Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
A Whopping 364 Whooping Cough Cases Plagued US Thanksgiving Week
CBS News: U.S. Sets Thanksgiving Record For Whooping Cough Cases
At least 364 pertussis infections were reported to health authorities last week, according to figures published Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, marking the worst Thanksgiving week for whooping cough in recent decades. This tops the previous Thanksgiving record of 228 cases of pertussis which were reported for the week ending Nov. 27, 2010. That year there were 27,550 cases reported by the end of 2010, below the 28,167 already tallied so far this year. (Tin, 12/5)
KFF Health News: How Measles, Whooping Cough, And Worse Could Roar Back On RFK Jr.’s Watch
The availability of safe, effective covid vaccines less than a year into the pandemic marked a high point in the 300-year history of vaccination, seemingly heralding an age of protection against infectious diseases. Now, after backlash against public health interventions culminated in President-elect Donald Trump’s nominating Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the country’s best-known anti-vaccine activist, as its top health official, infectious disease and public health experts and vaccine advocates say a confluence of factors could cause renewed, deadly epidemics of measles, whooping cough, and meningitis, or even polio. (Allen, 12/6)
CIDRAP: Flu Patients Less Likely To Die If Given Oseltamivir On Day Of Hospitalization, Data Suggest
Patients given the antiviral drug oseltamivir on the day of hospital admission for influenza A had less severe disease and were less likely to die or require intensive care and dialysis or vasopressors (drugs to raise blood pressure) than those who didn't receive early therapy, suggests a US study published last week in Clinical Infectious Diseases. (Van Beusekom, 12/5)
On bird flu —
The New York Times: How The Messy Process Of Milking Cows Can Spread Bird Flu
On America’s large dairy farms, milking is a vast operation, and the potential for disease transmission is worrying, health experts say. (Anthes, 12/5)
The Atlantic: Bird Flu Can’t Stop The Thirst For Raw Milk
Across the country, the thirst for an illicit beverage is growing. Raw milk can’t be sold legally for human consumption in many states, but some 11 million Americans drink it anyway as wellness influencers, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., extol its benefits. They do so despite a well-established risk of disease and death: E. coli, salmonella, and listeria have all been found in unpasteurized milk. This year, a new pathogen has been added to the list. Bird flu. (Tayag, 12/5)
In global news —
CIDRAP: Mpox Continues Its Africa Spread As Clade 1b Confirmed In 2 More Nations
Africa's mpox outbreaks are still trending upward. ... Countries reported 36 more deaths, raising the total this year to 1,200. "We are still losing people," said Jean Kaseya, MD, MPH, director-general of Africa CDC. The region reported 2,708 new cases, putting the total for the year at 62,171 cases in 20 countries. Most cases and all of the deaths last week were from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which has been the main outbreak epicenter. (Schnirring, 12/5)
AP: 13 Children Die In Mexico From Suspected Contaminated IV Bags
Thirteen children under the age of 14 have died in central Mexico and authorities said Thursday they suspect contaminated IV feeding bags as the culprit. The federal Health Department ordered doctors across the country not to use IV nutrition bags made by the company Productos Hospitalarios S.A de C.V., though the exact source of the infections is still under investigation. Phone calls to numbers listed for the company and emails seeking comment went unanswered. (12/5)
