Rare Monkeypox Reported In Maryland; Worrying Flu Outbreak In Michigan
A second case of monkeypox was reported in the U.S. this year. The University of Michigan is hit hard by a flu outbreak. Meanwhile, head lice continue to be an issue despite the social distancing covid brought.
CBS News:
Rare Monkeypox Case Reported In Maryland
A Maryland resident who recently returned to the country on a flight from Nigeria has tested positive for monkeypox, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Wednesday. It is the second confirmed case of the rare disease in the U.S. since an outbreak infected 43 people in 2003. The infected person is experiencing mild symptoms. They are not hospitalized but remain in isolation in Maryland, the Maryland Department of Health said in a press release. The CDC said lab tests confirmed the case is the same strain of the virus that has been re-emerging in Nigeria since 2017. The Nigerian strain is generally less severe, the state's health department said. (Powell, 11/17)
The New York Times:
Second U.S. Case Of Monkeypox This Year Is Discovered In Maryland
A case of monkeypox, a rare but potentially serious viral illness, was identified in a Maryland resident who had recently returned from Nigeria, making it the second case in the United States this year, health officials said. They said the risk that the virus would spread was low. The person was in isolation with mild symptoms but was not hospitalized, the Maryland Department of Health said in a statement on Tuesday. The agency did not identify the traveler. (Lukpat, 11/17)
Stat:
5 Things To Know About Monkeypox After A New Case Appeared In U.S.
For the second time this year, the United States has an imported case of monkeypox. A traveler from Maryland who had recently returned from Nigeria has been diagnosed with the dangerous illness, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday. The unidentified person is in isolation in Maryland, the CDC said in a statement. The Maryland Department of Health said in a statement that the individual has mild symptoms and is not in the hospital. (Branswell, 11/17)
In news on flu, head lice outbreaks, plus antibiotic access and Flint's water crisis —
ABC News:
State Health Department Raises Alarm As Campus Flu Outbreak Climbs To Over 500 Cases
Public health officials are investigating an influenza outbreak at a Michigan university that has resulted in more than 500 cases, as several schools have also seen surges in flu activity. The University of Michigan's Ann Arbor campus in Washtenaw County has reported over 525 cases among students since Oct. 6 -- about three-quarters of them among people unvaccinated against the flu, school officials said this week. (Deliso, 11/18)
NPR:
Head Lice Are Spreading Again, Despite Physical Distancing At Schools
The Marker family opened their door on a recent evening in Parker, Colo., to a woman dressed in purple, with a military attitude to cleanliness. Linda Holmes, who has worked as a technician with LiceDoctors for five years, came straight from her day job at a hospital after she got the call from a dispatcher that the Marker family needed her ASAP. (Bichell, 11/18)
Bloomberg:
Millions Miss Out On Antibiotics In Echo Of Vaccine Inequity
Efforts to widen access to antibiotics and reduce the threat of superbugs are running into the same problems that have kept Covid vaccines out of reach in many lower-income nations, a report shows. Only a third of vital antibiotics and antifungals have strategies or licensing agreements to expand their availability, according to the Access to Medicine Foundation, based in Amsterdam. That’s limiting supplies in regions where the risk of drug-resistant infections is highest. (Paton, 11/18)
Stat:
Lessons From A Flint Water Crisis Researcher About Building Trust In Science During The Pandemic
Siddhartha Roy was only a graduate student in 2015 when he found himself in the unlikeliest of public battles: a fierce fight with the state of Michigan, the federal government, and the actor Mark Ruffalo. At the time, LeeAnne Walters, a local water activist, had already discovered that the city of Flint, Michigan was violating federal law and that residents were being exposed to dangerous levels of lead in their water. After repeated pleas from Walters and a whistleblower complaint from within the Environmental Protection Agency failed to spur a federal response, concerned residents turned to Roy and his then-Ph.D. adviser, Virginia Tech environmental engineering professor Marc Edwards, with a dire request for help. (Chen, 11/18)
