Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Mosquito-Borne EEE In Rhode Island; Infant Dies From Pertussis In Alaska
The Boston Globe: Rhode Island Reports First Case Of EEE
Rhode Island has recorded its first case this year of eastern equine encephalitis, the mosquito-borne disease known as EEE, public health officials announced Wednesday. The virus was detected in a person from Providence County who is in their 70s, marking the first emergence of the potentially fatal disease in the Ocean State since 2019, the state Department of Health said in a statement. Since 1983, the state has documented 11 cases. (Gavin, 9/11)
Alaska's News Source: Alaska Records 1st Infant Death From Whooping Cough, State Health Officials Confirm
Alaska’s state health department confirmed that an infant has died from the ongoing pertussis — or whooping cough — epidemic that is currently sweeping Alaska. Details about the child’s exact age or hometown are not being released to protect the family’s anonymity, although health officials say most of the current cases have been reported in Southcentral Alaska. (Maxwell, 9/11)
CIDRAP: H5N1 Confirmed In 3 More California Dairy Herds
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) today announced that a state lab has detected highly pathogenic avian influenza in cows on three more dairy farms in the Central Valley, which raises the state’s total to six. (Schnirring, 9/11)
Bloomberg: Bavarian Nordic Vaccine 58% Effective Against Mpox, Study Shows
Bavarian Nordic A/S’s smallpox vaccine was moderately effective in preventing mpox infection after a single dose, according to a study in Ontario, Canada, where the shot probably helped curb a 2022 outbreak. One vaccination provided about 58% protection against mpox infection, researchers found in the study. It was conducted from mid-June to late October 2022 among gay and bisexual men — the group most affected during a global outbreak sparked by the clade IIb strain of the monkeypox virus. (Gale, 9/11)
On the covid pandemic —
USA Today: 'Very High' COVID-19 Levels Reported In Half The US, CDC Shares
The most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that last month nearly half of the United States have reported "very high" levels of COVID-19 activity. As concerns with COVID have waned across the U.S., the CDC has come to rely on wastewater data to track the virus, which often lags several weeks behind current case counts. (Forbes, 9/11)
Bluefield Daily Telegraph: Virginia Releases New Online Dashboard To Track Respiratory Illness, Including COVID
Now that cases of the flu and Covid-19 are being reported once again, the Virginia Department of Health has introduced a new online dashboard to track respiratory illnesses. The new online dashboard was launched Tuesday by the Virginia Department of Health, and tracks respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19, the flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). (Owens, 9/12)
Axios: Hospitals Are Safer Than They Were Before The Pandemic: Study
Improved safety practices led 200,000 more patients to survive hospitalization in 2023 and 2024 than they would have four years earlier, per a new analysis on patient safety from the American Hospital Association and Vizient. (Reed, 9/12)
The Washington Post: Calif. Official Facing Censure For Allegedly Siphoning Covid Relief Funds
A California county leader on Tuesday was removed from his committee assignments and regional board positions after allegations that he helped funnel millions in pandemic relief funding into a nonprofit run by his daughter. (Somasundaram, 9/11)
