph

Diabetes is a serious yet manageable health condition, which can be caused or worsened by smoking. Staying smoke-free helps to reduce your risk of Type 2 diabetes. Learn more here: http://go.usa.gov/cz5Be

Congratulations to Dr. Taha Kass-Hout and the precisionFDA team for being awarded a 2016 Best Practices Award in Informatics for its work to advance precision medicine through precisionFDA. Read more here about how this work plays an integral role in President Obama’s Precision Medicine Initiative.

Congratulations to Eric Dishman of National Institutes of Health (NIH) who will be the new director of the Precision Medicine Initiative (PMI) Cohort Program. Learn more about PMI and what this means for medicine and health.

Every community deserves good health! Join the HHS and FDA Offices of Minority Health for an important conversation on accelerating heath equity for our nation. The Health Equity Twitter Chat ‪#‎NMHM16Chat‬ is just getting started!! http://1.usa.gov/1ZxNMMr. You can join by visiting the @MinorityHealth Twitter page and by using the #NMHM16Chat hashtag.

FDAVoice Blog: Engagement and Collaborative Problem Solving are the Two Ingredients for FSMA Success

"As we’ve developed the rules needed to implement the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, we’ve done a great deal of outreach to explain the new requirements and obtain feedback from stakeholders. We’ve got to continue doing this with the people working on the nation’s farms–since the produce safety rule issued in late 2015 primarily involves them."

http://blogs.fda.gov/…/engagement-and-collaborative-proble…/

Minority populations are often targeted for health fraud scams. Consumer education is critical for preventing health fraud in all of our communities. Learn how you can stay vigilant and protect your loved ones. www.fda.gov/supplementsafety ‪#‎NMHM2016‬

FDA approves folic acid fortification of corn masa flour. The approval allows manufacturers to voluntarily add up to 0.7 milligrams of folic acid per pound of corn masa flour, consistent with the levels of certain other enriched cereal grains.

Folic acid, a synthetic form of folate, is a B vitamin that when taken by a pregnant woman may help prevent neural tube defects, which are birth defects affecting the brain, spine, and spinal cord. Pregnant women with folate deficiency have a higher risk of giving birth to infants affected with neural tube defects. http://go.usa.gov/czjjV

Early detection during a foodborne illness outbreak is critical. See how the Genome Trackr is helping FDA w/ this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zMms2C6YUk

Read the latest Patient Network Newsletter from FDA's Office of Health & Constituent Affairs http://go.usa.gov/csWj4

Generic drugs allow greater access to health care for all Americans. Learn more about how 2015 was an important year for advancing generic drugs.

FDA’s Office of Generic Drugs has posted their Annual Report for calendar year 2015, noting that this year marked the highest number of generic drug approvals and tentative approvals ever awarded by OGD–more than 700. These generic drug products have the potential to provide more affordable care to thousands of patients with serious and life-threatening diseases. Learn more.

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is working on a major international effort involving FDA and other experts to curb death and injury with safer medication.

This month is National Minority Health Month – a great time to celebrate diverse cultures. One of the ways we celebrate our culture is through food. While celebrating, keep in mind that eating certain soft cheeses can put your unborn baby at risk. Help protect yourself and those in your community from listeriosis disease. http://go.usa.gov/ctCaT

Did you know FDA helps design and set up clinical trials to establish safety and efficacy of investigational products to prevent or treat life-threatening emerging infectious diseases, including Ebola? Learn more about FDA’s public health emergency response efforts in our Medical Countermeasures Initiative program update, issued today.

If English is your second language, you might be targeted for health scams. Learn how to protect yourself. ‪#‎NMHM2016‬

FDA Voice blog: Continuous manufacturing has a strong impact on drug quality. http://go.usa.gov/ct6EV

Reser's Fine Foods recalls 19 refrigerated salad items. Listeria may be present in one lot of onions that was used in the manufacture of these salads. The recalled refrigerated salads were distributed to retailers and distribution centers in the following states: AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, NE, NM, NV, OH, OK, OR, PA, SD, TN, TX, UT, WA, WY, and British Columbia. http://go.usa.gov/ct6gJ