Public Health Surveillance

Three bovine veterinary practitioners had evidence prior infection with highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza despite having no apparent contact with infected cows, according to a study published in MMWR.

LOS ANGELES — Public health officials could have detected H5 influenza in wastewater days before highly pathogenic avian influenza was confirmed in cattle earlier this year, according to a study presented at IDWeek.

The CDC announced that it has awarded more than $176 million to 48 public health partners to strengthen the public health infrastructure and workforce in the United States.

We checked in with CDC Director Mandy K. Cohen, MD, MPH, for an update on the agency’s efforts to modernize the nation’s disease surveillance and data systems and improve how the CDC communicates with the public and physicians.

The CDC has launched an influenza A wastewater online dashboard to help track the potential spread of H5N1 avian influenza, or “bird flu,” which has caused outbreaks among birds and dairy cows.

A sharp uptick in reported measles cases in the United States during the first quarter of 2024 has raised concerns that the country could lose its measles elimination status, CDC researchers said Thursday.

Although the number of reported Lyme disease cases in the United States in 2022 was nearly double the annual average from 2017 to 2019, the actual increase is not likely to have been that large, according to experts.

Seven U.S. states have a prevalence of adult long COVID that surpasses 8.8%, according to survey data published by the CDC.

The highest ever reported number of tuberculosis diagnoses was reported in 2022, a feat likely due to the recovery of TB services following the COVID-19 pandemic, according to WHO’s 2023 Global TB report.

BOSTON — Expanded use of wastewater surveillance confirmed spikes in clinical cases of COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus in one of Canada’s largest cities, according to study findings presented at IDWeek.