Health News:

• The CDC revised its website to contradict the long-settled scientific conclusion that vaccines do not cause autism, causing scientists and advocates to question if its credibility is gone (Washington Post, CIDRAP)
  
  
• Recalled baby formula tied to the infant botulism outbreak may still be in some stores. (NPR)
  
  
• Hand, foot and mouth disease continues to surge. See Tuesday’s Briefing for more. (MedPage Today)
  
  
• Brain scientists are working on weight-loss drugs without the nausea. (NPR)
  
  
• Four more Indiana poultry operations have been hit with avian flu this week. (CIDRAP)
  
  
• LA County had its first flu death of the season in what’s likely to be a rough year for flu. (LA Times)
  
  
• Cholera cases in Africa are up 3x higher than in 2022. (AP)
  
  
• The Salmonella outbreak linked to eggs this summer is officially over, with 19 people hospitalized in 14 states. (FDA)
  
  
• Patients are skipping health care during the immigration crackdown in North Carolina. (NC Health News)

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Best Question:

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We're in Texas where there is so much whooping cough in the news. Should I be asking my employees if they're vaccinated? How would we recognize it?

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TX has a record number of cases amid a nationwide rise. 

Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is absolutely walloping Texas this year. There are nearly 4x the number of cases in the state compared to this time last year, a whopping 3500 cases so far in the year. To put it in perspective, that’s an 11-year high, and around 10x what those numbers were in 2023. And it’s not just Texas – Florida, California, Oregon and Washington are also seeing spikes, and Nebraska, Idaho, and Hawaii are hotspots, as well. This is partly due to a decline in vaccination rates over the years, and an increase in nonmedical exemptions for kids attending kindergarten. 

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Symptoms start like a cold, but progress to severe coughing fits. 

In adults, early symptoms include fever, runny nose, and cough, but after a week or two progress to coughing fits that are so intense that people can’t catch their breath or even vomit. It can also cause the signature whooping noise, most common in children, which can be a sign of struggling to breathe. It can be dangerous - four people have died this year: two babies in Louisiana, a child in South Dakota, and an adult in Idaho.

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Most of your employees are probably vaccinated. 

Most of your adult employees will be vaccinated, because DTaP is required for most child care and public schools. Even though rates are declining, more than 8 in 10 adults in Texas are likely vaccinated. Asking your employees about their vaccination status may open a can of worms, so most of our clients aren’t considering this option unless there’s an outbreak or case at one of your locations. 

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It’s going to get worse before it gets better. 

Typically, November and December are the peak months for whooping cough cases each year, so we’re expecting to see cases continue to rise through the holidays. 

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Keep sick employees AND caregivers out of the workplace. 

If you have an employee who either has whooping cough or is caring for someone who does, keep them out of work for at least 5 days. Those with diagnosed pertussis should get a doctor’s note to return to work, since their cough can linger for weeks or months.

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Sources: ABC, CBS, Brown Pandemic Center, Texas Tribune, TX DSHS, Cleveland Clinic

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Best Watch: 

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As food prices rise 2.7% over last year, communities are stepping up to fill gaps and support their neighbors one homemade meal at a time. 

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With lasagna and burritos, neighbors feed one another as food prices soar - The Washington Post

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