1976 swine flu outbreak strain. On July 23, the President sends a letter urging Congress to take action on indemnification. In early August an outbreak of illness in Philadelphia is thought to be related to swine flu. It is found to be an atypical pneumonia thereafter called Legionnaires' disease. On August 6, President Ford holds a press conference urging Congress to take action on the indemnification legislation. Four days later, both Houses of Congress pass the legislation. Merrill becomes the first company to submit samples to the FDA's Bureau of Biologics for safety testing, which approves it on September 2. Merck makes the first
2006 North American E. coli O157:H7 outbreak in spinach 2006 North American E. coli O157:H7 outbreak in spinach The 2006 North American "E. coli" outbreak was an outbreak from organic spinach. The outbreak occurred in September 2006 and its probable origin was an Angus cattle ranch that had leased land to spinach grower. At least 276 consumer illnesses and 3 deaths have been attributed to the tainted produce. In September 2006, there was an outbreak of food-borne illness caused by "Escherichia coli" ("E. coli") bacteria found in uncooked spinach in 26 U.S. states. By October 6, 2006 199 people had been infected, including three people who died and 31