Bird Flu News:

• Milk testing in Minnesota flagged a dairy herd with H5N1. (CIDRAP)
• A new study found that dairy and beef cattle get both human seasonal flu and swine flu viruses. Before the H5N1 outbreak, we didn’t realize cows were natural flu A hosts. (CIDRAP)
  
  

Measles News:

• Major new measles outbreaks include at least 23 people in Kansas and 10 in Ashtabula County, Ohio. (KCUR, Ohio.gov)
• A measles case was confirmed in someone who rode the Amtrak train to Washington, D.C., potentially exposing many travelers. (CBS)
• The WHO shared that the Texas measles genotype (D8) is in New Mexico and Kansas, but five unique B3 genotypes are in eight other states. (CIDRAP)
• Some measles patients in TX are sicker because they have liver damage from too much Vitamin A, an alternative treatment touted by HHS secretary RFK Jr. (NY Times)
• Lubbock, TX health officials say that federal cuts to their COVID-era funding will hurt measles response since that money was used to hire people to help with measles testing and vaccination. (Texas Tribune)
• U.S. measles vaccination rates might actually be lower than we thought, risking ‘elimination’ status. (NBC)
• Here’s a map of the case counts as of March 26th: (NY Times)

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Health News:

• CDC is pulling back $11 billion of COVID funds that had been sent to state and local health departments. (NBC)
• McCormick is working with restaurants and food companies to remove food dyes from its products as HHS and states target the additives. (Bloomberg)
• Allergy season starts earlier and lasts longer than it used to. (CBS)
• A convention was canceled after guests with suspected norovirus led to a major outbreak at an Arizona casino. (KOLD13)
• Once nearly eradicated, the flea-borne disease Murine typhus is on the rise again, the CDC warns. (Medpage Today)
  
  

Mental Health & Substance Use News:

• Addiction and mental health programs are among those hardest hit by federal grant cuts to state health departments. (NPR)
• The WHO is calling for countries to update their mental health policies. (WHO)
• Some federal workers who have lost jobs and stability due to widespread cuts are struggling with their mental health. (KFF Health News)

If you or someone you know may be considering suicide or need help, call or text 988.

Best Questions:

What is adenovirus? Why are we just hearing about it? 

Adenoviruses are some of the viruses that cause colds - and they're very, very common. There are dozens of types of adenovirus, and beyond their trademark cold and flu symptoms, they can also cause pink eye, stomach issues, and even more serious infections in people with weakened immune systems. So why are we hearing about them now? Unlike flu or RSV, adenoviruses don’t have a predictable season, but outbreaks can pop up in schools, daycares, or other close-contact settings. Sometimes, an unusual spike in cases puts them in the spotlight—like during the recent hepatitis cases in children that were linked to a rare type of adenovirus. There’s a vaccine for certain types of adenoviruses, but it’s only approved for the U.S. military right now. For the rest of us, the best ways to prevent the spread are the old standards: washing your hands and staying home when sick. 

Sources: CDC

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What impact will federal cuts to health departments have on businesses?

Our CEO, Roslyn Stone, was at the Conference for Food Protection this week and was surprised to hear that some representatives from state and local health departments went home early. It turns out that many of them found out mid-conference that HHS canceled over $11 billion in federal grants to state health departments that were allocated during the pandemic. This funding wasn’t just being used for COVID - it was paying for temporary hires in West Texas for measles testing and vaccination sites, helping states track and respond to bird flu, and from what we’re hearing, a whole lot more. The impact of this for businesses is yet to be seen, but we think that we’ll end up seeing a lot of short-staffed health departments. Some are already laying off epidemiologists, which may directly affect how quickly departments can respond to outbreaks. We expect to see more inconsistent enforcement as well, as health departments scramble to respond. 

Sources: Reuters, NY Times

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Best Read:

Measles is surging here in the U.S. with over 400 cases, and new ones cropping up daily in international travelers. A newborn in Houston, a child in Vermont, an adult in Michigan - all brought measles home as an unwelcome souvenir from their overseas travels. As the U.S. pulls global health funding and dismantles USAID, experts are increasingly concerned about the risks for more outbreaks like the one in TX and surrounding states:

‘Measles is only a plane flight away’: As outbreak surges, experts warn against global health funding cuts | CNN

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