Measles News:
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• San Francisco reported its first case of measles in more than seven years (in an unvaccinated infant). (KTVU)
  
  
• Utah’s measles cases may be starting to tick down, but health officials aren’t sure yet if it’s past its peak with kids just returning from spring break. (NY Times)

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Health News:

• Infectious Disease experts report Rotavirus is surging across the US - likely seasonal but fueled by lower vaccination rates. (NBC)
  
  
• RFK Jr. said the measles vaccine is safe “for most people” and agreed it’s safer than getting measles, a notable shift given his past stance.  (NPR)
  
  
• Researchers found that the new Alzheimer's anti-amyloid drugs touted for effectiveness had little effect in slowing cognitive decline. (US News)
  
  
• Weekly ER visits for tick bites reached their highest level in a decade in the past few weeks.  (ABC)
  
  
• A recent CDC study shows tetanus still occurs in the U.S., mostly in people without up-to-date vaccines or proper wound care. It’s rare, but often deadly in older adults.  (CIDRAP)
  
  
• Black women are still three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications, with little progress in closing the gap. (Axios)
  
  
• A new study found no link between fluoride in drinking water and lower IQ, reinforcing earlier research on typical U.S. exposure levels. (ABC)
  
  
• The CDC is set for another leadership change with Erica Schwartz nominated as director following a period of turnover. (STATNews)
  
  
• During its investigation of the current outbreak, the FDA identified another strain of e coli in Raw Farm brand unpasteurized cheddar cheese that matches an earlier (closed) outbreak. (Food Safety Magazine)
  
  

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Best Question:

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We have some employee health training time allocated at our upcoming meeting. What are the highest leverage topics we should consider? 

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We get this question a lot, and we’re so glad to be able to help you think about your options here. We have three topics that we think make a great session right now. 

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1. Measles 101 - Managers on the ground know that measles is becoming more of an issue, but they don’t know much about it (unless they’re one of the unlucky ones who have had an exposure already). Split your time into 10 minutes of basic measles facts, 10 minutes about what to do if a health department shows up or names your company publicly as a measles exposure site, and 10 minutes of Q&A. We promise they’ll have a bunch of great questions for you.
   
   
2. Heat-related Illness - As we head into the summer, heat illness is one of the things keeping us up at night. With electricity and gas prices through the roof, more people than ever are going to skip using their AC at home because they can’t afford it. With hotter temperatures each year, we’re worried about employees getting sick or dying both at home and on the job. Spend 20 minutes educating the team on the basics of heat illness, including the fact that the highest risk days aren’t always the hottest. Be sure to discuss what symptoms to look out for and how to respond. Then spend 10 minutes having them brainstorm ways they can reduce risk on hotter-than-usual days.
   
   
3. Norovirus Basics - Noro is still high across most of the country, and it’s the most common issue they’re likely to encounter if they’re serving food. Grab their attention with a high-impact demo, like ZHH’s famous vomit demo, or, for something a little less disturbing (but not none), use a handwashing glo-germ demo kit and blacklight, available for cheap online. Then spend 15 minutes hammering home the basics: how to clean a restaurant after someone is sick, reminders to keep employees home when they’re sick AND for 48 hours after their symptoms improve, and a focus on good hand hygiene. 

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If you’d like ZHH to plan or join your session, just reach out. We’re happy to help. 

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Source: ZHH 

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Best Read:

During the pandemic, the American public got very used to knowing what they had - was it flu, COVID, or RSV? But there are still so many viruses that circulate each year that we don’t have easy rapid testing for. They’re very common, and as you can see in the chart below, April is a very busy month for these viruses that cause colds. 

Viruses We Don't Test For - Gage Moreno, Force of Infection