‍Measles News:

• NYC has its first measles case of 2026, in an unvaccinated infant who travelled abroad. (NY Times)
  
  
• Ave Maria University in Florida is now up to 57 measles cases, with at least 7 of them currently contagious. FL’s DOH website was just updated for the first time since 2024, but does not yet match the case reports from the university itself. (WINK, FL DOH)
  
  
• A measles outbreak in Shasta County, California is the state’s first in five years. (SF Chronicle)
  
  
• Mexico City reported its first measles death, with a total of 28 deaths in the country. (Bloomberg)

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Health News:

• Without school vaccine mandates, many kids may never see a doctor. (19th)
  
  
• Hong Kong reported 3 new human bird flu cases, but there’s some confusion about whether they are all H9N2, or if one is H10N3, which is much rarer. (CIDRAP)
  
  
• Over the last decade, a large percentage of U.S. drug users have switched from injection to smoking, largely of their own accord due to safety concerns. (STAT)
  
  
• Conagra was ordered to pay $25m to a California man who says Pam cooking spray damaged his lungs. (USA Today)
  
  
• The FDA refused to review Modern’s application for a new mRNA flu vaccine this week. (NBC)
  
  
• Dawson’s Creek star James Van der Beek died of colorectal cancer, the deadliest cancer for young adults in the U.S. (WBAL)
  
  
• A Portland lawsuit alleges that tear gas from ICE is a health threat, with chemicals soaking into apartment walls, furniture and even children’s toys. (NY Times)
  
  
• Weight loss drugs are leading to a resurgence of scurvy, caused by a vitamin C deficiency. (Hill)
  
  
• Minnesota is the epicenter of an outbreak of sexually-transmitted ringworm, with about 30 confirmed or suspected cases. (CBS)
  
  
• The CDC issued a travel advisory for the Seychelles after an increase in mosquito-borne chikungunya virus cases there. (Hill)
  
  
• More avian flu was detected in commercial flocks in Lancaster, PA and Sonoma, CA this week, along with detections in many wild birds, 2 foxes, and a domestic cat. (CIDRAP)

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Best Question:

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The health department wants to contact all of our employees after a guest came in with measles. What should we do? 

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It’s increasingly common that a health department is asking our clients to provide a full roster and contact info for employees who worked when a guest infected with measles patronized an establishment. Even a very short visit – like someone picking up takeout food from a restaurant – can result in quite a bit of exposure, because measles lingers in the air for up to 3 hours. 

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Be prepared for the health department to move quickly. They may publish your business name, along with a list of other locations the sick person visited, within hours. There's a good clinical reason for that; if someone is unvaccinated or under-vaccinated, they can get a dose of the MMR vaccine within 72 hours of exposure that can dramatically reduce their chances of getting severely ill (or getting measles at all). It can also help local doctors make diagnoses more quickly. 

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So, how to respond? 

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1. Don’t panic. The vast majority of adults in the U.S. are vaccinated against measles, which means they’re very well protected. And good news for your bottom line – we’re not seeing major reactions from the public or lasting sales dips after being named as an exposure site.

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2. Understand exactly what the health department needs from you. Sometimes they just want a list of employees and phone numbers. Sometimes they’ll ask if you can help gather vaccination records. Sometimes they just want to make sure everyone knows they were exposed and are open to you being the one to communicate with employees. Be sure you’re clear on what they want.
   
   
3. Get ahead of the rumor mill by talking to all of the employees directly, preferably verbally. ZHH has prepared talking points for measles exposures that we can share if you need them. This can also help if the health department is trying to contact them to ask about symptoms, since most people won’t answer the phone unless they know who’s calling and why. 

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For a more detailed action plan, check out the ZHH App and chat with our team of experts (or for non-clients, give us a call). We’re here to help so you don’t have to go this alone. 

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Sources: ZHH, NIH, NYC

Best Read: 

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We’re always keeping an eye on how AI is impacting health care. The most obvious answer is that your employees are already using it for health advice. The next frontier may be an AI-powered primary care doc, where AI does the symptom-gathering and makes a recommendation for human doctors who ultimately diagnose and prescribe. 

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Your next primary care doctor could be online only, accessed through an AI tool : Health News - NPR

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Happy Valentine’s Day!

You, dear reader, are our Valentine this year! Check out (and feel free to share) our valentines, because employee health is our love language.