Measles News:

• University of Wisconsin-Madison is requiring students to disclose vaccination status after a measles case was discovered last month. (Hill)
  
  
• Travelers at the Philadelphia Airport may have been exposed to measles on Feb. 12th. (NBC)
  
  
• London is experiencing a large measles outbreak, with at least seven schools affected, including over 30 confirmed and 60 suspected cases. (Independent)

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Health News: 

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• Flu is still rearing its ugly head, with cases high and actually increasing again across most of the country. Kids and young adults make up a bulk of cases right now. (Outbreak Outlook)
  
  
• Cambodia announced its first human case of H5N1 this year. (CIDRAP)
  
  
• The acting director of the CDC, Jim O’Neill, will leave his post. (Reuters)
  
  
• FDA, USDA, and CDC continue to lose staffers in 2026; USDA has lost over 20,000 staff members since the start of 2025. (Food Safety)
  
  
• In a 60 Minutes interview, RFK Jr. said he’ll act on a legal challenge to ultra-processed foods. (STAT)
  
  
• Staffers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) were ordered to remove “biodefense” and “pandemic preparedness” language on the institute’s website. (CIDRAP)
  
  
• LA County Public Health is set to close 7 clinics after $50 million worth of funding cuts. (CBS)
  
  
• Wellsley Farm brand salmon sold at BJ’s was recalled due to potential Listeria contamination. (FDA)
  
  
• More therapists are trying outdoor sessions, which may be better for mood and memory. (Washington Post)

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Best Question:

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Why are we seeing more flu again in February? 

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If you’ve noticed an uptick in employees calling out sick with flu, you’re not alone. 

Flu is, unfortunately, plugging along this February. It’s not totally out of the ordinary – the past two years have seen lots of flu this month, including some double peaks. The good news is that we’re still not seeing numbers quite as high as we did at the height of it in December and early January, but flu is still high across most of the U.S. 

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One reason for the late-season uptick is the rise of flu B. Earlier in the season, nearly all cases were driven by flu A, specifically a new strain of H3N2. While those still make up the majority of cases, flu B typically tends to pick up later in each season. This year is no different. 

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Flu A and B are very similar, with the same symptoms and general infectiousness and severity, though flu B tends to be more dangerous for kids. 

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That’s especially important this year, since last year was the worst in over a decade for pediatric flu deaths, with 280 children dead. Sadly, there’s an increase in severe illness this year, especially among kids. Emergency department visits this week are still above last season’s highs, and a whopping 1 in 6 ED visits among kids are for flu. 

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Hotspots for flu right now in the South and Northeast, but we’re still seeing it all over. The best thing managers and operators can do is keep your sick employees home until they're feeling better, even if staffing gets tight. Keep the focus on proper handwashing, and stay the course. We’re almost through! 

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Sources: NY Times, MMWR, Outbreak Outlook

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Best Read:

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Federal policies under RFK Jr. that are hostile to vaccines have “sent a chill through the entire industry,” one scientist said. The business of vaccine development is fragile, and concerns that new federal policies will curb innovation and investment seem to be proving true. 

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Vaccine Makers Curtail Research and Cut Jobs - The New York Times (Gift Article)

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