MMWR Weekly Briefing

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.

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...

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 abou...

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 the...

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...

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 sou...

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 are...

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 dec...

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, scr...

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 commu...

This episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, e-cigarette sales in the United States climbed during 2020-2022, with increases in the number of brands and sales of disposable devices and flavors popular among youth. Second, new data show thousands of e-cigarette-associated cases were reported to U.S. poison centers in the past year, most involving kids under 5. Third, the World Health Organizati...

This episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, estimates of adults ever diagnosed with depression highlight key geographic disparities. Second, people with HIV experienced an increase in rare, deadly meningococcal infections in 2022. Third, Omicron lineages emerged and expanded across the U.S. in 2022 and early 2023. Finally, the updated COVID-19 vaccine protects older adults against death for a...

This episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, data show a third dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine is safe for young children. Second, a new study finds continued disparities in mpox vaccination, especially among Black people and American Indian and Alaska Native people. Third, early diagnosis of caregivers and household contacts will help reduce the spread of mpox to children. Finally, global po...

American Indian and Alaska Native people from hepatitis C. Second, an analysis of U.S. water systems during 2016-2021 shows most provided optimal fluoride levels to improve oral health in their communities Third, most U.S. adults have some form of immunity against COVID-19. Finally, data from select restaurant-related foodborne outbreaks during 2017-2019 show a sick worker was often involved. Poli...

This episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, simulation models show that increasing mpox vaccination coverage among men who have sex with men can help reduce the risk for and size of future mpox outbreaks. Second, mpox prevention efforts should use equity-based strategies to reach gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men in urban areas. Third, updated COVID-19 vaccines help protect a...

This episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, although the number of mpox cases has decreased since the peak of the U.S. outbreak in August 2022, the risk for future outbreaks remains. Clinicians need to be alert for new cases and people at risk should continue to take prevention measures. Second, a new report looking at data from 12 U.S. jurisdictions shows the JYNNEOS vaccine is effective at...

This episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, emergency department visits among adolescents related to mental health, suicide-related behaviors, and drug overdoses decreased as of late 2022 compared to a similar period in 2021. However, concerns remain, particularly for teenage girls. Second, CDC warns of a recently emerged drug-resistant fungus causing severe ringworm infections in New York Ci...

This episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, a new report describes updates to CDC's tracking of COVID-19 data. Second, early death data show COVID-19 fell from the third to fourth leading cause of death in 2022. Third, most COVID-19 deaths occurred in hospitals, but an increasing percentage occurred in the decedent's home or in a nursing home or long-term care facility. Finally, cigarette smo...

This episode discusses a series of reports on the state of teen health in the U.S. First, there are shifts in youth demographics from previous years. About half of students surveyed represented racial and ethnic minority groups and 1 in 4 identified as LGBQ+. Second, substance use among U.S. high school students has declined, while use of inhalants has increased. Third, 1 in 5 U.S. high school stu...

This episode discusses four MMWR reports. The first report highlights postpartum substance use and associated mental health conditions, adverse childhood experiences, or stressful life events. The second report looks at suicide attempts by self-poisoning among children. The third report examines disparities in stroke deaths between Black and White adults in the U.S. And the last report describes t...

This episode discusses four MMWR reports. The first report highlights chronic pain among U.S. adults. The second report looks at mpox cases in the United States. The third report examines mpox-associated deaths in the United States. And the last report describes an outbreak of Campylobacter in Montana.

This episode discusses four MMWR reports. The first report looks at ventilation improvements in school indoor air quality. The second report describes RSV epidemics during the past 2 years. The third report examines a hepatitis A outbreak in Virginia. And the last report highlights routine polio immunization coverage globally.

This episode discusses four MMWR reports. The first report looks at the percentage of the at-risk population that's been fully vaccinated against mpox. The second report describes emergency department visits for firearm injuries during the COVID-19 pandemic. The third report examines stimulant prescriptions during the COVID-19 pandemic. And the last report looks at a cluster of blastomycosis cases...

This episode discusses four MMWR reports. The first report looks at 8-year-olds with autism from 11 U.S. communities. The second report highlights the disruption in progress in early detection of children with autism caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The third report looks at video directly observed therapy for tuberculosis. And the last report looks at a U.S.-led global effort to increase the numb...

This episode discusses four MMWR reports. The first report looks at CDC's recommendation for hepatitis B testing among U.S. adults. The second report examines racial and ethnic groups more likely to experience worsening memory loss than others. The third report examines CDC guidance on how to prevent Cronobacter illnesses in infants. And the last report highlights mpox risk during the outbreak amo...