After Measles Outbreak, North Dakota Officials Quarantine Unvaccinated Kids
One school district is requiring unvaxxed schoolchildren exposed to the measles virus to quarantine for 21 days. Meanwhile, for only the second time in 30 years, the number of measles cases nationwide has surpassed 1,000. Other news is on listeria, flu, enterovirus D68, and screwworms in cattle.
CNN:
Measles Outbreak In North Dakota Prompts Local Health Officials To Quarantine Unvaccinated Schoolchildren
Measles cases continue to accumulate in the United States in what is already the second-worst year since the disease was declared eliminated a quarter-century ago. Now, a recent outbreak in one North Dakota county has led local health officials to quarantine nearly 200 unvaccinated students. (McPhillips, 5/9)
Politico:
Measles Hits 1,000 Cases — For The Second Time In 30 Years
The measles outbreak has surpassed 1,000 cases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed Friday, a grim milestone that has only been achieved twice in the last 30 years. Three people have died in the outbreak, according to the CDC, including two school-aged children in Texas. Children under 5 account for roughly one-third of the 1,001 cases, the majority of which have been recorded in Texas. Nearly all patients — 96 percent — were unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status. (Gardner, 5/9)
More outbreaks and health threats —
AP:
At Least 10 People Hospitalized After Listeria Outbreak In California And Nevada
At least 10 people in the U.S. have been sickened in a listeria outbreak linked to ready-to-eat food products, and a producer is voluntarily recalling several products, federal officials said. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Saturday that federal, state and local officials are investigating the outbreak linked to foods produced by Fresh & Ready Foods LLC of San Fernando, California. The FDA says the 10 people who fell ill were in California and Nevada, and required hospitalization. (5/12)
CIDRAP:
US Flu Activity Now At Low Levels, But CDC Confirms 10 More Kids' Flu Deaths
A 2024-25 flu season that has been classified as high severity has now reached low transmission levels, but 10 new flu-related deaths in children bring the season's total to 226, the most since 2009-10, when 288 pediatric deaths were recorded, according to the latest FluView update today from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The percentage of outpatient visits for influenza-like illness (ILI), or respiratory illness, dipped slightly from 2.2% the previous week to 2.1% last week (see CDC graph below). (Wappes, 5/9)
CIDRAP:
Enterovirus D68 Can Lead To Severe Respiratory Illness In Even Healthy Kids
Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) can cause severe acute respiratory illness (ARI) in otherwise healthy children of all ages, with hospitalized children who have an underlying condition other than asthma or who have reactive airway disease (RAD) at higher risk for poor outcomes, finds a study published yesterday in JAMA Network Open. A team led by researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) mined data from the New Vaccine Surveillance Network, a system based in emergency departments (EDs) and hospitals at seven US pediatric medical centers. (Van Beusekom, 5/9)
AP:
US Suspends Mexican Live Cattle Exports Over Screwworm Pest
The United States will suspend Mexican exports of live cattle for 15 days to review the joint strategy in the fight against the screwworm, Mexico’s Agriculture Secretary Julio Berdegué said on social media Sunday. Berdegué said on social platform X that he had spoken with his U.S. counterpart, Brooke Rollins, who had informed him of the decision. “We don’t agree with this measure, but we’re confident we’ll reach an agreement sooner rather than later,” Berdegué said. (5/11)
