Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CDC: US Measles Cases Reach 2,073, With Virginia As A New Hot Spot
CIDRAP: US Measles Cases Continue To Climb, Especially In Virginia
With 43 newly confirmed infections, US measles cases reached 2,073 today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in an update, as Virginia has become the nation’s newest hot spot. All but 10 of the US infections this year are locally acquired, with the rest related to travel outside the country. The total for all of last year was 2,288 confirmed cases. (Wappes, 6/12)
San Francisco Chronicle: Measles Case In Santa Clara County As Thousands Gather For World Cup
As thousands of World Cup soccer fans descend upon Santa Clara County and Levi’s Stadium, the county’s public health officials announced Saturday that a resident infected with measles traveled to San Francisco International Airport and two San Jose markets this week while contagious. The adult is believed to have been exposed to measles during international travel, Santa Clara County public health officials said. The agency declined to provide any more information about the person due to medical privacy concerns. No other cases have been identified, but public health officials warn the long incubation period can hide other cases for days. (Gafni, 6/13)
Regarding New World screwworm, Vibrio vulnificus, and hantavirus —
The Hill: New World Screwworm Spread Tests US Readiness After Trump Staffing Cuts
The U.S. spent decades driving the New World screwworm far into South America. But now the parasite has reemerged, and officials are working to beat it back yet again using many of the same tried-and-true methods as the government did in the 1950s. Experts have been tracking the path of parasitic fly as it moved steadily northward in recent years, and Trump administration officials said they spent months preparing for the first cases. But key agency staffing cuts under President Trump after years of the government being in cruise control are testing that readiness. (Weixel, 6/13)
WUSF: Florida Is Up To Eight Cases Of Vibrio Vulnificus – So-Called 'Flesh-Eating Bacteria' – In 2026
Two new cases of Vibrio vulnificus, commonly known as “flesh-eating bacteria,” were reported in Florida during the week of May 28 to June 6, according to the state Department of Health. The infections were reported in Okaloosa and Palm Beach counties, the most recent cases listed in the state’s online database. (Mayer, 6/12)
San Francisco Chronicle: San Quentin’s Suspected Hantavirus Case A False Positive, Tests Show
A San Quentin Rehabilitation Center inmate who officials initially suspected may have had hantavirus turned out to be uninfected, according to news reports citing state corrections and health agencies. The inmate of the Marin County prison was tested last week after showing symptoms of hantavirus, a rare but deadly disease that typically spreads to humans from rodents. That test, which was performed by a commercial lab and looked for the presence of viral antibodies, showed a positive result. (Ho, 6/14)
The latest about the Ebola outbreak in Africa —
Stat: WHO Head: In DRC, Ebola Is Not The Biggest Problem
The director-general of the World Health Organization is “really worried” about the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, already the third largest on record. In an exclusive interview with STAT, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the conditions he saw after returning from his second visit to the affected area since the outbreak was declared on May 15, and designated a public health emergency of international concern on May 17. (Branswell, 6/13)
CIDRAP: Ebola Outbreak In DR Congo Expands Into Large Displacement Camp
The number of confirmed cases in the growing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has risen to 676, including 136 deaths, as health officials warn it’s likely to get worse. Among the dead are two victims who were living in a displacement camp in eastern DRC, which has been plagued by conflict between the government and rebel groups. According to Reuters, the mother and daughter, who died on May 31 and June 1 and later tested positive for Ebola, were living in a camp that’s hosting 30,000 internally displaced people in cramped and unsanitary conditions. (Dall, 6/12)
The New York Times: Scientists Race To Test Treatments As Ebola Outbreak Widens
In a hastily assembled Ebola treatment center in Rwampara, Democratic Republic of Congo, Dr. Papys Lame and his colleagues rehydrate patients who arrive in paroxysms of diarrhea and vomiting, transfuse those who bleed uncontrollably from their noses and mouths, and provide oxygen for those in respiratory distress. They monitor patients’ hearts and blood pressure, and treat their intense pain. (Zimmer and Nolen, 6/12)
NPR: Inside The Ebola Epicenter In Eastern Congo
Eliezer Kasongo thought the Ebola epidemic would blow over in a few weeks. Then the crisis began to unfold before his eyes. "We started to see people die in the neighbourhood and we began to understand," said Kasongo, a community volunteer in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Despite once being a doubter, the 25-year-old now spends his days going door to door to try to raise awareness about the disease. (Livingstone and Mpiana, 6/15)
Also —
Bloomberg: Researchers Infect Five People With Dengue To Study Treatment Options
Researchers in Singapore deliberately infected five healthy people with dengue in order to better study a virus that’s placing a growing burden on public health. Earlier this year, five adult volunteers aged from 21 to 45 were inoculated with a weakened dengue virus, and then stayed in the hospital for at least 10 days while researchers observed how their infections developed, the National Centre for Infectious Diseases said Friday. The participants underwent regular safety assessment, but didn’t receive any particular treatment targeting the virus. (Kan, 6/12)
