All Of The Americas Might Lose Measles-Elimination Status This Week
The hard-won status, which the Americas held for more than a quarter of a century, is on target to be lost because of a major outbreak in Canada of more than 5,100 confirmed and probable measles cases. The virus is considered endemic if an outbreak extends for 12 months.
The Americas 鈥 North, Central, and South 鈥 is the only region of the world that has ever managed to stop endemic transmission of measles. But that hard-won victory against the highly contagious virus is on the verge of being rolled back. (Branswell, 11/3)
Support among US adults for the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine has dropped from 90% to 82% in just a few short months, while confusion reigns over whether Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.鈥攖he top US official spearheading prevention efforts鈥攔ecommends that children be vaccinated against measles, according to the latest poll from the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) at the University of Pennsylvania. (Wappes, 10/31)
Few people talk about vaccinations here. Not to outsiders, anyway. By and large, the people who live in Hildale, as well as in neighboring Colorado City, just across the state border in Arizona, are fiercely private. High walls surround many of the homes to avoid the prying eyes of strangers. Measles got in anyway. (Edwards, 11/1)
In other health and wellness news 鈥
Maybe you know you snore like a bear, but you don鈥檛 feel much urgency to look into it. Or maybe you have been told to wear a continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, machine for sleep apnea, but it is just so cumbersome. A new study shows that it is important to take obstructive sleep apnea seriously now 鈥撯 it could impact your risk of dementia and Alzheimer鈥檚 disease later. (Holcombe, 11/1)
For years, the two patients had come to the Penn Memory Center at the University of Pennsylvania, where doctors and researchers follow people with cognitive impairment as they age, as well as a group with normal cognition. Both patients, a man and a woman, had agreed to donate their brains after they died for further research. 鈥淎n amazing gift,鈥 said Dr. Edward Lee, the neuropathologist who directs the brain bank at the university鈥檚 Perelman School of Medicine. 鈥淭hey were both very dedicated to helping us understand Alzheimer鈥檚 disease.鈥 (Span, 11/1)
Many doctors have been taught outdated information about menopause treatments 鈥 or haven't been taught about them at all 鈥 leaving countless women without the help they need from trusted sources. For example, 52% of Black women say they don't know which menopause recommendations to follow, according to a recent Black Women's Health Imperative survey of more than 2,200 women nationwide. (May, 11/2)
On listeria and salmonella 鈥
Two types of California-grown peaches sold across the U.S. have been recalled for potential listeria contamination, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The recall includes fresh white, yellow and 鈥減eppermint鈥 peaches from Moonlight Companies which were sold at grocery stores across the country including Trader Joe鈥檚 and Kroger stores such as Mariano鈥檚, Pick n Save, Metro Market, Dillons, Baker鈥檚, Gerbes, King Soopers, City Market, Fry鈥檚, Fred Meyer, Fry鈥檚, Ralphs, Food4Less, FoodsCo, QFC, and Smith鈥檚 stores. The peaches were sold under Kroger branding at Kroger stores, according to the FDA. (Kutz and Tanner, 10/31)
At least 11 people have been sickened, including three who were hospitalized, with salmonella infections linked to powder supplements sold at Sam鈥檚 Club stores nationwide and online, federal health officials said Friday. Member鈥檚 Mark Super Greens Powder Supplements have been pulled from store shelves because they contain moringa leaf powder that may be contaminated with salmonella bacteria, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. (Aleccia, 10/31)
An investigational live attenuated vaccine led to protection against Salmonella enterica serovar Paratyphi A infection, according to a phase IIb randomized trial using a controlled human infection model. (Rudd, 10/31)