Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
FDA: Mystery Sources Driving Some Cyclospora Outbreaks
The Hill: Cyclospora Outbreaks With No Confirmed Sources Grow: FDA
More cases have been linked to outbreaks of cyclospora that do not have an identified source, according to the Food and Drug Administration. The outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce, meanwhile, has expanded to two additional states. There have been nearly 14,000 cases of domestically acquired cyclospora confirmed in the U.S. since May this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report. That’s well over the roughly 1,180 cases reported from May through August last year. (Bink, 8/17)
STLPR: Missouri Reports Nearly 2,000 Cyclosporiasis Cases
Missouri health officials say 1,950 people in the state have now tested positive for cyclosporiasis, an increase of hundreds of cases in the ongoing outbreak of the intestinal illness linked to contaminated iceberg lettuce. The numbers released Sunday afternoon by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services represent a 24% increase from the previous week. Case numbers have gone up steadily this summer as the illness spreads and more people are tested. (Edwards, 8/17)
Covid, measles, and flu updates —
TODAY.com: Summer COVID Surge? As Cases Rise, See 2026 Quarantine Guidelines, Symptoms To Watch
Although foodborne pathogens have been in the spotlight all summer, another highly contagious virus is picking up steam: coronavirus. After a lull this spring and early summer, COVID-19 infections are ramping up again across the country. As of Aug. 12, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that COVID cases are growing in all 50 states. (Kee, 8/17)
ProPublica: Measles Cases Are Reaching Record Highs In America
The U.S. recently reached a grim milestone: As of July 23, more measles cases have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention than in any year since 1991. It took less than seven months to blow past the three-decade high recorded last year. This potentially deadly disease is easily prevented. Shots are widely available and, in many cases, free. Still, since the beginning of last year, more than 4,850 people here have been infected, and three have died. Among them were two unvaccinated girls in West Texas whose deaths made national headlines. (Callahan, 8/18)
CIDRAP: The Threat Of More, Expanded Measles Outbreaks Looms With Start Of School
School starts soon in north-central Colorado and pediatrician Shen Nagel, MD, is bracing for the possibility of a measles outbreak. In some ways this is par for the course. After major holidays and summer breaks, kids bring viruses back to their classrooms, and Nagel sees spikes of flu, respiratory syncytial virus and other respiratory illnesses, among his patients at Pediatrics West, a practice in suburban Denver. (Boden, 8/17)
MedPage Today: Early Antivirals For Kids' Flu Linked To Lower Risk Of Severe Outcomes
Early antiviral therapy at home for kids with influenza lowered the risk of related hospitalization, a retrospective case-control study from Taiwan indicated. (Henderson, 8/17)
The latest about Vibrio vulnificus and Ebola —
ABC News: What To Know About 'Flesh-Eating' Vibrio Vulnificus Bacteria After Infections Reported In Florida, Louisiana
More than two dozen cases of a rare "flesh-eating" bacteria have been detected in Gulf Coast states, including Florida and Louisiana, so far this year. State health officials say 15 cases of Vibrio vulnificus have been confirmed in Florida and 10 have been reported in Louisiana. Additionally, seven deaths have been reported, including two in Florida and five in Louisiana. (Kekatos, 8/17)
The Hill: Can You Get Flesh-Eating Bacteria Vibrio Vulnificus From Eating Seafood, Oysters?
Officials in Louisiana and Florida have reported a combined seven deaths among people who contracted an infection from a dangerous bacteria that can cause a “flesh-eating” disease. Vibrio is a group of bacteria that naturally occur in warm, brackish coastal waters. Most people become infected by eating raw or undercooked shellfish, particularly oysters, according to the Florida Department of Health. Officials say people can also be exposed when open wounds touch contaminated water. (Kaplan, 8/17)
CIDRAP: Deer Farms In 2 Wisconsin Counties Quarantined After CWD Identified
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been found on deer farms in Crawford and Portage counties in Wisconsin, the state’s Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) announced over the weekend. Both counties had previously reported cases in farm-raised deer, including in a 3-year-old buck in Portage County in October 2025. (Van Beusekom, 8/17)
The latest about the Ebola outbreak —
CIDRAP: Ebola Outbreak Now Deadliest Ever In DR Congo As Death Rate Reaches 46%
With a staggering 2,325 deaths, the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic of the Congo (DRC) has now killed more people than 2018-20 outbreak, which killed 2,299, making it the country’s deadliest Ebola outbreak ever. (Soucheray, 8/17)
Bloomberg: Congo Ebola Outbreak: Financial Oversight Takes Priority As Distrust Grows
Ebola is reviving suspicions of profiteering in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where distrust over how response money is handled is undermining the community cooperation needed to contain the world’s fastest-growing outbreak. (Gale, 8/18)
