Measles News:

• Two measles cases were identified at ICE’s largest detention center for children in Texas, raising fears that it could spread quickly in the crowded facility. (Washington Post)
  
  
• A person infected with measles flew into LAX and then went to Disneyland this week. Between Orange and L.A. counties, there have been 5 new cases this week. (LA Times)
  
  
• Two kids were admitted with measles to a children’s hospital in Jacksonville, FL. Meanwhile, Ave Maria University in SW Florida reported two cases on campus. (Jacksonville Today, Gulf Coast News)

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Flu News:

• Flu has picked back up after several weeks of decline, but it’s still much lower than its peak a few weeks ago. (Outbreak Outlook)
  
  
• Pediatric flu deaths hit 54 this week, about to pass last year’s total, and nearly 90% were unvaccinated. (NBC News)
  
  
• Sanofi Pasteur announced it is discontinuing development of its next gen mRNA flu vaccine. (CIDRAP)
  
  

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Health News:

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• Norovirus dropped significantly over the past week, especially in the South, though it’s still high across much of the country. (Outbreak Outlook)
  
  
• Mexican officials confirmed 8 new cases of New World Screwworm last week, though no cases have been reported in the U.S. (Brown Pandemic Report)
  
  
• 20 more people in another 7 states have gotten sick with Salmonella linked to Supergreens and Why Not Natural brand moringa leaf powder. (CDC)
  
  
• India reported 2 confirmed cases of Nipah virus, with nearly 200 contacts tested and evaluated due to potential for a mass outbreak. (Brown Pandemic Report)
  
  
• Meanwhile, in Bangladesh, researchers found a virus called PRV in five patients initially thought to have Nipah virus, raising concerns that there are dangerous emerging bat-borne viruses co-circulating. (CIDRAP)
  
  
• Haitians make up a large portion of healthcare workers in parts of the US, but over 330,000 could have their visa status revoked, though a temporary court order is keeping them here for now. (NY Times, Guardian)
  
  
• Chicago has seen two deaths and seven cases of Meningococcal disease in just the last 2 weeks, a surprisingly high number for a short span. (Chicago Tribune)
  
  
• Rejecting decades of science, Dr. Kirk Milhoan, the chair of the ACIP vaccine panel, said this week that polio and other shots should be reconsidered. (NY Times) 

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Best Question:

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What does losing measles elimination status mean?

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For 25 years, the U.S. has had “measles elimination status,” which we get (and keep) by going a full year without a continuous chain of measles transmission. But starting in January 2025, there have been lots of measles cases - starting with the West Texas outbreak, which spread to many nearby states, and continuing today with an even larger outbreak in South Carolina. 

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Measles elimination status is a technical designation made by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). Right now, the meeting is set for April 13th to determine if the U.S. and Mexico can keep their status or not. To do so, they’ll review evidence to determine whether the many outbreaks in the U.S. are all part of one continuous chain of transmission that started in Texas. They’ll use the time between now and mid-April to gather all the data needed to make that conclusion. 

But even if they find that these outbreaks are separate, there’s still a chance we lose measles elimination status because the U.S. has “failed to prove that it can interrupt the spread of measles quickly and consistently,” according to a former top CDC official. 

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Either way, the impact of this loss of status doesn’t change how many cases we’re seeing or much about how we’ll respond, but it does point to an overall trend in public health in the U.S. With rapidly declining vaccination rates for measles and other preventable childhood diseases, this is likely the first of many backslides we’ll see. 

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For businesses, it means that the chances of having a measles-positive employee or guest are becoming more of a question of when, not if. Clients can check out the ZHH App for detailed action plans for each scenario, or contact us with any questions. 

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Sources: NPR, PAHO, AP

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Best Read: 

Dr. Kirk Milhoan, the chair of the ACIP, the CDC’s main vaccine advisory panel, has recently come out in favor of making polio and other childhood vaccines optional, to “restore trust in public health.” But many doctors and scientists worry that the public have forgotten just how brutal polio was (After all, it’s been eliminated since 1979!). This article does a good job of reminding us just how devastating the disease was, and how public health heroes saved millions of lives.

Polio Was That Bad - The Atlantic (Gift Article)

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