Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Rotavirus Is Surging Across The US; Health Experts Note Vaccine Hesitancy
NBC News: CDC Warns Rotavirus At High Levels In The U.S., With Life-Threatening Symptoms For Kids
It took just 48 hours for Ben Lopman’s 18-month-old son to go from being an energetic toddler to totally listless. Lopman’s son Ruben was suffering from severe dehydration from rotavirus, one of the most common causes of diarrhea and vomiting in babies and children. He was so sick, he ended up in the hospital, desperately needing intravenous fluids to keep up his strength to battle the infection. (Dunn, 4/15)
On measles, tuberculosis, tetanus, and tick bites —
San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. Infant Diagnosed With Measles, City’s First Case In 7 Years
San Francisco health officials on Wednesday reported the first case of measles in the city since 2019, in an unvaccinated infant who was infected during a recent international trip. The infant, who is less than 1 year old, was exposed while traveling and became infectious after returning, according to the San Francisco Public Health Department, which confirmed the case on Monday. The infant is recovering at home, and other members of the household have been vaccinated. (Ho, 4/15)
CIDRAP: Utah Measles Outbreak Tops 600 Cases, Now Most Active In The US
Yesterday Utah officials said the state has 602 measles cases in an outbreak that is ongoing and began last year, with 19 new infections. And though cases have been slightly declining in recent weeks, several preschools and elementary schools are now sites of recent exposures. (Soucheray, 4/15)
CIDRAP: Ultrasensitive Test Detects Tuberculosis DNA In Unexpected Number Of US Patients
A highly sensitive molecular test for tuberculosis (TB) detected Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA in a surprising proportion of hospitalized patients, raising questions about undetected forms of the disease, according to a study published yesterday in Nature Communications. (Bergeson, 4/15)
CIDRAP: Tetanus Still Occurs Among All Ages In US, Mainly In Undervaccinated
Despite the wide availability of tetanus vaccines, US cases of the life-threatening disease continue to occur among people of all ages, especially those who are unvaccinated or undervaccinated, but at low levels, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) researchers report. The study, published today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, was based on case data from the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System from 2009 to 2023. (Van Beusekom, 4/15)
ABC News: Weekly ER Visits For Tick Bites Reach Highest Level In Nearly A Decade. Will This Season Be Worse?
Weekly visits to emergency rooms for tick bites are at the highest level since at least 2017, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). During the most recent week, 71 per 100,000 ER visits were due to tick bites, compared to the average of about 30 per 100,000 ER visits for this time of year, more than double from what is typical this time of year. Currently, the Northeast is reporting the most ER visits for tick bites, followed by the Midwest, Southeast, West and South Central regions, respectively, CDC data shows. (Kekatos and Benadjaoud, 4/15)
In vaccine news from Florida —
The New York Times: DeSantis Delays Redistricting Special Session And Adds A Vaccine Bill
The Florida governor added two new agenda items to the session: legislation aimed at protecting minors from artificial intelligence and a “medical freedom” bill that would provide a new way for students to opt out of certain vaccines. DeSantis asked lawmakers to return for up to four days, from April 28 until May 1. (Mazzei and Salhotra, 4/15)
