Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CDC Sets New World Screwworm Emergency Response In Motion
Bloomberg: CDC Activates Screwworm Emergency Response As Cases Increase
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has started taking emergency measures against New World screwworm after the dangerous parasitic infection was detected in cattle in the country for the first time in decades. The Atlanta-based CDC activated a formal emergency response on Thursday after interim leader Jay Bhattacharya signed off on the plan, according to an internal document viewed by Bloomberg News. The move means the public health agency is assembling a team of career scientists to closely monitor the outbreak and coordinate with local health departments. (Nix, 6/11)
CIDRAP: FDA OKs Treatment Of New World Screwworm In Dogs And Cats For Emergency Use
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for a generic drug, nitenpyram, to treat New World screwworm (NWS) in dogs and cats. Nitenpyram, the first generic animal drug authorized for use against screwworm, can be used in animals who weigh at least two pounds and are at least 4 weeks old. ... The FDA has issued 10 EUAs and three conditional approvals for drugs to combat NWS, a number that could grow as drugmakers submit additional applications. (Szabo, 6/11)
The Hill: New World Screwworm Confirmed In Texas Calf
A sixth case of New World screwworm has been confirmed in a Texas calf. It’s the second calf in La Salle County, Texas, to become infested with the parasite that threatens wildstock with larvae that burrows deep into the tissue of its inhabitant, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Officials in the Lone Star State have been working with their federal counterparts to drive out the screwworm, which was eradicated from the U.S. in 1966. (Fields, 6/10)
Regarding hantavirus, measles, and leptospirosis —
NBC News: CDC, Florida Health Officials At Odds Over Hantavirus Cruise Ship Passenger’s Quarantine
Florida health officials are pushing back at quarantine guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for passengers from the cruise ship MV Hondius exposed to the deadly Andes hantavirus. One American who was on the cruise ship says she’s stuck in the middle and unable to leave federal quarantine. (Edwards and Vespa, 6/11)
Cardinal News: Health Officials Issue Advisory About Large Gatherings As Measles Outbreak Grows In Buckingham County
The Virginia Department of Health issued a health advisory Wednesday as the measles outbreak in Buckingham County continues to grow. There have been 89 confirmed cases reported as of June 11. Health officials suspected community transmission in May when the outbreak started with a dozen cases. None of the infected individuals had reported recent travel, indicating that the virus is spreading locally. (Schabacker, 6/12)
WUSF: Polk County Reports First Measles Case Of Year As U.S. Tops 2,000 Mark
The U.S. passed 2,000 measles cases last month, a stunning total for a disease that was considered wiped out 25 years ago. Although a Florida outbreak from earlier in the year has slowed, cases are still popping up on the online reportable disease database from the state Department of Health. A Polk County resident between age 35 to 39 was the only measles patient reported from May 31 to June 6, according to the latest weekly update by the Florida agency. (Mayer, 6/12)
San Francisco Chronicle: 1 Dead After Rare Rat-Borne Disease Surfaces In Berkeley
Berkeley health officials are widening their response to a rare, rat-borne disease after confirming the city’s first known human cases in more than a decade. One person died and another was hospitalized after contracting leptospirosis, a bacterial disease commonly spread through the urine of infected animals. City officials said both infected people were living in a severely rat-infested RV about a mile from a northwest Berkeley encampment where the disease had previously been found in rats and dogs. (Vaziri, 6/11)
The latest about Ebola —
The Hill: Ebola Outbreak Response Not Hurt By US Cuts: CDC Director Jay Bhattacharya
The acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) denied Wednesday that the Trump administration’s cuts to foreign aid negatively impacted the global response to the ongoing Ebola outbreak. Dr. Jay Bhattacharya said on NewsNation’s “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” that he has “never met a more competent, committed group of professionals” than the CDC teams addressing the outbreaks of Ebola and hantavirus. “I’ve seen no evidence at all that any cuts that have happened … have impacted our ability to address these outbreaks,” Bhattacharya added. (Rego, 6/11)
Bloomberg: World Cup: CDC Head Meets Congo Team In Houston As Ebola Outbreak Spreads
Jay Bhattacharya, interim head of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, met with the Democratic Republic of Congo’s World Cup team, a sign of goodwill as their homeland grapples with an Ebola outbreak, according to a person familiar with the matter. Bhattacharya and other CDC career scientists from the public health agency met the team and its national delegation in Houston on Thursday. (Nix, 6/11)
CIDRAP: Africa CDC Urges Stronger Ebola Exit Screenings At Member-State Borders
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) is urging member states to strengthen border exit screenings in light of the growing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Analysis from the Africa CDC Emergency Consultative Group (ECG), an independent advisory body to the Africa CDC, said the 11 countries most at risk for Ebola and those bordering the DRC should enhance surveillance but not institute travel bans. (Soucheray, 6/11)
Bloomberg: Congo Ebola Outbreak Expands As Missing Contacts Hinder Response Efforts
Authorities are unable to determine the true extent of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo because emergency workers can’t find all the missing contacts of patients infected by the virus, Africa’s top health official said. Congo reported 676 confirmed cases and 136 deaths as of June 10, the National Institute of Public Health said. The outbreak has spread into three additional health zones pushing the total number of affected regions to 29 from 26, the institute said in the report on Thursday. (Ghosh and Furlong, 6/12)
