Measles News:

• Though there have been no new reported cases of measles in SC for over a week, CDC outbreak models warn that there may be underreporting. (Healthbeat)
  
  
• There’s a massive measles vaccination campaign happening in Mexico with the goal of vaccinating 2.5 million people each week. (NPR)
  
  

Health News:

• Flu season is officially over! RSV and COVID are decreasing, too. The common cold is still going strong, likely until May or June. (YLE)
  
  
• Norovirus remains high but stable across the U.S. (Outbreak Outlook)
  
  
• Undocumented immigrants are delaying medical care. (Texas Tribune)
  
  
• Terminating protections for Haitians could be a huge blow to elder care in Florida (and across the country). (WUSF)
  
  
• Seattle saw a huge decline in syphilis diagnoses after introducing antibiotics for post-exposure prophylaxis. (CIDRAP)
  
  
• About 100 toxic Superfund sites are vulnerable to flooding, storms, and wildfires. (AP)
  
  
• Lead still raises the risk of heart disease even years after exposure, a new study shows. (STAT)
  
  
• Some hopeful news: research shows that there are actionable ways to make social media less addictive for teens. (NPR)

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Best Question:

I heard about the new “Cicada” COVID variant. Should we be worried? 

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Short answer: nope. This is actually the same BA.3.2 variant that we wrote about as far back as last summer, it just got a new name. Though it was first detected at the end of 2024, it’s in the news now because it’s quickly becoming one of the more common strains in the U.S. and because it has 75 more mutations in its spike protein than last fall’s most common strains. 

It’s nicknamed “Cicada” because BA.3 variants lay dormant for a long time before BA.3.2 “woke up” and became competitive. 

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One area of concern is that it may be infecting kids at higher rates, but it’s still too early to know for sure. There’s some concern that so many mutations could help it evade the vaccine, but again it’s still too early to know. 

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Right now, Cicada accounts for about 11% of U.S. cases, but it’s unclear how quickly that number is rising. Based on past patterns, COVID variants generally don’t drive a major new wave until they make up half of cases. 

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The good news is that COVID levels are low across the country by all measures: wastewater, ER visits, and hospitalizations. We are very confident that between infections and vaccinations, there’s very low pandemic risk from any variant of COVID at this point. 

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If you’re over 65 or at high risk, you may consider a summer COVID shot. Roslyn will be getting hers in May or June, depending on the numbers. 

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Sources: YLE, KTLA

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Best Read:

We’ll be honest - this is a depressing read. But it’s an important one that we find ourselves sharing over and over. 

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The Horrors That Could Lie Ahead if Vaccines Vanish — ProPublica

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