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Other Public Health Threats, 2023 to 2024
2023 January: As the Associated Press reported in the Globe, there have been measles outbreaks in Minnesota and Ohio. Remember: measles is the most contagious virus in the world, and it can be deadly among the unvaccinated. The outbreak in Ohio started in November and is still spreading, almost entirely among little kids who aren't vaccinated. Fortunately, none have died. N.B.C. News reported that Columbus Public Health had reported 83 cases, with 33 children hospitalized; sixty-six percent of patients are age 5 or younger.
2023 Tue Jan 17: Moderna shares shot up by nearly 7 percent in extended trading after the drug maker announced that its respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine was 83.7 percent effective in preventing symptoms in adults age 60 and older. Moderna said that the vaccine was 82.4 percent effective against lower respiratory tract disease with three or more symptoms. The company said no safety concerns emerged in the clinical trial, which has signed up 37,000 people in 22 countries. Moderna said it planned to apply for Food and Drug Administration approval in the first half of 2023. Moderna, Pfizer, and GSK Plc. are vying to be the first to get FDA approval for RSV vaccines.
2023 Jan 22: Covid, flu, and R.S.V. were declining in hospitals as 'tripledemic’ threat fades.
2023 March 20 : The C.D.C. said that a fungal threat to human health is growing at 'an alarming rate' in health facilities across the U.S. Candida auris, a drug-resistant and sometimes deadly fungus that grows as a yeast, has now been detected in more than half of all states after first being found in the U.S. in 2016. The fungus can cause infections and is especially dangerous for older people and people with weakened immune systems, especially in long-term care facilities and other health venues caring for very sick people. Although the fungus, from the yeast strain candida auris, isn't a threat to healthy people - your immune system can fight it off - The Washington Post reports that it is dangerous and can be fatal if it gets into the bloodstream of medically compromised patients, such as those on ventilators and cancer patients on chemotherapy.
2023 April: A bacterial outbreak has caused 31 infections at a Seattle hospital; numerous cases of Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteria at Virginia Mason Medical Center were reported since October, with the most recent confirmed case identified on April 3. Klebsiella is a type of bacteria that lives in the intestines that can lead to illnesses in health care settings such as pneumonia and meningitis as well as bloodstream, wound, or surgical site infections. Patients in a health care facility may be exposed to the bacteria through person-to-person contact or through ventilators or catheters. The hospital said it is investigating the source of transmission and is taking precautions to prevent additional cases.
2023 Wed April 5: A Pfizer vaccine to protect older adults and infants from respiratory syncytial virus (R.S.V.) infection has shown what some scientists are calling 'exciting' promise in late-stage trials. In one company-funded trial in adults 60 and older, the vaccine prevented two types of RSV-associated illnesses with no apparent safety concerns. Pfizer is seeking the FDA's approval for its R.S.V. vaccine for older adults, in addition to an antibody treatment that’s designed to protect children up to 2 years old. The drug company's push for the vaccine comes on the heels of an especially bad R.S.V. season last year. Studies also show that the virus is the number 1 reason that infants in the U.S. are taken to the hospital.
2023 April 10: Almost 100 confirmed or probable cases of a rare fungal infection known as blastomycosis have been linked to a Michigan paper mill, health officials say . Blastomycosis is caused by the fungus Blastomyces which lives in the outdoors, especially in moist soil and decomposing matter like wood or leaves. People can breathe in these microscopic fungal spores, and although most of them won't get sick, some will develop symptoms like a fever or cough between three weeks and three months later. Nineteen cases have been linked with the Billerud Paper Mill in the town of Escanaba, Michigan and another 74 cases are probable, meaning the person has symptoms. Typically, there are only one or two cases per 100,000 people each year in states where blastomycosis is a reportable condition.
2023 Wed May 2: The Food and Drug Administration approved a shot developed by pharmaceutical giant GSK as the first vaccine to prevent the respiratory ailment respiratory syncytial virus (R.S.V.). The move marked a milestone in the six-decade search for a way to protect vulnerable people from the virus. R.S.V. is little more than a typical cold for most healthy people, but every year it lands more than 60,000 older adults in hospitals and sickens so many babies, leaving them gasping for air, that it overloads some pediatric intensive care units. A Pfizer vaccine is close to being approved, too, for older adults and pregnant women as protection for newborns. Regulators also are reviewing a monoclonal antibody treatment for babies developed by Sanofi and AstraZeneca.
2023 May 7: A child in Maine has tested positive for measles, marking the first case in the state since 2019. Measles was declared eliminated from the U.S. in 2000 thanks to an intensive vaccination program. But vaccination rates in the U.S. have dropped in recent years, sparking new outbreaks. The C.D.C. recommends that all children get two doses of the MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccine: the first dose between 12 to 15 months of age and the second between the ages of 4 to 6. The child who tested positive had received the measles vaccine, but is being 'considered infectious out of an abundance of caution'. There have been a total of ten documented cases of measles in eight states this year.
