Health News:

• The Ebola outbreak in Congo has now passed 10,000 cases, making this the second-largest outbreak ever recorded. New U.S. travel rules start November 3rd. (AP)
  
  
• There have been more than 1.3 million birds affected by bird flu across the U.S. in the past month. (The Independent)
  
  
• Three out of four former NFL players studied had CTE, according to a review of thousands of post-mortem records. (JAMA)
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• The U.S. isn’t making much progress in its foodborne illness goals for 2030. A new analysis from FDA, CDC, and USDA researchers found little to no progress so far. (Food Safety Magazine)
  
  
• The CDC’s new report estimates that drug-resistant infections kill more than 39,000 people in the U.S. each year. (CDC)
  
  
• OSHA wants to make medical exams optional for workers who wear N95s and other respirators. Experts are pushing back over concerns about employee safety. (Guardian)
  
  
• New World screwworm has now reached Arizona, and for the first time in this outbreak, it was found in a cat in New Mexico. (CIDRAP)
  
  
• A Lyme disease vaccine in its final stages of clinical trials didn’t hit its target for vaccine efficacy. (Reuters)
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• Morocco is increasing vaccinations and tracking cases after 11 diphtheria cases and three deaths in the last few weeks. (U.S. Embassy)
  
  
• And…even monkeys get grossed out. Researchers found that macaque monkeys in a Texas primate sanctuary avoided grapes contaminated with feces. (CIDRAP)

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Best Question:

Do we need to report an employee who tested positive for a non-shiga-toxin-producing (non-STEC) E.coli? 

This question is much more complicated to answer than it should be, and it's heavily influenced by the exact city and state where the person works. 

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It’s not nearly as concerning from a foodborne illness perspective if an employee tests positive for a non-STEC E. coli. The worst outbreaks are generally from E. coli O157:H7 or other STECs. California is one example of a state that only requires reporting for STEC, also known as enterohemorrhagic (EHEC) or vero-toxin producing (VTEC). 

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For some state and county health departments, all E. coli cases are reportable, but different health departments respond differently to non-STEC E. coli. If the employee had GI symptoms and tested positive for E. coli, you should assume that there’s a foodborne illness risk and act accordingly, but it may not require the same level of response (or panic) as O157:H7, for example. 

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In short, be prepared for a call or visit from your health department, but rest assured that you probably don’t need to report it. If required in your state or jurisdiction, the lab that did the testing will report it to the health department. There are some situations where we might advise you to proactively call, but those are fewer and further between. When in doubt, give ZHH a call and we can support you in figuring out the right next steps with the sick employee and the health department. 

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Sources:  CDPH, NYDOH, Medline Plus, Mass.gov, TX DSHS, CCPH

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Best Read:

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And since it’s Halloween, we’re ending with something fitting: the three public health threats that scare our friend Michael Osterholm most, along with four bonus frights. Happy Halloween 🎃 Be safe out there!

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Top 3 Public Health Frights this Halloween

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