MMWR Weekly Briefing

This episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, there was a rapid increase in the number of reported measles cases during the first quarter of 2024. Almost all cases occurred in people who were unvaccinated or with unknown vaccination status. Second, backyard poultry might increase the risk of Salmonella in infants and newborns, even in the absence of direct exposure. Third, new data show COVID-1...

This episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, most newborns with sickle cell disease are born to mothers living in socially vulnerable counties. Second, CDC encourages providers to "Think. Test. Treat TB" as U.S. tuberculosis cases increase. Third, updated 2023-24 COVID-19 vaccines reduce the risk of hospitalization by about one-third among adults with weakened immune systems. Finally, lab test...

This episode discusses three MMWR reports. First, diagnosing chickenpox can be challenging; a lab test can help. Next, more than 13 million people with HIV were given lifesaving tuberculosis preventive treatment through PEPFAR-supported programs. Finally, prompt diagnosis and treatment of fungal diseases is needed.

This episode discusses four MMWR reports. Measles is a highly contagious vaccine-preventable disease. It can cause serious complications, particularly in young children. About 1 of every 5 people with measles have to be hospitalized. Thanks to a strong childhood vaccination program, measles stopped being constantly present in the U.S. in 2000. As the number of unvaccinated children increases, howe...

This episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, a new CDC study shows that nirsevimab, an antibody, protects babies against RSV hospitalization. Second, unsupervised melatonin ingestion by young children resulted in nearly 11,000 emergency department visits in the U.S. during 2019-2022. Third, a new study finds an increase in the use of blood pressure medicine in people diagnosed with high blood...

This episode discusses six MMWR reports. First, deaths from excessive alcohol use are on the rise in the U.S. Next, this season's flu vaccines are effective at reducing flu-related medical visits and hospitalizations. Finally, CDC releases updated guidance for investigating and responding to suicide clusters.

This episode discusses three MMWR reports. First, Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections in children have recently increased but remain below pre-pandemic levels. Next, a quick response by CDC's quarantine program for imported nonhuman primates prevented potential tuberculosis exposures. Finally, measles cases in the World Health Organization's Eastern Mediterranean Region spiked sharply in 2022.

This episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, improved reporting for Lyme disease helps track and monitor cases. Second, smoking overtakes injection as the primary route of drug use in U.S. overdose deaths. Third, a hepatitis A vaccination campaign helps prevent an outbreak at the Los Angeles County jail. Finally, in 2022 the percentage of U.S. adults who experienced Long COVID was higher in so...

This episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, teens report that seeking relief from stress, anxiety, and depression are top reasons for substance use. Second, antimicrobial resistance prompts CDC to update guidance on antibiotic selection to prevent meningococcal disease. Third, among workers in the oil and gas extraction industry, well-servicing contractors were found to be at the highest risk...

This episode discusses five MMWR reports. First, a new CDC study shows that updated COVID-19 vaccines protect against symptomatic illness, including infections caused by the JN.1 variant. Second, Neptune's Fix, a flavored tianeptine elixir sold in gas stations, convenience stores, and online, is associated with serious clinical outcomes in 17 patients in New Jersey. Third, acute flaccid myelitis,...

This episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, when trying to understand who gets diabetes and heart disease, looking at traditional categories of race and ethnicity doesn't tell the whole story. Second, antivirals, which are known to reduce the risk of severe COVID-19, are underused. Third, deaths among U.S. citizens who had cosmetic surgery in the Dominican Republic were mostly due to preventa...

This episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, cannabis use dropped among students, particularly male students, in King County, Washington. Second, inadequate chlorine levels in a hotel pool likely led to a water-associated Pseudomonas outbreak in Maine. Third, wastewater monitoring detects even low levels of mpox in communities. Finally, mpox transmission in Los Angeles County, California, incr...

This episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, CDC encourages clinicians to confirm fungal diagnoses before prescribing topical antifungals. Next, CDC releases the 2024 immunization schedules for children and adolescents, as well as adults. Finally, staying up to date with COVID-19 vaccines helps prevent COVID-19-related strokes, blood clots, and heart attacks in adults aged 65 years and older a...

This episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, an outbreak of tuberculosis caused by contaminated bone product shows that additional interventions are needed to address gaps in transplant tissue safety in the U.S. Next, drug shortages create additional challenges for tuberculosis patients and programs in California. Finally, young adults in Chicago hospitalized after taking counterfeit pills dis...

This episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, researchers found no increased risk of hospitalizations or deaths due to COVID-19 rebound. Viral rebound rates were similar between COVID-19 patients who had or had not received antiviral treatment. Next, most nursing home residents have not received an updated COVID-19 vaccine or the RSV vaccine. Finally, new research finds low COVID-19, flu, and R...

This week, MMWR published reports on unintentional firearm injury deaths among children and teens, suicide rates by industry, occupation, and sex, and more.

This episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, lack of timely testing and inadequate treatment contributed to almost 90% of congenital syphilis cases in the U.S. in 2022. Second, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease trends are stable, but disparities persist by age, sex, education, and rural residence. Third, the first occupational asthma death in a U.S. cannabis production worker has been repo...

This episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, prenatal care clinicians and fertility specialists should consider tuberculosis evaluations if their patients are from a country where tuberculosis is common. Second, CDC published updated recommendations for the use of inactivated polio vaccine for adults who are known to be unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated. Third, antimicrobial-resistant ba...

This episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, a new study finds at least 2 doses of COVID-19 vaccine are effective at reducing emergency department visits and hospitalizations in young children. Second, wastewater monitoring helps experts better prepare for and respond to respiratory virus seasons. Third, the 2022 U.S. firearm suicide rate reached the highest level documented. Finally, a greate...

This episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, vaccination rates among kindergartners are still lower than before the COVID-19 pandemic. Second, 1 in 3 U.S. veterans has arthritis. Diagnosed arthritis is much more common among the youngest veterans compared with people of the same age. Finally, health care personnel were less likely to get a flu shot during the pandemic. Most were not up to date...

This episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, vaccination coverage among children remains high. However, disparities persist and are widening for some groups of children. Second, CDC issues new recommendations for testing infants and children born to pregnant people with hepatitis C. Third, e-cigarette use among high school students declined in 2023, yet nearly half of youth who have tried e-ci...

This episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, routine vaccination coverage increased globally in 2022 but has yet to return to 2019 pre-pandemic levels. Second, CDC used early-warning surveillance systems to track the emergence of COVID-19 variant BA.2.86. Third, CDC's Traveler-Based Genomic Surveillance program identified the BA.2.86 variant in a traveler within days of its first identificatio...

This episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, hepatitis A vaccines prevent deaths, but they are still not reaching adults at highest risk. Second, the U.S. firearm homicide rate decreased in 2022, but remained higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic. Third, a Mycobacterium abscessus outbreak is linked to contaminated water and improper infection prevention and control practices. Finally, sever...

This episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, the flu hit children and teens hard last season. Second, CDC recommends the RSV vaccine during weeks 32 through 36 of pregnancy to protect young infants. Third, CDC recommends everyone aged 6 months and older get an updated COVID-19 vaccine this fall. Finally, 1 in 5 U.S. adults have arthritis.

First, two CDC studies confirm RSV causes serious illness in older adults and highlight the potential benefit of RSV vaccines in preventing severe illness in this population. Next, adults 65 years and older accounted for 63% of all COVID-19-associated hospitalizations in the first half of 2023, yet more than 75% of those hospitalized had not received the recommended bivalent COVID-19 vaccine. Fina...