Health News:

• Measles and Ebola are the only CDC disease pages still being updated at their regular weekly cadence. (Brown Pandemic Center)
  
  
• For many Medicare patients, telehealth is in limbo during the government shutdown, and it’s unclear if they can access it or be reimbursed later. (NPR)
  
  
• Baltimore’s 311 line reported outages as calls for SNAP assistance spiked. (Sun)
  
  
• The US will announce new dietary guidelines in December. (Reuters)
  
  
• Foreign food safety inspections have hit historic lows after federal cuts. (ProPublica)
  
  
• Canada’s Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal on a federal order to cull ostriches at a farm with a bird flu outbreak. (AP)
  
  
• A new study shows high-dose flu vaccination was 40% more effective at preventing hospitalizations than the standard dose. (CIDRAP)
  
  
• LA County has found 60+ rabid bats this year, the second highest number ever recorded there, and cautions residents to report them and seek immediate medical attention if the bat can’t be tested. (LA Times)
  
  
• There have been over 400 cases of Rift Valley fever in Senegal and Mauritania in the past month, including 42 deaths. It’s spread via infected animals and mosquitoes. (CIDRAP)
  
  
• A new study linked long-term use of melatonin for sleep and increased risk of heart failure, but experts warn not to panic yet, as more research is needed. (Washington Post)

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Best Question:

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What info are we missing from the federal government right now, and does that put us at risk? 

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During the government shutdown, there are dozens of data sources related to infectious diseases that aren’t being updated, at the CDC, FDA, USDA and many more. 

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At CDC, only measles and ebola pages are being updated at their usual weekly cadence. No new info on whooping cough or flu, both of which are on the rise, has been added since the end of September, even though there used to be multiple flu pages and a pertussis page updated weekly. The COVID page, which is normally updated 2x per week, has been silent, as well. 

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Data reporting from the National Wastewater Surveillance System is on pause with no new data since September 20th for anything other than measles. It normally includes weekly reports on COVID, flu, RSV, mpox, and bird flu. Keep in mind, we’re seeing every one of these pick up right now in the U.S. except for COVID, which we expect to start rising any week now. 

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So, the situation is serious, but it’s not hopeless. There are state, local, and private resources available, including private wastewater testing, international organizations like the WHO, organizations like Univ. of Minnesota’s CIDRAP and Brown’s Pandemic Center (which we used as a source for this question!) and even determined public health folks like Dr. Caitlin Rivers, whose team is manually checking every state’s website and collating it in an email at no charge during the shutdown.

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It’s a great reminder of the power that people and community organizations have, but we’re still eagerly awaiting the return of the crucial public health data we rely on from the federal government. 

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Sources: Brown Pandemic Center, CDC
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Best Read:

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We don’t want to beat the drum too hard about the return of bird flu, but we are concerned about the timing - during a government shutdown and after massive cuts to staff and funding for public health. This article digs into what those cuts mean for H5N1 research and response, including testing on farms. 

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Bird flu surges among poultry amid a scaled back federal response : Shots - Health News : NPR

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