Health News:

• Norovirus is skyrocketing across the US, nearing peak numbers that we usually only see in the spring. (CDC)
• A Salmonella outbreak in 14 states is linked to charcuterie trays sold at Sam’s Club. (Newsweek)
• Flu and COVID are both very high right now. Flu is making more people feel sick right now, but COVID is making more people severely sick or hospitalized. (CDC)
• JN.1 now makes up the majority of cases in the US, at above 60%. (CDC)
• A measles outbreak in Philadelphia has grown to 8 cases, mostly children. (CBS)
• COVID hospitalizations are slightly up from last week but still 22% lower than last winter’s peak. (YLE)
• Exercise could be harmful for some people with long COVID. (Bloomberg)
• Santa Clara County, CA residents can now request free Narcan by mail. (Mercury News)
• Experts project more uptake of shorter, all-oral TB drug treatments, but major efforts to ensure access are still needed. (CIDRAP)
• Cities with taxes on sugary drinks saw sales fall dramatically. (NPR)

Mental Health & Substance Use News:

• While 140,000 Americans die every year from alcohol-related deaths, fewer than 2% of eligible patients are given medications approved for alcohol use disorder. (NPR)
• The FDA warned that Singular, a commonly prescribed asthma drug, may cause despair, agitation, and aggression, but many patients were never told. (NY Times)
• Utah is celebrating a milestone - the state has prevented 10,000 overdose deaths with naloxone. (ABC)

If you or someone you know may be considering suicide or need help, call 988 or message the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.

Best Questions:

An employee says they have food poisoning. What are the chances it’s actually just norovirus?

Very, very high - especially right now! It’s very rare that people actually find out the causes of a sudden bout of vomiting and diarrhea because it passes so quickly that there’s rarely time or reason to get a lab test. Norovirus is often misunderstood and regularly categorized as “food poisoning” or “eating something bad.” It’s possible to spread noro through food, but also through contact with contaminated surfaces, being near someone who vomits or has diarrhea, changing diapers of a sick child, and lots more! So if a lot of people in your community have suddenly “eaten something bad,” chances are it’s actually norovirus.
Source: CDC

Are your other clients also seeing an uptick in respiratory illness?

Yes! Across all of our clients - and the entire country - there’s a marked increase in respiratory illnesses right now, including flu and COVID. Flu, in particular, is extremely high right now. While COVID cases are still relatively low compared to previous winters, wastewater shows that it may actually be very high right now - but fewer people are getting tested, and luckily, fewer are going to the hospital. There are some signs that flu might be peaking, but COVID seems to still be on the rise. Our hope is that both will start to decline in the next few weeks, but we should expect more respiratory illnesses throughout the month of January. Source: YLE‍

My spouse got COVID but I didn’t. Why not?

There are so many factors that affect whether we catch COVID from a loved one. First, your own immunity. Do you have the updated booster, or did you have COVID relatively recently or three times last year, for example? You might have been exposed but never got sick because your immune system successfully fought off the virus. Second is exposure itself. If you slept in a different room after your spouse got sick and left the windows open for better ventilation, you were exposed to a lot fewer viral particles than you might otherwise have been. Last, how sick the other person is can affect whether you get it. Someone with a high viral load who is coughing and sneezing like crazy may spread more virus than someone else. Some people are infectious earlier or for longer than others, as well. In the end, it’s a bit of a crapshoot, but you can reduce your chances of catching it by getting the updated booster, focusing on ventilation in your household, and isolating yourself away from the sick person.
Source: NPR

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