Health Officials Warn Of Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak In NYC
The city's health department is investigating a cluster of cases that has killed one person and sickened more than 20 others. Separately, researchers have noted a surge in pediatric cases of influenza-associated acute necrotizing encephalopathy.
ABC News:
1 Dead And At Least 22 Sick From Legionnaires' Disease Cluster In New York City
One person is dead and at least 22 people have become sick from a Legionnaires’ disease cluster in New York City since last Friday, health officials said. The New York City Health Department provided an update on Thursday into its investigation of a community cluster of Legionnaires’ disease in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City and the surrounding communities. (Haworth, 7/31)
On flu and covid —
San Francisco Chronicle:
This Deadly Flu Complication Has Surged In Children, Study Reports
A study published Wednesday provides one of the most comprehensive descriptions to date about a rare, but potentially deadly, flu complication that has devastating consequences for children. The report describes a surge in the number of cases of the condition in the past two flu seasons. The potential fatal complication — influenza-associated acute necrotizing encephalopathy — is associated with brain swelling and a runaway immune response. Severe health problems like these are a big reason that medical experts strongly recommend flu vaccines, especially for young children and older adults. (Lee, 7/30)
Newsweek:
Respiratory Viruses Risk Waking Dormant Cancer
Respiratory infections like COVID-19 and the flu may increase the risk of dormant breast cancer cells reactivating and spreading in those with a history of the disease. This is the conclusion of a study based on experiments with mice and observational human health data by researchers at the University of Colorado, the Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center (MECCC) in New York and Utrecht University. (Millington, 7/30)
CIDRAP:
Study Finds No Safety Issues With Most Recent MRNA COVID Vaccines
At a time when federal officials are calling into question the safety and necessity of COVID-19 vaccines, the mRNA COVID vaccine version used this past season showed no elevated risk of any of the 29 serious adverse events that researchers in Denmark assessed. (Wappes, 7/30)
MedPage Today:
Novel Drug May Help Speed Kids' GI Recovery In Severe Post-COVID Syndrome
Adding a novel oral drug originally designed to treat celiac disease to standard treatment for post-COVID multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) appeared safe and effective in a small, phase IIa randomized, double-blind trial. (Rudd, 7/30)
On fungal meningitis —
CIDRAP:
Report Details Deadly Medical Tourism–Related Fungal Meningitis Outbreak
A report in Clinical Infectious Diseases describes the largest US outbreak of fungal meningitis caused by Fusarium species, which occurred among residents who received epidural anesthesia for cosmetic surgeries with the same anesthesiologist in Matamoros, Mexico, in 2023. Of the 24 patients sickened, 12 died, which the authors say underscores the need for clinicians to suspect fungal meningitis in patients with negative bacterial and viral cultures and molecular testing who underwent epidural anesthesia for any reason. (Van Beusekom, 7/30)
