HHS appoints West Nile coordinator

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Health and Human Services Department Secretary Donna Shalala in April appointed Stephen M. Ostroff, MD, a senior official at the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to coordinate the department's campaign against the West Nile virus.

Dr. Ostroff is associate director for epidemiologic sciences with the CDC's National Center for Infectious Diseases, where he supervises outbreak investigations. He completed the agency's epidemic intelligence service training in 1988, and has served in his current position since 1993.

Dr. Ostroff's counterpart in the USDA is Dr. Randy Crom, a staff veterinarian with APHIS' Veterinary Services. In March, Dr. Crom was appointed to coordinate with the CDC, US Geological Survey, and other agencies on initiatives to eliminate the West Nile virus (see JAVMA, May 1, 2000, page 1385).