Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
FDA On The Hunt For Source Of Fourth Large Cyclosporiasis Outbreak
The Wall Street Journal: The FDA Is Investigating New Cyclospora Outbreak, But Hasn’t Identified Source
The U.S. Food and Drug and Administration said Wednesday it is investigating an additional cyclospora outbreak that the agency said has sickened at least 72 people. It is the latest of four continuing cyclospora outbreaks being investigated by the FDA. The largest involves at least 1,644 cases, which have been linked to shredded iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms and served at Taco Bell in five states. (McKee, 7/22)
NBC News: Lettuce May Be Tip Of The Iceberg As Cyclosporiasis Spreads
Shredded iceberg lettuce likely isn’t the only source of cyclosporiasis that’s spreading in the U.S. this summer, but former top Food and Drug Administration officials say we may never be able to pinpoint every food behind the outbreaks. (Lovelace Jr., 7/22)
The Washington Post: CDC Catches Up To State Tallies As Cyclosporiasis Case Count Surges
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention dramatically increased its national tally of cyclosporiasis cases Tuesday, adding more than 4,000 confirmed illnesses after weeks in which state health departments had reported substantially higher numbers than the federal government. The confirmed cases count is more than double the 1,645 cases reported last week. The CDC also said it is aware of more than 7,400 additional illnesses that require further analysis to determine whether they should be counted as domestically acquired cases. That’s about 45 percent more than the 5,100 suspected cases previously reported. (Sun, 7/22)
The latest on the Ebola outbreak —
Stat: Study Supports Testing Merck's Ebola Vaccine Ervebo In Congo Outbreak
New data from a study in humans provides additional support to the idea that Merck’s Ebola vaccine Ervebo, licensed to target the Zaire species of ebolaviruses, could also offer some protection against another species currently circulating in a rapidly expanding outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Branswell, 7/22)
AP: Ebola Outbreak In Congo Has Killed Over 1,000 People
More than 1,000 people have died in the Ebola outbreak in Congo, according to Africa’s top health body, a grim toll in the fastest Ebola outbreak in history, as conflict, community resistance and an uneven response fuel its spread. (Ngorora and Asadu, 7/23)
In covid news —
Stat and The War Horse: Veterans Face Long Wait For Reinstatement After Refusing Covid Shots
When the Covid-19 vaccine was released in 2020, Daniel Pendergast was intrigued. “I honestly thought it sounded kind of ingenious at first,” he said. But then he learned there was a very small chance of heart inflammation that could occur after vaccination in healthy men like himself: around eight cases per million, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. For Pendergast, 44, whose family has a history of heart disease, even that low risk felt too high. He decided against taking the shot. (Rosenbaum, 7/23)
CIDRAP: Some Women Experienced Abnormal Uterine Bleeding Earlier In COVID Pandemic
Earlier in the COVID-19 pandemic, some women reported menstrual periods that arrived early or late or spotting between periods, and now a study published yesterday in BMC Infectious Diseases has confirmed those reports. (Holohan, 7/22)
CIDRAP: Women Have Worse Signs, Symptoms Of Neurologic Long COVID Than Men, Researchers Say
More than a year after COVID-19 symptom onset, both previously hospitalized and nonhospitalized women who had long COVID reported four neurologic symptoms more often than their male peers, Northwestern University researchers write. (Van Beusekom, 7/22)
On dengue fever —
CIDRAP: Climate Change Is Driving Dengue Spread In Low- And Middle-Income Countries
Climate change and rapid urbanization are reshaping how dengue spreads in low- and middle-income countries, according to a systematic review published this week in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. Dengue virus is spread by Aedes mosquitoes. (Bergeson, 7/22)
