Note: This is our last Executive Briefing newsletter of 2025! We’ll be back in the New Year, and as always will push alerts for any major health news stories in the meantime. ☃️Happy Holidays!

Norovirus and Flu News:

• A Kansas school started winter break early after a “tremendous amount of sickness” including flu and norovirus symptoms among students and staff. (NBC)
  
  
• Europe is seeing an “early and intense” rise in flu driven by the new H3N2 subclade K strain. (WHO)
  
  
• 35 schools in Minnesota reported flu outbreaks this week. (Star Tribune)
  
  
• Norovirus samples in Los Angeles County wastewater increased more than 250% over the previous 3 weeks. (ABC)
  
  

Recalls:

• 4-packs of tamales from Primavera Nueva Inc. are being recalled due to potential Listeria contamination ahead of the holidays, which are a popular time for tamales. (FDA)
  
  
• The FDA sent out an urgent (and unusual) industry-wide communication relaying serious concerns with compliance of recalls after they found 176 retailers in 36 states still selling baby formula recalled for botulism. (FDA)
  
  
• Meanwhile, Hidden Valley Ranch recalled over 3,500 cases due to potential plastic contamination. (NBC)

Health News:

• Whooping cough cases continue to soar, with over 26,000 cases and plummeting DTaP vaccination rates. (NBC)
  
  
• Measles continues to spread in South Carolina, Utah, and Arizona, with at least one person visiting Virginia and North Carolina while infectious. (Washington Post)
  
  
• Hundreds of snow geese were found dead at a PA quarry, likely from avian flu. (CBS News)
• Businesses are facing the largest increase in healthcare costs in 15 years, and 24 million Americans face a cost hike when subsidies expire on Jan. 1. (Washington Post)
  
  
• Two genetically unrelated Listeria outbreaks were tied to packaged salads from two different companies. Both persisted for years, showing an increased need for surveillance. (CIDRAP)
  
  
• ICE raids continue to force some undocumented immigrants to avoid healthcare. (KFF Health News)
  
  
• NEJM and CIDRAP launched their own Public Health Alerts this week, with reports on clade II mpox in California and flu in military populations. (CIDRAP)
  
  
• Blamed for the 2025 measles outbreak, some West Texas Mennonites have grown even more skeptical of mainstream medicine. (Texas Tribune)
  
  
• Kitchen items, from pans and utensils to food wrappers, are leaching plastics into our bodies with limited oversight. (Washington Post)
  
  
• Workplace exposures are tied to a higher risk of long COVID, possibly due to limited use of masks, close contact, and use of public transportation to commute. (CIDRAP)
  

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Best Question:

What should we expect over the holidays for flu, noro, and other viruses?

It’s shaping up to be a tough year for flu.

Flu is really starting to take off, and if other countries are any indication, we’re in for a rough ride because of this new variant. Combine that with low flu shot uptake, and we expect to see more folks sick with flu over the next 4-6 weeks than we have in a long time.

Keep an eye out for norovirus outbreaks.

While national wastewater stats are mixed, we’re seeing hotspots and large community outbreaks that are disrupting businesses and schools. If you hear about noro in your community, step up handwashing and double down on your sick call policies to make sure folks aren’t coming to work sick OR for two days after their stomach bug symptoms end.

The “normal” winter bugs aren’t your only issues.

We’re seeing a massive increase in whooping cough cases, especially in Arkansas, Washington, Louisiana, and Texas. We still have ongoing measles outbreaks at the Utah-Arizona border and in South Carolina. An employee with either one could spell a visit from your local health department.

Staff up.

Mid-January has been the peak of illness over the past few winters, and January is almost always the month with the highest number of sick calls among ZHH’s clients. Consider staffing up for the last few weeks of December and the first few of January, knowing that you’ll likely have some employees who come home from holiday gatherings with the unwelcome gift of a nasty virus.

Sources: FluView, CIDRAP, NBC

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Best Read:

We keep hearing that it is already shaping up to be a terrible flu season.  The NY Times does an excellent job of explaining why experts are so concerned and what you can to to protect yourself and your family; especially if you’re traveling for the holidays:

New Variant Raises Concerns of Another Bad Flu Season - New York Times (Gift Article)

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