2023 Thu June 8: Advisers to the F.D.A. voted to endorse an antibody designed to protect infants and some toddlers from respiratory syncytial virus (R.S.V.). The antibody is designed to be given to most infants in a single shot at birth or just before the start of a baby's first R.S.V. season. If approved, it will be the first single-dose preventative treatment for all infants against R.S.V.. Nearly every child gets RSV before the age of 2, but last winter the virus overwhelmed pediatric hospitals across the U.S. Unlike with a vaccine, with which the body builds up its immunity in reaction over time, a monoclonal antibody works right away and could help prevent a surge in cases. The F.D.A. will now consider the advisers' endorsement and decide whether to approve the treatment for use.
2023 Tue Aug 1: A new study said that cases of leprosy are surging in Florida, and the rare disease may be endemic in the state's central region. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Emerging Infectious Diseases Journal reported that cases of leprosy have 'more than doubled in the southeastern states over the last decade'; of these cases, central Florida 'accounted for 81% of cases reported in Florida and almost one-fifth of nationally reported cases'.
Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease, is 'an infection caused by bacteria called Mycobacterium leprae' and 'can affect the nerves, skin, eyes, and lining of the nose' and 'can result in paralysis of hands and feet' if left untreated. The C.D.C. noted that leprosy is highly treatable and very rare in the United States, with only about 150 people across the U.S. contracting it each year; recently, though, Florida has seen disproportionate case levels, with at least 15 already being reported in central Brevard County alone.
2023 Aug 29: A deadly tick-borne epidemic is raging. Rocky Mountain spotted fever is one of the most lethal infectious diseases in the Americas. It’s rare but has reemerged at epidemic levels in northern Mexico. High temperatures make ticks more aggressive toward humans, and scientists worry that the disease could spread as temperatures rise.
2024: Vaccine denial: Measles is back - hospitalizations, encephalitis, and deaths expected to rise
— article by TheCriticalMind in the Saturday 20 January 2024 issue of newsblog Daily Kos
2024 : Screaming infants in Cameroon became the first humans in history to get a routine malaria shot in a major accomplishment that caps off decades of work to rid Africa of the deadly illness. The new vaccine, Mosquirix - developed by GlaxoSmithKline and endorsed by the World Health Organization - is now being given for free to children aged six months or younger at health facilities in Cameroon, where malaria was responsible for 12% of childhood deaths in 2021. The mosquito-borne disease causes more than 600,000 deaths each year, and 95% of them occur in Africa. The vaccine is projected to save tens of thousands of lives, but . . . It’s not a perfect fix. The four-dose immunization is only suggested for kids up to 17 months old. It’s ~30% effective, starts to wear off in months, and doesn’t stop transmission, so immunized people should also use traditional prevention methods like bed nets. Communicating these details will be critical to staving off vaccine hesitancy and achieving widespread immunization.
Cameroon hopes to vaccinate ~250,000 kids by the end of next year. Nineteen other African countries are planning to start immunization programs this year, which would create too much demand for Mosquirix to handle, but a second malaria vaccine that only just received W.H.O. approval is expected to roll out this year and ease supply concerns.
2024 March 8: A CDC team has arrived in Chicago to help respond to a measles outbreak linked to a migrant shelter. The Chicago Department of Public Health said last week that the city had its first measles case since 2019. The total citywide count currently stands at eight cases, with all either recovered or in stable condition. "The majority of Chicagoans are vaccinated against measles and therefore are not at high risk but we are strongly urging those who aren't vaccinated to do so as soon as possible," Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Olusimbo Ige said in a statement. Notably, the measles was considered to be eliminated from the US in 2000, but cases have been popping up across the country. As of last week, 45 cases have been reported in 17 jurisdictions across the country this year.
2024 March 24: The number of U.S. measles cases this year has already surpassed 2023’s total. At least 64 cases had been recorded nationwide by late last week, while a total of 58 cases were reported last year. The U.S. rate of vaccinations against measles has fallen since 2019. The C.D.C. urges parents to ensure that their kids are up to date on their shots.
2024 March 28: Puerto Rico declared a public health emergency amid a historic dengue fever outbreak. Experts say that rising temperatures are increasing dengue cases worldwide, with millions already reported in 2024.
2024 April:  The largest U.S. egg producer detected bird flu at a Texas plant. Cal-Maine Foods paused operations at one of its facilities and destroyed about 2 million chickens after detecting a potent avian flu strain. The bird flu has now been detected in dairy cows in multiple states - and in two humans - but officials say the risk to human health remains low.
2024 April 11: More than 100 cases of measles have been reported in the U.S. since the start of the year, and the C.D.C. warns that a rapid rise in cases poses a renewed threat to the country's disease elimination status. Measles was considered eliminated in the US in 2000, meaning that no outbreaks have persisted for a year or more. However, data shows there were 338 measles cases reported in the US from January 2020 through March 2024. The vast majority of new cases (96%) were associated with importation from international travel, and most of those cases (61%) occurred among U.S. residents who were not vaccinated despite being eligible - or whose vaccination status was unknown.
