The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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A meat allergy caused by tick spit is getting more common, CDC says

NEW YORK (AP) — More than 100,000 people in the U.S. have become allergic to red meat since 2010 because of a weird syndrome triggered by tick bites, according to a government report released Thursday. But health officials believe many more have the problem and don’t know it.

https://apnews.com/article/meat-allergy-lone-star-tick-alphagal-b0f4024e70c379cd553f003b149175e3?

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US health officials propose using a cheap antibiotic as a ‘morning-after pill’ against STDs

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials plan to endorse a common antibiotic as a morning-after pill that gay and bisexual men can use to try to avoid some increasingly common sexually transmitted diseases.

https://apnews.com/article/chlamydia-syphilis-gonorrhea-doxycycline-1de6323a834339e79cda1e124a455964?

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Can you rely on COVID-19 at-home tests? Here’s what you should know

When it comes to determining whether sniffles or a cough are COVID, people now rely more heavily on at-home tests to learn whether they have the virus.  But can they trust that a self-test is providing an accurate result?

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2023/10/06/can-you-rely-on-covid-19-at-home-tests-heres-what-you-should-know/?

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The US infant mortality rate rose last year. The CDC says it’s the largest increase in two decades

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. infant mortality rate rose 3% last year — the largest increase in two decades, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

https://apnews.com/article/infant-deaths-us-cdc-mortality-c808796da0415b6ecc0629938421e1b5?

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Nearly two dozen toddlers sickened by lead linked to tainted applesauce pouches, CDC says

U.S. health officials are warning doctors to be on the lookout for possible cases of lead poisoning in children after at least 22 toddlers in 14 states were sickened by lead linked to tainted pouches of cinnamon apple puree and applesauce.

https://apnews.com/article/wanabana-lead-poisoning-children-cdc-applesauce-puree-793c33aa66544044ae6413f8d34e169a?

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CDC report: Across states, 626,000 abortions reported in 2021; FL shows highest number

A handful of states were excluded in the data, including California

https://floridaphoenix.com/2023/11/22/cdc-report-across-states-626000-abortions-reported-in-2021-fl-shows-highest-number/?

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Don’t eat pre-cut cantaloupe if the source is unknown, CDC says, as deadly salmonella outbreak grows

Consumers shouldn’t eat pre-cut cantaloupe if they don’t know the source, U.S. health officials said Thursday, as the number of illnesses and recalls tied to a deadly salmonella outbreak grows.

https://apnews.com/article/cantaloupe-precut-salmonella-recall-9d96245825d370c85b0c5b71c0c08994?

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Chronic fatigue syndrome is not rare, says new CDC survey. It affects 3.3 million U.S. adults

NEW YORK (AP) — Health officials on Friday released the first nationally representative estimate of how many U.S. adults have chronic fatigue syndrome: 3.3 million.

https://apnews.com/article/chronic-fatigue-syndrome-long-covid-cdc-c7f3dddbe88ec40d70448743fd479b30?

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Chronic fatigue syndrome is not rare, a new CDC survey finds Health officials have released the first nationally representative estimate of how many U.S. adults have chronic fatigue syndrome: 3.3 million. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s number is larger than previous studies have suggested and is likely boosted by some of the patients with long COVID. Read more.

Why this matters: The findings contradicted long-held perceptions about who suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome.   There was less of a gap between women and men than some previous studies suggested, and there was hardly any difference between white and Black people. The study also found that a higher percentage of poor people said they had it than affluent people.   The condition clearly “is not a rare illness,” said the CDC’s Dr. Elizabeth Unger, one of the report’s co-authors.

Related coverage ➤ Brain fog and other long COVID symptoms affect millions. New treatment studies bring hope Patients push limits for clues to chronic fatigue syndrome US study finds 1 in 10 get long COVID after omicron, starts identifying key symptoms

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CDC director visits Orlando to encourage vaccination, combat misinformation

Florida’s vaccination rates for flu and COVID-19 lag behind the rest of the nation, leaving millions unprotected from severe disease this holiday season

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2023/12/14/cdc-director-visits-orlando-to-encourage-vaccination-combat-misinformation/?

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The US hasn’t seen syphilis numbers this high since 1950. Other STD rates are down or flat

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. syphilis epidemic isn’t abating, with the rate of infectious cases rising 9% in 2022, according to a new federal government report on sexually transmitted diseases in adults.

https://apnews.com/article/syphilis-gonorrhea-std-sexually-transmitted-cdc-17c748701b8da8024f06869460b33961?

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CDC says it’s identified 1st documented cases of HIV transmitted through cosmetic needles

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Three women who were diagnosed with HIV after getting “vampire facial” procedures at an unlicensed New Mexico medical spa are believed to be the first documented cases of people contracting the virus through a cosmetic procedure using needles, federal health officials said.

https://apnews.com/article/vampire-facials-hiv-treatments-684681bebfc2c3458779fd5e29ac3c42?

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CDC warns of new COVID-19 variants nicknamed FLiRT

The virus behind COVID-19 has mutated again, this time producing variants nicknamed FLiRT, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported.

https://www.newsbreak.com/news/3430725465093-cdc-warns-of-new-covid-19-variants-nicknamed-flirt?

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CDC new guidance: Schools should promote vaccines to prevent spread of infections

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidance Friday to help schools prevent the spread of infections in the next school year. The recommendations include procedures that Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo have continuously trashed, such as promoting vaccines and wearing masks.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/05/17/cdc-new-guidance-schools-should-promote-vaccines-to-prevent-spread-of-infections/?

