Measles News:
- A Utah high school wrestling championship caused a measles outbreak after participants and attendees were exposed last weekend. (ABC)
- Georgia has its second measles case of the year, from Bryan County near Savannah. (WSB)
- South Carolina has requested reinforcements from the nonprofit CDC foundation, separate from the CDC itself. (Reuters)
Health News:
- Flu claimed 5 more children’s lives last week as it continues to circulate at high levels across much of the country. (CIDRAP)
- The University of Mississippi health system had to close all of its clinics statewide after a ransomware attack. (AP)
- More than a month after a sewage spill, the Potomac river still has high levels of E. coli and staph. (WJLA)
- Hepatitis B vaccination rates are dropping for infants, after the ACIP voted in December to recommend delaying the shot for newborns. (STAT)
- Antibiotic-resistant foodborne bacteria, like Salmonella and Campylobacter, is widespread in Europe. (CIDRAP)
- Saliva tests to detect diseases could be the future of diagnostic testing, but the tech isn’t perfect yet. (NPR)
- Early prenatal care, which is key for healthy moms and babies, is on the decline in the U.S. (AP)
- Dentists still write millions of prescriptions a year for Clindamycin, despite life-threatening risks. (CIDRAP)
- A huge study found a link between cannabis use in teens and psychosis later. (NPR)
Best Question:
What’s the next resurgent disease we should worry about after measles?
Just a few years ago measles was a thing of the past. A vaccine preventable disease, it had been eliminated since 2000. Now, it’s back, big time.
Measles is basically the most contagious disease we know of, so it makes sense that it’s the first to make a big resurgence. But it’s not the only one. Other vaccine preventable diseases that haven’t been common in the past few decades have already started to make comebacks as childhood vaccination rates decline, and more are on their way.
Here’s what we’re keeping an eye out for:
- Pertussis (whooping cough).
- This one is already on the rise, and it can be deadlier than measles, especially for infants. There are hotspots in Nevada, Arizona, and Florida right now.
- Mumps & Rubella (German measles)
- Both of these are currently almost gone in the U.S., but the decline in MMR vaccines means they shouldn’t be too far behind measles. Like measles, these infections can be mild but some cases can be life-threatening.
- Meningitis
- The vaccine recommendation was recently removed for adolescents, who are at highest risk for meningitis when they live in community settings like college dorms. We’re concerned that we’ll start to see more college outbreaks, which is dangerous because meningitis moves fast and can be fatal within hours.
- Polio
- We’ve seen how polio can reemerge in communities with low vaccination rates, and there are still people alive today who remember the fear of paralysis and death from their childhoods. If vaccination rates drop to 50%, one study estimates there could be 4.3 million annual polio cases by 2050.
- Hep B, Rotavirus, RSV, Tetanus, Diphtheria, and more!
- There are so many other diseases that could be coming down the road if we continue to see declining vaccination for preventable disease. We won’t get into all of them here, but highly recommend this Washington Post article to dig into each of them.
Sources: Washington Post, Think Global Health, WHO
Best Read:
If hospitals can’t identify potential measles cases quickly, they run the risk of exposing vulnerable people in Emergency Department waiting rooms. The tricky part? Most doctors haven’t actually seen a real measles case…until now.
