Noting Measles Prevention Is Critical, Bhattacharya Promotes Vaccine Uptake

The Hill: Acting CDC Director Bhattacharya Urges Measles Vaccines
Jay Bhattacharya, the recently appointed acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on Monday urged families to consider vaccinating against measles as outbreaks across the country continue. In a video statement posted on the social media platform X, Bhattacharya discussed the steps that the CDC is taking the address the measles situation in the U.S., including “surging” resources and coordinating with states to spread education and outreach. (Choi, 3/2)

More on the spread of measles —

The Colorado Sun: Colorado Health Officials Confirm 2nd Measles Case At Broomfield High School, List New High-Traffic Exposure Areas 
Colorado health officials Monday confirmed a second case of measles at Broomfield High School, and warned the public of possible contact with the highly contagious disease at high-traffic Chick-fil-A and Chipotle locations in the area. (Booth, 3/2)

CBS News: 3 New Placer County Measles Cases Believed Tied To South Carolina Outbreak
Public health officials in Placer County say their first confirmed measles cases of the year are possibly linked to the large outbreak happening in South Carolina. On Monday, Placer County Public Health reported they had confirmed three measles cases. The cases are linked to one family, health officials say, with the patients all being teenagers. Officials also suspect a fourth family member has measles, but that case has not been confirmed. (Padilla, 3/2)

SF Gate: Bay Area Health Officials Warn Of Measles Exposure At California Panda Express
A person with measles went to a Bay Area Panda Express two days in a row, potentially exposing others to the disease, Bay Area health officials are warning. (Dowd, 3/1)

CalMatters: California Measles Outbreaks Strain Public Health Agencies
Investigating any communicable disease is time-intensive and expensive. The first three measles cases reported in L.A. County this year cost an estimated $231,000, according to a health department analysis. Why does it cost so much? Because a disease investigation often requires a legion of public health nurses, physicians, epidemiologists and laboratory scientists to follow-up with hundreds of contacts, Balter said. (Hwang, 3/2)

CIDRAP: CDC: Unvaccinated International Traveler Spread Measles To 17 Other Travelers To, Within US
An unvaccinated adult who traveled from Europe to the United States while infectious with measles last year spread the virus to 17 other people, researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) write in The Journal of Infectious Diseases. For the report, published late last week, the researchers analyzed case samples and data from the CDC’s Port Health Activity Reporting System and health department investigations to describe subsequent contact-tracing efforts, environmental assessments, and laboratory testing. (Van Beusekom, 3/2)

In other outbreaks and health threats —

CIDRAP: Analysis Suggests Rope Squirrels Are A Natural Reservoir Of Mpox Virus
A report in Nature details a case of likely direct interspecies mpox virus (MPXV) transmission from a fire-footed rope squirrel to wild sooty mangabey monkeys in a Cote d’Ivoire national park in 2023. To investigate the outbreak among a group of sooty mangabeys, the team examined molecular evidence from rodents and wildlife carcasses from the area, as well as ecological and behavioral evidence. The researchers have been monitoring the health of chimpanzees, mangabeys, and other wildlife in the park for decades. (Van Beusekom, 3/2)

CIDRAP: US Study Shows Rising Prevalence Of Fungal Infection
Analysis of a nationally representative sample of electronic health record (EHR) data shows aspergillosis diagnoses increased by more than 5% annually in the United States from 2013 through 2023, US researchers reported late last week in Open Forum Infectious Diseases. (Dall, 3/2)