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The northeast Minnesota city of Grand Rapids took a major step this week to combat an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease traced to the city’s water supply. On Monday, Grand Rapids began permanently chlorinating its water. City officials hope the action will curb the perplexing outbreak, which started more than a year ago and has sickened nearly two dozen people. (Marohn, 6/25)

A new law coming into effect in Colorado in July is banning everyday products that intentionally contain toxic “forever chemicals”, including clothes, cookware, menstruation products, dental floss and ski wax – unless they can be made safer. Under the legislation, which takes effect on July 1, many products using per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances – or PFAS chemicals linked to cancer risk, lower fertility and developmental delays – will be prohibited starting in 2026. (Helmore, 6/24)

A newly developed paper test strip can detect different influenza types and may be able to be identify avian and swine flu strains, potentially guiding both clinical care and disease surveillance efforts, according to a study published in the Journal of Molecular Diagnostics. (Van Beusekom, 6/24)

Cases are most likely increasing in 39 states and aren’t declining anywhere in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — evidence that an anticipated summer wave is underway. The CDC no longer tracks Covid cases, but it estimates transmission based on emergency department visits. Both Covid deaths and ED visits have risen in the last week. Hospitalizations also climbed 25% from May 26 to June 1, the latest data available. (Bendix, 6/24)

A team of epidemiologists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture have traced the H5N1 viral spread in Michigan to a single herd of dairy cattle that had been unknowingly introduced in the spring to infected cows imported from a Texas dairy operation. From there, poultry farmers in the state took the viral hit. It is unknown how the Texan dairy cow contracted the virus, though some have surmised that it was transmitted by some dead waterfowl on the property. (Wynn, 6/23)

New research shows that, in spite of recommendations discouraging use of aspirin in primary prevention of cardiovascular disease among older adults, nearly a third of adults 60 years and older are still using it for this very purpose. The study, published on Monday in Annals of Internal Medicine, found that 18.5 million adults 60 and older without cardiovascular disease reported using preventative aspirin in 2021. Of those, 3.3 million were using the pills without medical advice. (Rajeev, 6/24)

In a new report published in the journal Health Communication, researchers found that a growing number of social media influencers are telling followers that hormonal contraception causes issues ranging from depression to weight gain. (Carter, 6/24)