Flu News:

‍

• While early signs originally pointed to a later start to flu season, a major jump in positive flu tests appeared in western states in the last week or so. (CDC)
  
  
  
• The flu doesn’t always end when the fever does. "Long flu" can leave some people with fatigue, brain fog, and other symptoms for months. (Washington Post)
  
  
  
• The WHO picked the flu strains for next year’s Southern Hemisphere flu shots. (WHO)

‍

Health News:

‍

• After closing the largest cattle crossings from Mexico for 18 months as part of an effort to mitigate New World screwworm, those paths are now reopening with extra precautions. (NPR)
  
  
  
• Congo’s Ebola outbreak is now the fastest-growing on record (topping 8000 cases), and the strain behind it still has no approved vaccine or treatment. (CIDRAP)
  
  
  
• The U.S. just had its hottest summer on record, but employers are still waiting on a federal heat standard for protecting workers. (Guardian)
  
  
  
• A mysterious kidney disease tied to working in extreme heat is starting to show up in the U.S. after years of being mostly seen in tropical countries. (The Hill)
  
  
  
• Pennsylvania’s measles outbreak has now topped 900 cases, with 13 more confirmed this week. (ABC)
  
  
  
• We talked about Narcan in last week’s Best Question, and now OSHA is weighing in, encouraging employers to keep it on hand and train employees to use it. (SHRM)
  
  
  
• The Vaccine Integrity Project is looking beyond MMR, with a new focus on the data around childhood pneumococcal and meningitis vaccines. (CIDRAP)
  
  
  
• A major review confirms that Tylenol use during pregnancy is not linked to either autism or ADHD. (CIDRAP)
  
  
  

Best Question:

What is whooping cough, why are we hearing about it more and how can we tell it from a common cold? 

‍

Pertussis, or whooping cough, is a bacterial illness that spreads very easily. It used to be a common childhood disease until the vaccine made it much more rare. It’s coming back as vaccination rates drop, and it’s particularly concerning for babies.  We are regularly seeing employees across our client base with Pertussis. 

‍

At first, it’s very similar to the common cold: runny nose, low-grade fever, and mild cough. Then, a week or two after symptoms first start, people start to have intense coughing fits, sometimes with a high-pitched “whooping” sound when they inhale between coughs - hence the name. These coughing fits can last for weeks and worsen over time. Small babies may have different and very serious symptoms, like struggling to breathe. 

‍

It’s very hard to tell whooping cough from COVID, flu, RSV, or even a common cold during the first two weeks. But once the telltale coughing fits start, it’s relatively easy to test for the bacteria that causes it. 

‍

As a reminder, there is a vaccine for both kids and adults, and adults should get a Tdap booster about every 10 years. You may have gotten a booster during pregnancy or been asked to get a booster before being around a newborn, but if you haven’t been vaccinated in the past 10 years, you can get boosted again now. 

‍

Sources: Mayo Clinic, CDC

‍

Best Read:

‍

We’ve talked a lot about H5N1 jumping from birds into cows, cats, and other mammals, but we really liked this look at another group of animals that could play a role in where bird flu goes next. It also taught us a new word: “synanthropes” - wild animals like pigeons, gulls, rats, and sea lions that have adapted to live side by side with humans, sometimes bringing the diseases they carry closer than we’d like. 

‍

Why a Sea-Lion Epidemic Is a Bad Sign for Humans - The Atlantic 

‍