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A third unvaccinated infant in Kentucky has died of pertussis as public health officials urge Kentuckians to get vaccinated against the highly contagious disease also known as whooping cough. Kentucky’s three infant deaths from whooping cough over the past 12 months are the state’s first reported since 2018. None of the infants or their mothers had been vaccinated against the respiratory disease, the Kentucky Department of Public Health confirmed. (11/25)

Cases of norovirus are rising across the United States, doubling over the last few months, according to updated data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Nearly 14% of tests came back positive for norovirus during the most recent week ending Nov. 15, compared to roughly 7% about three months ago. Test positivity is a metric used to identify how many people are confirmed to have norovirus after an illness is suspected. (Benadjaoud, 11/25)

Â鶹ŮÓÅ Health News: South Carolina’s Measles Outbreak Shows Chilling Effect Of Vaccine Misinformation

Near the back corner of the local library’s parking lot, largely out of view from the main road, the South Carolina Department of Public Health opened a pop-up clinic in early November, offering free measles vaccines to adults and children. Spartanburg County, in South Carolina’s Upstate region, has been fighting a measles outbreak since early October, with more than 50 cases identified. Health officials have encouraged people who are unvaccinated to get a shot by visiting its mobile vaccine clinic at any of its several stops throughout the county. But on a Monday afternoon in Boiling Springs, only one person showed up. (Sausser, 11/26)

Real-world effectiveness with the recommended single dose of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccination dipped in older adults over the first 18 months, a finding that could support boosters for high-risk groups such as the immunocompromised, according to researchers. (Rudd, 11/25)

An analysis published in Contemporary Economic Policy suggests that COVID-19 indoor vaccine mandates in major US cities didn't increase weekly vaccination rates or reduce infections and deaths in adults or children, despite their success in countries such as Canada and France. (Van Beusekom, 11/25)

With similar symptoms, it can be difficult to tell which illness is which. Here’s what to know. (Blum, 11/25)

Â鶹ŮÓÅ Health News: Listen To The Latest 'Â鶹ŮÓÅ Health News Minute' 

Sam Whitehead reads the week’s news: Some American cities such as L.A. and Houston have more traffic fatalities than homicides, and though most children and adults would benefit from annual covid shots, few are getting them. (11/25)