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CDC to face 10% workforce cut from Trump administration actions

The job losses at the CDC are part of a broader reduction of about 5,200 positions across other government public health agencies, including the NIH.

Lisa Schnirring

Study evaluates use of new antibiotics in US hospitals

Analysis of data from 537 US hospitals reveals that ceftolozane-tazobactam and ceftazidime-avibactam are the most frequently used new antibiotics.

Chris Dall

Texas measles outbreak doubles, to 48 cases

Officials say additional cases are likely to occur in Gaines County and the surrounding communities.

Jim Wappes

Quick takes: New Mexico measles outbreak; FDA clears chikungunya, meningococcal vaccines

New Mexico now has 3 cases in Lea County, which borders a Texas county where a larger outbreak is under way.

Lisa Schnirring

Remaining patients discharged in Uganda's Ebola Sudan outbreak

Contact monitoring is still under way for 216 people who are at quarantine facilities located throughout the country.

Lisa Schnirring

Wyoming reports its first human H5N1 avian flu infection

The infected woman, who is hospitalized, was likely exposed to H5N1 through contact with her infected backyard poultry flock.

Mary Van Beusekom

Study in LA highlights real-world efficacy of doxyPEP

Among patients prescribed doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis, cases of syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea fell by 86.4%. 89.7%, and 54.7%, respectively.

Chris Dall

New calculation method estimates 380,000 US flu hospitalizations in 2022-23

Median cumulative state rates ranged from 23 (Alaska) to 249 (New York) per 100,000 people.

Mary Van Beusekom

Ten more measles cases—58 total—confirmed in Texas outbreak

The latest update includes a case from Lubbock County, pushing the number of affected counties to 5.

Lisa Schnirring

H5N5 avian flu detected in Canadian poultry flock, UK seals

Six countries have reported H5N5 in birds and mammals since the first of the year.

Lisa Schnirring

H9N2 avian flu sickens 2 adults in China

The women, ages 72 and 56, were both from Guangdong province in southern China.

Lisa Schnirring

UK study finds 2% of primary care antibiotic prescriptions were for RSV—a viral illness

Researchers say interventions to reduce RSV infections, like vaccines and monoclonal antibodies, could aid antibiotic stewardship efforts.

Chris Dall

Hospital air cleaners may boost aerosol spread of viruses in some areas

Particle spread was uneven: In some scenarios, particles were reduced by ventilation and portable air cleaners by up to 96%.

Stephanie Soucheray

HHS to maintain free at-home COVID tests by mail—for now

HHS indicated it will keep the tests in the federal stockpile until they expire.

Lisa Schnirring

WHO: Global cholera cases declined 27% in January

Cholera deaths also declined, but a new outbreak in Angola is showing signs of escalation, the WHO said.

Chris Dall

Shorter, all-oral drug-resistant TB regimens perform well in real-world setting, study finds

In a study in Belarus and Uzbekistan, 96% of patients with drug-resistant TB who received the regimens had successful treatment outcomes.

Chris Dall

Tests rule out Ebola, Marburg in DR Congo unexplained illness clusters

In the first of the 2 outbreaks, affected children had contact with bats. Further investigations are under way for both events.

Lisa Schnirring

WHO announces another mass polio vaccination campaign in Gaza

The WHO has orchestrated 2 mass vaccination campaigns during pauses of fighting in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.

Stephanie Soucheray

Scheduled meeting of CDC vaccine advisers postponed

The postponement comes amid concerns that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime vaccine critic, could make changes to the group, or get rid of it altogether.

Chris Dall

News Scan for Nov 12, 2013

Groups: Simple steps fight pneumonia, biggest killer of kids under 5

One in five deaths in children worldwide is caused by pneumonia, a preventable disease, but there are simple and effective ways to reduce its burden, says a joint statement from the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) issued today, the fifth World Pneumonia Day, themed "Innovate to End Child Pneumonia."

Avian Flu Scan for Nov 13, 2013

H7N9 efforts marked by cooperation, quick response, report says

Lessons learned in response to H7N9 avian flu in China this year include the importance of global cooperation, transparent communication, and collaboration between human health and animal health professionals, the World Health Organization's (WHO's) Western Pacific Region Office (WPRO) said in a new report.

It added, however, that the region is not prepared for a severe public health emergency.

News Scan for Nov 13, 2013

Kuwait announces its first two MERS cases

Kuwait's Ministry of Health (MOH) today announced the country's first two Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infections, according to the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) and the MOH's Twitter account. The cases might not be laboratory confirmed.

News Scan for Nov 14, 2013

Qatar reports MERS-CoV in foreign visitor

Qatar's health ministry today reported another Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection, its second case reported in the past week, the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) reported today.

Flu Scan for Nov 14, 2013

2011-12 flu vaccine effectiveness low, especially in repeat vaccinees

The flu vaccine was 47% effective against medically attended flu for all influenza strains in the 2011-12 season, and being vaccinated the year before lowered effectiveness, according to a study yesterday in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

News Scan for Nov 15, 2013

US flu activity slowly gains ground

Flu activity gained a bit more momentum last week but is still low overall, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its weekly update. The percentage of respiratory specimens testing positive for flu rose again, to 5.4%, and for the first time one of CDC's regions—the one including south-central states such as Louisiana and Arkansas—saw clinic visits for flu-like illness rise above its specific baseline.

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