MMWR Weekly Briefing

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Week of September 25, 2023 Oct 16, 2023

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This week, MMWR published four reports that add to evidence that COVID-19 vaccinations during pregnancy help protect patients and newborns from serious illness and hospitalization. However, pregnancy vaccination coverage has been low and has varied by vaccine type and patients' race and ethnicity.

Week of September 4, 2023 Sep 14, 2023

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This episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, despite very low risk of getting malaria in the U.S., locally acquired malaria cases reported in Florida and Texas highlight importance of quick diagnosis, treatment, and malaria prevention methods. Second, more than 33 million children in Africa are missing a measles vaccine, highlighting the urgent need to increase immunization efforts to prevent outbreaks and deaths. Third, the JYNNEOS vaccine offers protection against hospitalization among people with mpox, including people with HIV. Finally, norovirus was the main cause of illness among more than two dozen hikers on Washington's Pacific Crest Trail.

Week of August 28, 2023 Sep 14, 2023

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This episode discusses four MMWR reports. The most recent data from 2020 and 2021 were examined to determine the percentage of older adults who reported falling during the previous year and unintentional fall-related death rates. In 2020, approximately 14 million older adults reported falling during the past year. In 2021, nearly 39,000 older adults died due to an unintentional fall, which is about 100 older adults per day dying from falls. Older women were more likely to report a fall than older men, while older men had higher fall death rates.

Week of August 21, 2023 Sep 05, 2023

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This episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, West Nile virus continues to be the most common mosquito-borne disease in the U.S., with almost 3,000 cases reported in 2021. Second, CDC releases its first-ever 'Sepsis Core Elements' to help hospitals strengthen their sepsis programs. Third, CDC publishes its 2023-24 influenza vaccination recommendations. Everyone 6 months and older should get their annual flu shot, ideally in September or October. Finally, CDC recommends a new preventive tool for severe respiratory syncytial virus, the leading cause of infant hospitalizations.

Week of August 14, 2023 Aug 24, 2023

Show notes

This episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, a norovirus outbreak with more than 300 cases in Illinois is linked to an ill worker who continued working while sick. Second, COVID-19 vaccines protect young children against COVID-19-associated emergency department and urgent care visits. Third, adults older than 50 who received the JYNNEOS vaccine had lower rates of hospitalization with mpox. For the best protection, all eligible adults should receive 2 doses of JYNNEOS vaccine, regardless of childhood smallpox vaccination status. Finally, increased vaccination and prompt virus detection are needed to eradicate polio in Pakistan.

Week of August 7, 2023 Aug 08, 2023

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This episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, the percentage of adults reporting long COVID has decreased. However, 1 in 4 with long COVID reported significant impact to daily activities. Next, patients on dialysis had higher rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection and associated death compared to the general U.S. population during the Delta and early Omicron waves. Finally, tofu is identified as the source of a Salmonella outbreak in Ontario, Canada.

Week of July 24, 2023 Aug 05, 2023

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This episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, a tick bite-associated allergy known as alpha-gal syndrome has become an emerging clinical and public health concern; however, many clinicians are unaware of the condition, how to diagnose it, and how to manage it. Next, travel-associated dengue cases continue to be reported in U.S. states. Mosquito bite prevention is important when traveling to areas with dengue risk. Finally, a new study finds route of mpox vaccine administration had no negative impact on vaccine series completion across racial and ethnic groups.

Weeks of July 10 and July 17, 2023 Aug 05, 2023

Show notes

First, cannabis-involved emergency department visits among children, teens, and young adults increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Second, ongoing testing at a large school district in Missouri found respiratory viruses common among students and staff. Third, a new report describes recommendations for respiratory syncytial virus vaccination in adults 60 years and older, using shared clinical decision-making. Finally, cases of soft tick relapsing fever, a rare but serious tickborne disease, continue to occur in the western U.S.

Week of July 3, 2023 Jul 11, 2023

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This episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, the cost of birth defect-associated hospitalizations among patients younger than 65 totaled $22 billion in 2019. Second, increased international effort is urgently needed to accelerate the use of new and underused lifesaving vaccines worldwide. Third, an increase in gastrointestinal illnesses in Florida in 2022 was linked to salad kits. Finally, scrub typhus, typically only seen in the Asia-Pacific region, causes a recent outbreak in southern Chile.

Week of June 26, 2023 Jul 06, 2023

Show notes

This episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, breakthrough cures for hepatitis C still fail to reach most Americans who need them. A transformative national response is needed. Second, xylazine mixed with fentanyl emerges as a public health threat, increasingly detected in overdose deaths. Third, targeted vaccination in LA County had a greater impact on COVID-19 infections in lower-income communities than in higher-income communities. Finally, many international travelers returning to the United States with travel-related health conditions did not seek health care before travel.

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