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COVID activity has peaked and is now on a downward trend in many regions of the country, though emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations are still elevated, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its latest update. The current COVID wave began in June, marked by a slow rise that never approached levels seen last summer. (Schnirring, 9/26)

Even if they don't notice it, COVID-19 survivors' sense of smell may remain impaired for years after infection, the Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) Consortium reported yesterday in JAMA Network Open. The RECOVER-Adult study surveyed adults with and without previous SARS-CoV-2 infection about their symptoms roughly every 90 days from October 2021 to June 2025. (Van Beusekom, 9/26)

Two new reports this week from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provide more detail on the deadliest flu season for US children in more than a decade. The reports, published yesterday in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), include data on the 280 US children who died during the 2024-25 flu season, along with information on 109 children who died from a rare and severe neurologic complication of flu during the season. (Dall, 9/26)

The World Health Organization (WHO) today announced its advisory group’s recommendations for the Southern Hemisphere’s 2026 flu vaccines, which swap out both the H1N1 and H3N2 strains in the current vaccines for the Northern Hemisphere as well as those for the Southern Hemisphere’s last flu season. (Schnirring, 9/26)

Proteins and genetic material from H5N1 influenza viruses have been found in pasteurized milk in the United States, but a study from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital shows those inactive viral pieces represent little to no health risk. (9/27)

The Los Angeles Department of Public Health (LADPH) yesterday issued an animal health alert, following the severe illnesses and deaths of two indoor-only cats from the same household after eating commercially sold raw pet food. In a statement, county veterinary officials said one of the cats tested positive for highly pathogenic H5N1 that belongs to the B3.13 genotype, which has been circulating in US dairy cows as well as in poultry. The second cat was not available for testing. (Schnirring, 9/26)

�鶹Ů�� Health News: In Hepatitis B Vaccine Debate, CDC Panel Sidesteps Key Exposure Risk

The Trump administration is continuing its push to revise federal guidelines to delay the hepatitis B vaccine newborn dose for most children. This comes despite a failed attempt to do so at the most recent meeting of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Both President Donald Trump and some newly appointed ACIP members have mischaracterized how the liver disease spreads, according to medical experts, including those working at the CDC. (Fortiér, 9/29)

U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials last week blocked import of all spices from PT Natural Java Spice of Indonesia after federal inspectors detected cesium 137 in a shipment of cloves sent to California. That follows the import alert imposed in August on the company PT Bahari Makmuri Sejati, or BMS foods, which sends millions of pounds of shrimp to the U.S. each year. (Aleccia, 9/26)

Federal health officials are warning consumers not to eat certain heat-and-eat pasta meals sold at Walmart and Trader Joe’s because they may be contaminated with listeria bacteria previously linked to a deadly outbreak. The U.S. Agriculture Department updated a public health alert Friday to include Trader Joe’s Cajun Style Blackened Chicken Breast Fettucine Alfredo sold in 16-ounce plastic trays. (Aleccia, 9/27)

Albertsons Companies has recalled several of its store-made deli products because they may contain listeria bacteria, in a move that arrives shortly after federal health officials warned consumers to not eat certain pasta meals sold at Walmart and Trader Joe’s over similar contamination concerns. The Boise, Idaho-based supermarket giant on Saturday said it was pulling five deli items because they contain a recalled bowtie pasta ingredient made by Nate’s Fine Foods. (9/28)

About 58 million pounds of corn dogs and other sausage-on-a-stick products are being recalled across the U.S. because pieces of wood may be embedded in the batter, with several consumers reporting injuries to date. According to a Saturday notice published by the Agriculture Department’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, the recall covers select “State Fair Corn Dogs on a Stick” and “Jimmy Dean Pancakes & Sausage on a Stick” products from Texas-based Hillshire Brands, which is a subsidiary of Tyson Foods. (9/28)