Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Although Still A Threat, Mpox Isn't A Global Health Emergency, WHO Says
Mpox is no longer a global health emergency, but more needs to be done to eradicate the sometimes deadly virus that causes unsightly, painful rashes, the World Health Organization said. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus lowered the global alert level on mpox, previously known as monkeypox, more than a year after declaring the spread of the virus an extraordinary event. (Kew, 9/5)
For nearly two months, health officials in southern China have been waging war on mosquitos, reviving top-down tactics from the country鈥檚 zero-Covid playbook. ... While no locally acquired cases have been reported in U.S. states or territories since 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a travel health notice in August urging 鈥渆nhanced precaution鈥 amid chikungunya outbreaks in China鈥檚 Guangdong province and four other countries. (Mackey Frayer and Guo, 9/6)
Ebola is one of the deadliest diseases on Earth, with a fatality rate as high as 90%. It鈥檚 among a handful of illnesses so dangerous that governments consider them threats to national security. The Democratic Republic of Congo declared an outbreak on Sept. 4 after 28 suspected cases and 15 deaths were reported. Health services in the country have been under strain this year as the US government鈥檚 decision to cut funding for international aid, and worsening conflict in the country鈥檚 east, complicate efforts to contain other diseases such as mpox, cholera and measles. (Kew and Gale, 9/5)
Contaminated metal at an industrial site in Indonesia may be the source of radioactive material that led to massive recalls of imported frozen shrimp, international nuclear safety officials say, as efforts are underway to halt more U.S.-bound shipments. The International Atomic Energy Agency said Friday that officials are in 鈥渃onstant contact鈥 with Indonesian nuclear regulators who have detected Cesium-137, a radioactive isotope, at a processing plant that sent millions of pounds of shrimp to the U.S. (Aleccia, 9/5)
In other outbreaks and recalls 鈥
After a month with no H5N1 avian flu detections in dairy cattle, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) today reported a positive test involving a herd from Texas, raising the nation's total since early 2024 to 1,079 infected herds in 17 states. The detection is Texas's first since May. (Schnirring, 9/5)
A聽study yesterday in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report describes an outbreak earlier this year of Neisseria meningitidisconjunctivitis of an unknown source among young military trainees living in dormitories on a Texas Air Force base.聽Officials at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland led the investigation of 41 N meningitidis conjunctivitis cases, which are uncommon in adults with healthy immune systems, on the 11,800-trainee base from February to May. (Van Beusekom, 9/5)
A Salmonella聽outbreak linked to certain home delivery meals from Metabolic Meals has sickened more than a dozen people across 10 states, and seven had to be hospitalized, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.聽... People sickened lived in California, Missouri, Georgia, Minnesota, Texas, Arkansas, Illinois, Rhode Island, Wisconsin and Washington state, the CDC said. (Tabachnick, 9/5)
Frozen vegetables sold in six states were recalled over a possible listeria contamination. Endico Potatoes Inc. in Mount Vernon, New York, recalled its frozen peas and carrots, as well as its mixed vegetables, the company announced Wednesday. No illnesses have been reported, according to the announcement shared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (Burke, 9/5)
