CDC Health Alerts Are Lagging As Diseases Spread
"We are functionally unable to operate communications," said one CDC worker. "We feel like our hands are tied behind our backs." Other news is on salmonella in cucumbers, measles, valley fever, and more.
NPR:
Diseases Are Spreading. The CDC Isn’t Warning The Public Like It Was Months Ago
To accomplish its mission of increasing the health security of the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that it "conducts critical science and provides health information" to protect the nation. But since President Trump's administration assumed power in January, many of the platforms the CDC used to communicate with the public have gone silent, an NPR analysis found. Many of the CDC's newsletters have stopped being distributed, workers at the CDC say. Health alerts about disease outbreaks, previously sent to health professionals subscribed to the CDC's Health Alert Network, haven't been dispatched since March. (Eisner, 5/21)
NBC News:
Cucumbers Recalled After More Than 20 People Are Sickened In Salmonella Outbreak
The Food and Drug Administration announced a recall of cucumbers grown by Bedner Growers and distributed by Fresh Start Produce Sales because of a multistate Salmonella outbreak that has sickened more than 20 people, including in California. The FDA said in a statement Monday that the cucumbers have been distributed to restaurants, wholesalers, retailers and distribution centers since April 29. The FDA is working to determine where the potentially contaminated vegetables were sold. (Alsharif, 5/20)
CIDRAP:
Texas And Georgia Announce More Measles Cases
The Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) today reported four more measles cases since its last update on May 16 in the large outbreak centered in West Texas, bringing the outbreak total to 722. So far, 92 people have been hospitalized, and the number of deaths remains at two. Based on rash-onset dates, cases have been declining since a peak in mid-March. Active transmission is still under way in seven counties, mostly in West Texas. The exception is Lamar County in East Texas, which has reported 19 cases. (Schnirring, 5/20)
NBC News:
Valley Fever In California: Climate Change Could Lead To More Fungal Infections
Valley fever, or coccidioidomycosis, is caused by inhaling coccidioides spores, a type of fungi endemic to the hot, dry climate of the southwestern United States. Climate change is creating drier soils that are inching farther east, expanding the range of the fungi. Valley fever is increasingly being diagnosed outside its usual territory and cases have been rising across the Western U.S. While Arizona still sees the highest number each year, California is closing the gap. (Sullivan, 5/20)
CIDRAP:
Multidrug-Resistant Shigella Outbreak In New Mexico Infected People, Primates
A paper published today in Nature Communications describes an outbreak of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Shigella in New Mexico involving humans and non-human primates (NHPs) from a local zoo. The outbreak of the highly infectious gastrointestinal condition, which stretched from May 2021 through November 2023, involved 202 Shigella flexneri serotype 2a cases identified by the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) in Bernalillo County, home to Albuquerque. (Dall, 5/20)
CIDRAP:
Family Likely Infected With Histoplasmosis In Bat-Colonized Cave
A new report describes how 12 members of an extended US family who toured a bat-colonized Costa Rican cave tied to a previous histoplasmosis outbreak returned with confirmed or likely cases of the fungal disease. Histoplasmosis, which primarily affects the lungs, is caused by inhaling Histoplasma spores from disturbed soil containing bat guano or bird droppings. Most people have no symptoms, but the disease can put infants and people with weakened immune systems at risk for severe illness that can be chronic or deadly if untreated. (Van Beusekom, 5/20)
CIDRAP:
Wisconsin To Begin Milk Sampling For H5N1 Avian Flu
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP) announced yesterday that the state will soon begin mandatory monthly milk sampling for avian influenza as part of the National Milk Testing Strategy required by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). The USDA has been phasing in states for testing based on previous detections. Wisconsin is the nation’s second-biggest dairy producer and is among the 33 states that haven’t reported any H5N1 detections in dairy cattle. (Schnirring, 5/20)
