Measles News:

• The U.S. is on track to pass 2019’s total measles cases, making it the highest single-year case count in recent history. (CIDRAP) 
• Health officials are actively tracing recent travel-related measles exposures in DC, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado. (DC Health)
• Canada is now reporting more than 3,000 cases across nine provinces with more than 200 new cases in the past week. (HealthInfo Canada)

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Health News:

• Dozens of medical and public health orgs have urged insurers to continue covering COVID-19 vaccination in pregnant patients. (CIDRAP)
• An experimental MS drug is showing incredible promise in reducing disease activity. (Medscape)
• The FDA expanded Moderna’s RSV vaccine to at-risk adults aged 18-59. (STAT)
• Many COVID patients needed 9 months to return to baseline well-being (CIDRAP) and 1 in 5 have symptoms three years later. (JVirology)
• Vaxart reported positive findings in initial trials of its norovirus vaccine pill, which would be a game changer if effective and approved. (Vaxart)
• The average age of moms in the U.S. has climbed to 30 years old. (CBS) 
• PFAS (or “forever chemical”) exposure before birth could put teens at risk for high blood pressure. (CNN)
• Fear of immigration authorities can lead to reluctance to seek emergency medical care, and delayed care for conditions like tuberculosis. (YLE) 
• The FDA has approved a groundbreaking new combo drug for complex hypertension. (MedPage Today)

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Mental Health & Substance Use News:

• Alaska, Vermont, and New York had the highest 988 contact rates among states in 2024. (Axios)
• In an effort to reduce suicide deaths, the tiny nation of Suriname is working to limit access to a common weed-killing pesticide that’s fatal when swallowed. (NY Times)

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:

Is it safe for us to treat our outdoor workers' clothing (like our high visibility vests) with insecticide? 

Yes—and it might be the most effective thing you can do to protect them from mosquito- and tick-borne illnesses this summer. The CDC and other health experts now recommend treating work clothing with permethrin, an insecticide that bonds to fabric and repels ticks, mosquitoes, and other biting insects. You’ll need to wear gloves and apply it outdoors before letting it dry completely. It’s considered safe when used correctly: once it dries, permethrin-treated clothing is non-toxic to humans and pets, but remains lethal to ticks and insects. 

Treating clothing, including high-visibility vests, hats, and uniforms, can drastically reduce tick and mosquito bites, which cause disease. And unlike sprays that can sweat off, permethrin treatments can last through multiple washes or can be professionally applied to uniforms for longer-lasting protection. The key is to treat the clothing, not the skin (permethrin should never be applied directly to the body).

If your outdoor employees are complaining of insects, treating their clothing may be a low cost solution to help. While permethrin can last through a number of washes, it does need to be reapplied regularly. Be sure to follow label instructions and reapply as directed, or consider purchasing pre-treated clothing. 

Sources: Washington Post, CDC

Will insurance cover vaccines this fall? 

It’s very unclear right now. It’s likely that COVID shot coverage will be much more limited, though flu shots seem to be available for now. 

Federal vaccine policy is in flux, and that has major implications for what your insurance will (or won’t) pay for this fall. The Affordable Care Act requires insurers to cover all vaccines recommended by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). But HHS Secretary RFK Jr. recently disbanded the entire ACIP panel and replaced a few of those spots with vaccine skeptics—including one who’s falsely claimed that the COVID vaccine causes AIDS (it doesn’t). 

And recently, HHS dropped COVID vaccine recommendations for healthy children and pregnant women, and it’s unclear what they’ll do next fall for other groups like healthy adults, caregivers, or healthcare workers.

That decision matters: unless ACIP actively recommends a vaccine, most insurers aren’t required to cover it. So if you’re not in a high-risk group, you may be stuck paying out of pocket (often around $200) for a COVID booster this fall.

For now, the flu shot remains covered and available, but we aren’t sure what changes will come. 

Sources: Bloomberg, Reuters, USA Today

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Best Read:

Employee health issues go beyond the basics of viruses and infections. Women going through menopause are one of the fastest-growing US workforce demographics. Supporting your employees during this stage can help save you significant costs, boost productivity, and retain top talent.

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The Untapped ROI of Menopause-Savvy Workplaces | Fisher Phillips

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