2024 April 12: Latin America is dealing with what may be the world’s worst dengue fever epidemic ever, and one of the hardest-hit countries just ran out of mosquito repellent. In Argentina, where infection rates are up ~800% over one year, “People are making their own home remedies because the truth is there is no repellent anywhere,” a supermarket chain manager told Bloomberg. The country’s government loosened its restrictions for bug spray imports on Monday, but it might take another week and a half for shelves to be restocked. In the meantime: SC Johnson (owner of the Off! brand) donated 20,000 cans of repellent to Argentina on Tuesday after seeing an “unprecedented” 300% spike in demand from the same time last year. And that’s just Argentina - Of the 3.5 million people in Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina who have already contracted dengue this year, 83% of them were in Brazil. Public health experts are also worried by rates rising in areas where outbreaks don’t typically occur: Suspected dengue cases in Peru have tripled from the same period last year to ~135,000, and registered deaths have increased from 33 to 117. Also, infections are climbing at popular vacation destinations, including Barbados, Costa Rica, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Martinique, and Mexico, according to the Pan American Health Association.
2024 Monday April 22: The U.S. will require more testing of dairy cows for bird flu. Eight states confirmed H5N1 in dairy cows: ID, KS, MI, NM, NC, OH, SD, TX. The H5N1 virus is spreading — it was found in grocery store milk, the FDA said this week. New rules, issued yesterday, will require testing for cows crossing state lines. Don’t panic: experts say that the risk to humans remains low; but fears remain that the virus could evolve, and competing interests have slowed the government’s response.
2024 April 23: Virus Fragments Found in Grocery Store Milk Samples Suggest Bird Flu Is More Widespread in U.S. Dairy Herds Than Previously Thought "To date, we have seen nothing that would change our assessment that the commercial milk supply is safe," the Food and Drug Administration said in a statement. The virus has already affected our lives. Egg prices went completely bonkers in 2022 and early 2023, and over the course of this outbreak, more than 90 million domestic poultry have died.
2024 April: The number of measles cases around the world nearly doubled from 2022 to 2023, researchers say, presenting a challenge to efforts to achieve and maintain elimination status in many countries. Measles is a highly contagious airborne disease that can cause serious health consequences or death.
128 measles cases have been reported in the US this year, according to the latest data from the CDC. Measles was declared eliminated in the US in 2000, but the rapid rise in cases poses a threat to that disease elimination status, the agency says.
2024 May: 92.34 million chickens have been prematurely killed and disposed of by American farmers since the start of the bird flu outbreak since 2022, according to the US Department of Agriculture. The latest cull, of 4.2 million chickens, is now underway in Iowa.
2024 May: A group of alpacas on a farm in Idaho recently tested positive for H5N1 bird flu for the first time, according to the USDA. The gene sequence of viruses isolated from the alpacas shows it is closely related to the H5N1 viruses currently circulating in dairy cattle. For more than two decades, H5N1 has primarily affected birds. In the past two years, however, the virus has been infecting a wider variety of wild and farmed mammals, raising concern that it could be moving closer to becoming a pathogen that can transmit easily between people. Human cases have been reported sporadically around the globe over the years, including three in the US, but no person-to-person transmission has been reported in the ongoing US cattle outbreak.
2024 May 31: A third U.S. farmworker infected with bird flu is the first to experience respiratory symptoms.
2024 June: A man in Mexico died from a type of bird flu that had never been seen in humans before.
2024 June 25: 120 herds of cattle across the U.S. have tested positive for highly contagious H5N1 bird flu that appears to be spreading through contact with raw milk; the C.D.C. announced that it is starting new rounds of testing on dairy workers & milk products to better understand the impact of the virus.
2024 June 31: Moderna got F.D.A. approval for its R.S.V. vaccine for people aged 60+, providing a second product to be sold in the U.S. market.
2024 July 9: A rare case of bubonic plague has been confirmed in a person in Pueblo County, Colorado. (Plague is an infectious disease caused by a bacterium, Yersinia pestis, transmitted by fleas. Although it is best known for 'The Black Death', an outbreak that killed millions of Europeans during the Middle Ages, the bacteria circulates naturally among wild rodents and rarely infects humans today. The potential source of the infection in Colorado is under investigation and anyone who develops symptoms of the disease is encouraged to seek medical attention immediately. The C.D.C. said that plague vaccines are in development but are 'not expected to be commercially available in the immediate future'.
2024 July 15: Five cases of H5N1 bird flu have been identified among workers culling poultry at a commercial egg farm in northeast Colorado; H5N1 outbreaks have also affected wild birds and dairy cows in several states. Since the first cattle infections were reported in late March, 157 herds have tested positive for H5N1 across 13 states. Four states have had more than 20 herds impacted - Texas, Idaho, Colorado and Michigan. The C.D.C. said that its risk assessment for the general public remains low.
2024 mid-August:  The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the spread of mpox (formerly 'monkey pox') in multiple African countries to be a public health emergency of international concern. Within days, Sweden and Pakistan identified mpox cases in travelers from Africa.
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President Trump received a briefing from U.S. intelligence organizations that the outbreak of the Wuhan 2019-nCoV coronavirus was much worse than China was admitting and that it would definitely hit our country if something wasn’t done to prevent it; he ignored the report, refusing to trust our own intelligence.
Likely first deaths in U.S.A. from Wuhan 2019-nCoV coronavirus.
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