Measles News:

• In just the 5 weeks of 2026, the U.S. saw 4x as many cases as we typically see in an entire year. (ABC)
  
  
• Dr. Oz, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, urged people to “Take the vaccine, please.” (Guardian)
  
  
• Measles exposures this week include: a second case at Disneyland, March for Life attendees in D.C., and airports in D.C. and Phoenix. (CBS, NPR, NBC4, ABC15)
  
  
• Jalisco, Mexico’s most populous state, announced health screenings and recommended mask use in schools as it nears 6,000 suspected cases. (AP)
  
  
• Measles vaccination rates in Minnesota’s Somali community were already plummeting, but new fears of ICE raids are making it even worse. (AP)

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Health News:

• Norovirus is high and rising nationwide, which is typical for February. Luckily, we’re not seeing record highs like last year - at least not yet. (Outbreak Outlook)
  
  
• The CDC will rescind $600 million in grants to CA, CO, IL, and MN. Nearly two thirds are cuts to California state and local public health departments. (NY Times)
  
  
• Trust in the CDC is at an all-time low, a new poll found. (KFF)
  
  
• A large study showed that AI chatbots may give unsafe medical advice. (Becker’s Hospital Review)
  
  
• 8 more kids died from the flu last week, for a total of 60 children dead so far this season. 90% of them were not fully vaccinated against flu. (CIDRAP)
  
  
• Avian flu caused a mass die-off of skuas, a gull relative, in Antarctica in 2023-2024, the first confirmed die-off from H5N1 on that continent. (CIDRAP)
  
  
• Anxiety and depression in older women leads to a 78% higher risk of long COVID. (CIDRAP)
  
  
• Two TB cases were detected at an El Paso ICE facility. (Texas Tribune)
  
  

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Best Question:

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A guest thinks they got E. coli from our food - but they have a UTI. How can we explain the difference? 

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One of the real pitfalls of electronic lab results being immediately available to patients is that lots of people don’t understand what they’re seeing. 

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E. coli is one of the most common bacteria out there. There are many different strains, many of which actually live in our digestive tract without causing any issues. E. coli bacteria are on subway poles, door handles, in a whopping 81% of raw meat samples at the supermarket, and all over our bathrooms. 

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E. coli causes the majority of urinary tract infections (UTIs) in America - 85% of them. It’s easy to spread from our guts to our urethras or bladders. UTIs are common, and diagnosed through urine tests. And while it is actually plausible that someone could pick up E. coli from food that spread to their urinary tract, it’s just as likely that they got it from touching the cart at the grocery store, or from their own digestive tract. 

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In terms of foodborne illness, the only E. coli we are really concerned about is the kind that causes diarrhea. Among those, shiga-toxin producing E. coli (STEC), including O157:H7, are the highest concern. 

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So, if you have an employee or guest who says they have E. coli, our first questions are: 

1) What are your symptoms, and 

2) Did the doctor take a urine or fecal (poop) sample? 

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If we hear of urine tests and urinary symptoms (including fever), we can be fairly confident that this isn’t the type of E. coli that requires a crisis call. If we hear that they have severe diarrhea and their doctor took a stool sample, we’ll kick it into high gear. 

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For concerned guests, we can explain the difference in the types of E. coli, but also assure them that our teams take extensive food safety precautions, including thorough handwashing. Listen carefully and be sympathetic without taking responsibility - most guests just want to be heard. 

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Sources: CIDRAP, NIH, GWU

Best Read:

The Finnish women’s hockey team were belting out karaoke at a Milan restaurant before the games started. A few days later they had to postpone their first game due to multiple cases of norovirus. Some athletes aren’t taking any chances with their health. 

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Olympic COVID restrictions are gone, but some athletes still self-quarantining : NPR

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