Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
2nd Death Reported In Legionnaires' Disease Outbreak In Iowa
KCCI Des Moines: Iowa Public Health Leaders Confirm Second Death Linked To Legionella Outbreak In Marshalltown
A second person's death has now been linked to a Legionella outbreak in Marshalltown, state health officials say. The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services confirmed on Monday that an elderly adult with multiple underlying health conditions died on Sept. 18. This is the second death associated with the Legionella outbreak. A retired Catholic priest, the Rev. Bernard "Bernie" Grady, was the first reported fatality of this outbreak. The exact cause of the outbreak has not yet been confirmed, but officials believe cooling towers are the "most likely source of the outbreak." (Wingert, 9/22)
More public health news from Iowa —
Iowa Public Radio: Iowa Health And Human Services Director Kelly Garcia To Step Down Next Month
Kelly Garcia, the director of the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, will step down next month. Gov. Kim Reynolds made the announcement on Monday in a statement, saying after nearly six years of heading the state's largest agency, Garcia plans to leave the state at an unspecified day in October. (Krebs, 9/22)
On screwworm, measles, and valley fever —
CIDRAP: New World Screwworm Confirmed In Cow Just 70 Miles South Of US-Mexico Border
Yesterday, Mexico confirmed a case of New World screwworm (NWS) in Sabinas Hidalgo, in a cow in Nuevo Leon state, less than 70 miles from the US-Mexico border. The flesh-eating parasitic infection, carried by the Cochliomyia hominivorax fly, a type of blowfly, is causing a large outbreak in Central America. NWS can infect any warm-blooded animal, but human cases are rare. So far this year, US officials haven't confirmed any cases in animals. (Van Beusekom, 9/22)
NBC News: Measles Outbreak Growing In Parts Of Arizona And Utah, Health Officials Say
One of the largest measles outbreaks in the U.S. is now centered in bordering areas of southwestern Utah and Arizona. In Southwest Utah, all but one of the 23 confirmed cases are among unvaccinated, school-age kids, the Southwest Utah Public Health Department reported. In Mohave County, Arizona, which health officials believe is connected to the Utah outbreak, there have been 42 confirmed cases of the highly contagious virus. (Kopf, Fattah and Murphy, 9/22)
USA Today: Growing Fungal Disease Outbreak Spreads Through Dust And Dirt
Once limited to the Southwest, valley fever now threatens vast swaths of the U.S. It's often misdiagnosed, and it can lead to terrible disease. (Cuevas, 9/22)
