Measles News:

• 3% of measles cases are among fully vaccinated individuals, according to new CDC data. (USA Today)
• Doctors say the return of measles is a warning — for falling vaccination rates and the need to rebuild trust in public health. (Medical-News Net)
• More than 1 in 10 people with measles in Texas required hospitalization. (DHS TX)
• The CDC and many pediatricians are now urging summer camps to screen for measles immunity. (CBS)

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Health News:

• The owners were arrested after a Michelin-starred restaurant in Japan defied a closure order and remained open, resulting in 80 additional diners falling ill with norovirus.  (Kyodo News)
• Parts of the EU are reporting an unusually high incidence of Hepatitis A this year. (Europa ECDC)
• Black lung disease, once nearly eradicated, has come roaring back. (NY Times)
• A vaccine to prevent gonorrhea is being rolled out in Scotland. (Yahoo News)
• Encouraging trials for a new Lyme disease vaccine show effectiveness across all ages. (Medscape)
• The FDA approved a twice-yearly vaccine manufactured by Gilead to prevent HIV. (MedPage Today)
• A Listeria outbreak linked to chicken fettuccine alfredo sold at Walmart and Kroger has caused 3 deaths and hospitalized 6 people. (AP)
• Researchers found that an oil contained in the herb rosemary may significantly improve symptoms of Alzheimer’s. (Yahoo)    
• A new study shows that roughly a third of employees don’t feel comfortable speaking up about safety issues at work. (Alert Media)
• The FAA issued a five-year license to Varda for manufacturing drugs in space that are difficult or impossible to manufacture on Earth. (SpaceNews)
  
  

Mental Health & Substance Use News:

• SAMHSA, charged with leading both mental health and substance abuse treatment, may have lost up to half of its staff. (Wa Po)
• Addictive use of phones and electronic devices, rather than just frequent use, is linked to mental health issues and higher suicide rates among youth, according to a new study. (JAMA)

If you or someone you know may be considering suicide or need help, call 988 or message the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.‍

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Best Questions:

Can germs become resistant to disinfectants (like the way bacteria become resistant to antibiotics)? 

In theory, yes, but it’s not very likely. Just like certain bacteria can become drug resistant, it is possible for microbes to develop resistance to chemical disinfectants, but it usually requires improper use of the disinfectant for that to happen. Acquired resistance happens when something (a drug, a chemical) kills most of the microbe population, but the ones that survive then reproduce unchecked, and become harder to kill. With chemical disinfectants, though, we have two key things going for us:

1. Disinfectants can kill microbes in various ways, like denaturing or oxidizing, and often multiple different ways of attacking them at once. 
2. Disinfectants are used on surfaces rather than inside the body, so we can use much higher concentrations than the minimum needed to kill a microbe.

It’s important to make sure we’re using disinfectants properly. Before you use disinfectant, make sure it’s:

• EPA-approved for the pathogens you’re worried about
• Compatible with the type of surface you’re working on; hard surfaces and soft surfaces often have different needs
• In proper concentration and contact time
• Stored correctly and not expired

And as always, make sure your staff is aware of any chemical interactions, has proper ventilation, and has access to proper PPE like gloves or eye protection. 

Sources: Weill Cornell, NIH, Nature

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My employee doesn’t want to share their symptoms because of HIPAA. What can I tell them? 

We hear this one all the time from some employees who don’t want to talk about their symptoms when calling out sick. But if you work in any food service setting, the US Food Code takes precedence, and encourages managers and employees to have conversations about foodborne illness. Usually, these employees misunderstand HIPAA (and in some cases the ADA, as well) and forget about the US Food Code. 

HIPAA sets privacy standards for protected health information, which only applies to certain healthcare settings, not workplace conversations. It could prevent a doctor from sharing a diagnosis directly with an employee’s manager, but it doesn’t prevent a manager from asking employees about their potential foodborne illness symptoms or diagnoses. 

Likewise, we sometimes hear employees complain about an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) violation, but most foodborne illnesses are short-term and not considered disabilities under ADA. 

Instead, employers need to follow the US Food Code, which explicitly requires that employees report possible symptoms of foodborne illness to their managers, and allows questions about relevant symptoms or diagnoses that could spread via food. 

And listen, we get it - nobody wants to talk to their boss about their poop. But people die from foodborne illness in the U.S. every year, so in foodservice, those uncomfortable conversations can literally be life or death. Having open conversations about your symptoms and making sure that nobody works sick can help keep your team and community safe. 

Source: CDC

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Best Read:

America’s growing dental health crisis isn’t just a public health concern—it’s a workplace issue. For employers, poor oral health among workers can lead to increased absenteeism, reduced productivity, and higher health-related turnover. 

America's Dental Health Is in Trouble | TIME

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