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CDC issues public health alert for dengue amid record-high cases

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week issued a health advisory notifying the public of an increased risk of dengue virus infections in the U.S. this year.

https://www.cleveland.com/news/2024/06/cdc-issues-public-health-alert-for-dengue-amid-record-high-cases.html?

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Human plague

 

A rare case of plague has been confirmed in a person in Pueblo County, Colorado, officials said Tuesday. The 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, according to the CDC. 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 CDC said plague vaccines are in development but are "not expected to be commercially available in the immediate future."

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CDC: More than 1 million Floridians couldn’t afford to see a doctor in 2022

Approximately 28% of Florida adults can’t afford to see a doctor when they need to, according to newly published data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

https://floridaphoenix.com/briefs/cdc-more-than-1-million-floridians-couldnt-afford-to-see-a-doctor-in-2022/?

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Here’s what to do with deli meats as the CDC investigates a listeria outbreak across the U.S.

NEW YORK (AP) — As U.S. health officials investigate a fatal outbreak of listeria food poisoning, they’re advising people who are pregnant, elderly or have compromised immune systems to avoid eating sliced deli meat unless it’s recooked at home to be steaming hot.

https://apnews.com/article/listeria-outbreak-deli-meat-what-to-do-8d747960d6f7966138046047d00656ff?

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Deli meat recall

 

The CDC is reminding the public to avoid eating recalled deli meats amid a listeria outbreak that has expanded to become the nation's largest since 2011. Boar's Head issued a recall in late July for more than 7.2 million pounds of its ready-to-eat liverwurst and some other deli meat products due to concerns about potential listeria contamination, but the CDC says at least a dozen more listeriosis cases have been reported in recent weeks. A total of 57 people have been hospitalized in 18 states, and nine people have died. The recalled products include liverwurst, ham, bologna, sausage and roasted bacon. Most people who became sick reported eating turkey or liverwurst, and some reported eating ham.

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Boar’s Head plant linked to deadly outbreak broke food safety rules dozens of times, records show

A Boar’s Head deli meat plant in Virginia tied to a deadly food poisoning outbreak repeatedly violated federal regulations, including instances of mold, insects, liquid dripping from ceilings, and meat and fat residue on walls, floors and equipment, newly released records show.

https://apnews.com/article/boars-head-listeria-recall-fcde06b66dca38d53361c92495a7cfed?

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Deli meat recall

 

Nearly two years before a deadly listeria outbreak linked to recalled deli meat, inspectors at a Virginia Boar’s Head plant detailed poor physical conditions that "could pose an imminent threat," documents from the USDA's Food Safety Inspection Service show. At least 57 people have been hospitalized in 18 states in connection with the listeria outbreak, and nine people have died, according to the CDC. The agency called it the largest listeria outbreak since one linked to cantaloupe in 2011. Inspection reports from the Boar's Head facility in Jarratt, Virginia, have described insects, mold, "blood in puddles on the floor" and a "rancid smell in the cooler" at various points since 2022. The inspection service said that its investigation into the outbreak is ongoing.

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Childhood vaccines

 

A record share of US kindergartners had an exemption for required vaccinations in the last school year, leaving more than 125,000 new schoolchildren without coverage for at least one state-mandated vaccine, according to new data published Wednesday by the CDC. Measles vaccination coverage among kindergartners varies widely by state, but only about a dozen states met the federal target of 95% for measles vaccination among kindergartners, the CDC data shows. Rates for other state-mandated vaccinations — including diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis, known as DTaP, and polio — also declined. In communities where vaccination coverage lags, it can create an opportune environment for illnesses to spread, medical experts say.

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Overdose deaths are down nationally, but up in many Western states

Despite an encouraging national dip in the past year, overdose deaths are still on the rise in many Western states as the center of the nation’s continuing crisis shifts toward the Pacific Coast, where deadly fentanyl and also methamphetamine are finding more victims.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/10/14/overdose-deaths-are-down-nationally-but-up-in-many-western-states/?

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Fall allergies

Allergy season is starting earlier and lasting longer, which scientists attribute to a variety of causes, including the climate crisis. As temperatures stay warmer into the fall, plants that release allergens have more time to grow. What's more, higher levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere due to fossil fuel use and emissions further drive plant growth, generating more pollen. The most common culprit for fall allergies is a plant called ragweed, the CDC says, which can release 1 billion grains of pollen per plant. Pollen exposure can trigger various allergic reactions, including symptoms of hay fever, also known as allergic rhinitis. These symptoms vary seasonally or year-round, affecting up to 60 million people annually in the US, according to the CDC.

 

What are your questions about fall allergies? Fill out this form and CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta may answer in an upcoming video.

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Frozen waffles

Dozens of frozen waffle products, including waffles sold under Walmart and Target store labels, have been voluntarily recalled due to potential listeria contamination. The products made by TreeHouse Foods were distributed throughout the US and Canada. No illnesses have been reported in connection with the recalled waffles. However, the company has urged consumers to check their freezers and discard the contaminated products or return them to the store the product was purchased from for credit. This recall follows a recent string of listeria outbreaks, including a late-July recall issued for more than 7.2 million pounds of Boar's Head deli meats. The ready-to-eat meat and poultry items producer BrucePac also recently recalled more than 11.7 million pounds of products due to possible listeria contamination.