Note: We’re off on Friday for Juneteenth but will be back next Tuesday!
Health News:
- There are now over 800 confirmed Ebola cases, meaning this outbreak is growing exponentially faster than the two biggest prior outbreaks. (YLE)
- There are 12 cases of New World screwworm across TX and NM, up 5 from last week. New cases are in 3 cows, 1 goat, and 1 sheep. (Genomic Epi)
- Wastewater monitoring has detected measles in Chester City, PA, just 15 miles from the Philadelphia World Cup stadium. Meanwhile, a travel-related case was reported in Santa Clara, CA with possible airport exposure near the stadium there. (HSOC)
- With measles roaring back, biotech companies are hunting for a treatment. (NY Times)
- 3-lb bags of alfredo sauce from the Coffee Connexion Co. were recalled due to potential Salmonella contamination linked with dry milk powder. (PBS)
- The leading OB-GYN association (ACOG) published its vaccine recommendations, which differ from the CDC because they still include the COVID and flu vaccines, along with RSV and Tdap. (STAT)
- There's been a second infant formula recall, this time of the Nara Organics brand, for infant botulism. When ByHeart formula was recalled last fall for the same thing, they encouraged customers to switch to Nara. (Healthbeat)
- Florida is reporting an early uptick in flesh-eating Vibrio infections this year, 8 so far this year compared to just 4 by this time last year. (CIDRAP)
- A new CDC report described two Legionnaires’ cases tied to a vacation rental’s hot tub. (MMWR)
- Some good news: the COVID vaccine is linked to broad protection against heart conditions, with nearly 40% lower risk of heart attack and stroke. (Washington Post)
Best Question:
An employee tested positive for norovirus, E. coli, AND shigella. What the heck is going on?
It’s never a good feeling when a manager calls your team to report an employee that tested positive for a nationally notifiable (A.K.A. reportable) disease – let alone three of them. While this does all but guarantee a call from the health department, it doesn’t mean that you need to panic.
First, after we verify that the results are truly for this employee and are confirmed positive, we usually have one key question in cases like this: have you recently traveled abroad? Often when we see an employee testing positive for multiple viruses and bacteria that can be food- or water-borne, our mind goes to international travel. Eating street food, or drinking one glass of water (or a frozen cocktail made with local ice) could singlehandedly account for all three illnesses.
The good news? Often if employees get sick while traveling, they haven’t actually worked since returning, which limits the spread (and your liability) significantly. If they did work while sick, or in the time between travel and symptom onset, you’ll want to do a thorough cleaning, focus on handwashing, and double down on making sure your employees stay home from work if they have any GI symptoms at all.
Either way, you should prep for a visit from the health department, and give ZHH a call for support. We’re here to help!
Sources: ZHH, JHU
Best Read:
Ticks aren’t just an issue on your next hike. All along the East Coast, experts are seeing more tick bites in metropolitan areas.