Health News:

• A New Jersey man became the first known death from Alpha-gal syndrome, a meat allergy triggered by tick bites. (CBS)
  
  
• The government shutdown has ended but as of Friday, Nov. 14th there’s still no update to key CDC data sources on flu, COVID, or national wastewater surveillance. (Brown Pandemic Center)
  
  
• The government shutdown deal restricts funds for enforcing the FDA’s Food Traceability Rule and produce safety rule, and prevents new Listeria rules for low-risk ready-to-eat foods. (Food Safety Magazine)
  
  
• A preliminary human H5N1 case has been identified in Washington state. If confirmed, it’s the first in the U.S. since February. (Seattle Times)
  
  
• U.S. flu is still low but starting to track upward. (Brown Pandemic Center)
  
  
• A mutated H3N2 flu strain is causing outbreaks in Japan, Canada, and the U.K. While it’s not a full shift, it does mean that this year’s flu shot is probably not a great match. (NBC)
  
  
• An ammonia gas leak from a tanker truck in Oklahoma sent dozens to the hospital. (AP)
  
  
• The ACIP is set to discuss and possibly vote on delaying Hep B shots for newborns at their upcoming Dec. 4th meeting…(Hill)
  
  
• …meanwhile, the Vaccine Integrity Project is gathering a group of independent experts to review the existing data on the Hep B shot at birth. (Reuters)
  
  
• ByHeart, the infant formula company tied to a large infant botulism outbreak, had known problems, including a different plant shut down after FDA inspection found mold, dead insects, and a roof leak. (NY Times)

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Best Question:

What does the new flu strain mean for the U.S.?

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Though it’s been nearly two months without federal flu data, we do have access to other sources that show flu is starting to pick up here in the U.S. We’re a bit worried that this flu season is going to be ugly - here’s why:

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A new strain. There have been around 7 recent mutations in what seems to be the dominant flu strain this season, H3N2 subclade K, a type of flu A. 

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A poor match. There’s a mismatch between the H3N2 strain in this year’s flu shot and that dominant K strain, which picked up after the WHO chose which strains to target in this season’s flu vaccine. That said, this year’s flu vaccine still cuts the risk of ending up in the hospital by 70-75% in kids and 30-40% in adults. 

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Rough start for Japan and the U.K. Both countries are seeing major increases very early in the season. As of last week, flu cases in the U.K. were 3x higher than at this time last year - and in Tokyo they were up nearly 6x. 

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Low uptake. Here in the U.S., we’ve seen flu vaccine uptake decline steadily since 2020, and this year seems to be trending about 8% lower than last year at this time, according to the NAIIS Flu Summit call this week. 

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No reason to panic. All of this indicates that it could be a tough flu season for the U.S., but the good news is that these flu mutations are a drift (albeit a major one), not a shift (which would indicate pandemic potential). Antivirals still work well, and the flu shot still reduces the risk of severe illness for adults and especially for kids. That’s extra important on the heels of one of the deadliest pediatric flu seasons in recent memory. 

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So, what can employers do to prepare for a rough flu season? 

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• Be prepared to staff up, especially in December and January when more employees will call out sick.
  
  
• Encourage your team to get flu shots for themselves and their families.  Know that they’re not perfect, but that they can help prevent serious illness.
  
  
• Keep sick employees home. Avoid business interruptions by ensuring that employees with flu-like symptoms stay home for at least 3 days from symptom onset.
  
  

Sources: CIDRAP, NBC, NAIIS

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Best Read:

We loved this commentary from Rand about how employers can help bridge the gap between public health policy and practice, and why that’s key for the economy.

Why U.S. Public Health Needs Employers at the Table | RAND

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