Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Flu Season Still To Peak; Experts Say Expect More Illnesses, Deaths To Come
Fortune: Experts Warn 2024–25 Flu Season Hasn’t Peaked Yet, Will Get Worse Before It Gets Better
If you haven’t caught the flu this season, perhaps you know someone who has, or are concerned about the virus infiltrating your household. We are, by at least one measure, in the midst of the nation’s worst flu season in recent decades. At least 24 million illnesses, 310,000 hospitalizations, and 13,000 influenza-linked deaths—including 57 children—have plagued the U.S. this season, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Flu-related emergency department visits necessitated the CDC’s most severe “very high” ranking as of Feb. 7, as did influenza virus activity in national wastewater samples. (Leake, 2/12)
San Francisco Chronicle: ‘Our Hospital Is Full To The Brim’: California Slammed By Flu Cases
California is grappling with an unusually severe flu season this winter, with hospitalizations rising and concerns that the outbreak could last for weeks. The situation is particularly dire in the Bay Area, where Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease expert at UCSF, said flu activity has reached alarming levels. “2025 is the year of flu in the Bay Area,” he said, highlighting the overwhelming number of cases impacting emergency departments. (Vaziri, 2/12)
Stat: Global Officials Unsure If U.S. Will Take Part In Critical Flu Vaccine Meeting
Later this month influenza experts from around the world will gather at the Crick Worldwide Influenza Center in London to pour over data in a multi-day effort, led by the World Health Organization, to decide which specific viruses next winter’s flu shot should target. For now, the WHO doesn’t know if U.S. government representatives will show up. Whether they do so could have an impact on the composition, and ultimately the effectiveness, of flu vaccines throughout the Northern Hemisphere and beyond. (Branswell, 2/13)
On measles, mpox, and Oropouche —
CBS News: Measles Outbreak In Texas Was "Completely Preventable," Infectious Disease Expert Says
"It is troubling, because this was completely preventable," Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease physician and senior scholar at Johns Hopkins, told CBS News on Wednesday. "What we're seeing is, one of the places in Texas — it has the lowest vaccination rates, the highest school exemption rates from measles vaccination — having a measles outbreak, including hospitalizations of individuals who've been infected with measles." (Moniuszko and Higgins, 2/12)
CIDRAP: Clade 1b Mpox Outbreak In DR Congo Linked To Sex Workers; New York Reports First Case
New research on the epidemiologic and genomic evolution of the clade 1b mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) suggests 83% of cases were linked to sex work, three healthcare workers contracted the disease, and infected pregnant women frequently miscarried. ... In related news, New York state officials have confirmed clade 1b in a resident, the first such case in New York state and the fourth clade 1b case confirmed in the United States. (Soucheray, 2/12)
CIDRAP: As Oropouche Cases Continue In The Americas, PAHO Urges Countries To Keep Their Guard Up
In an update on Oropouche virus activity, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) yesterday said in the first four weeks of the year, 3,765 cases have already been reported from six Americas countries, most of them from Brazil. Other countries reporting local cases include Panama, Peru, Cuba, and Guyana, as well as an imported case from Canada. ... Of countries reported importing cases, the United States reported 108, all involving travel to Cuba. (Schnirring, 2/12)
