logo
US Measles Cases Grow 2.3% in a Week as Outbreak Appears to Slow

US Measles Cases Grow 2.3% in a Week as Outbreak Appears to Slow

Bloomberg16-05-2025

The US reported 23 new confirmed measles cases on Friday, a 2.3% increase from the week prior as the spread of the highly contagious virus appears to be slowing.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the US now has tallied 1,024 infections in 30 states since the start of the year. This week's increase was below the 7% gain on May 9 and the 6% added May 2.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

A new COVID-19 variant, vaccine changes: What to know in 2025
A new COVID-19 variant, vaccine changes: What to know in 2025

Yahoo

time27 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

A new COVID-19 variant, vaccine changes: What to know in 2025

Like it or not, COVID-19 is still a public health issue five years after the start of the pandemic flipped the nation, and the world, on its head. Changing vaccination guidelines, ever-evolving variants and strains, threats to health insurance and more mean COVID is still very much a regular conversation on the lips of lawmakers, regulators and the general public. More than 40,000 positive tests were reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in May, and while hospitalizations and deaths are fortunately down significantly since the pandemic's peak, vulnerable people are still grappling with limiting their risk amid changing practices. Here is a brief recap of the status of COVID cases, variants and vaccines in the U.S. as of June 4, 2025. According to the most recent data on the CDC's COVID Data Tracker dashboard, there were 735 confirmed COVID-19 deaths in May 2025 as of May 24. In the four weeks leading up to May 24, 3% of 1,344,681 COVID tests administered nationwide were positive. In January, a new COVID-19 variant known as NB.1.8.1 was first detected in China. As of mid-May, the variant had reached 10.7% of global reported COVID-19 cases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). As of May 27, less than 20 cases of NB.1.8.1 had been reported in the U.S., a CDC spokesperson told USA TODAY. This figure is too low to be added to the CDC's COVID Data Tracker dashboard, the spokesperson added, though they did not clarify the threshold for adding new variants to the dashboard. New COVID variant in China: Here's what to know about NB.1.8.1 NB.1.8.1 is one of the latest variants of COVID-19, a "slightly upgraded version" of the LP.8.1 variant that is prominent right now, Subhash Verma, microbiology and immunology professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, previously told USA TODAY. For comparison, LP.8.1 made up 70% of reported COVID-19 cases in the U.S. between April 26 and May 10, as reported by the CDC. Verma said NB.1.8.1 may be able to be transferred more easily than LP.8.1. Additionally, he said that NB.1.8.1 is able to evade antibodies created by vaccines or past infections more easily than LP.8.1. The variant has similar symptoms to other strains, including fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, sore throat, congestion or a runny nose, new loss of taste or smell, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, nausea or vomiting. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said on May 27 that the COVID-19 vaccine would no longer be included in the CDC's recommended immunization schedule for healthy children and pregnant women, a move that broke with previous expert guidance and bypassed the normal scientific review process. Under the changes, the only people who will be recommended for COVID-19 vaccines are those over 65 and people with existing health problems. This could make it harder for others who want the COVID-19 vaccine to get it, including health care workers and healthy people under 65 with a vulnerable family member or those who want to reduce their short-term risk of infection. RFK changes vaccine recommendations: Want a COVID vaccine? It could cost you $200. Insurance coverage typically follows federal recommendations, so anyone who is healthy and under 65 is likely to have to pay out of pocket to get the shot, which runs about $200, if they can get it. It's not clear what insurance companies will do about the new recommendations. RFK Jr. is a vaccine skeptic known for making false claims about vaccination and other medical practices. Under his leadership and the Trump administration, the FDA canceled the advisory meeting of independent experts who usually gather to formulate new flu shots annually and nixed a contract with Moderna to develop a bird flu vaccine amid the spread. He also pushed false claims about MMR vaccines as measles, previously eradicated in the U.S., began erupting in states across the country, causing the first death in a decade. It is not yet known how accessible the COVID-19 vaccine will be moving forward. Contributing: Karen Weintraub, Sudiksha Kochi, USA TODAY; Reuters This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What to know about COVID-19 in 2025: Variants, vaccines, cases

Woman dies from brain-eating amoeba after using tap water to clear sinuses, CDC says
Woman dies from brain-eating amoeba after using tap water to clear sinuses, CDC says

USA Today

time29 minutes ago

  • USA Today

Woman dies from brain-eating amoeba after using tap water to clear sinuses, CDC says

Woman dies from brain-eating amoeba after using tap water to clear sinuses, CDC says Show Caption Hide Caption What to know about the flu The common flu can cause mild to severe symptoms, according to the CDC. Find out what you need to know to prevent the illness. A woman in Texas died after contracting a rare brain-eating amoeba infection from using tap water to clear out her sinuses, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced. According to a death investigation inside the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report released Thursday, May 29, the 71-year-old woman suddenly died after experiencing serious symptoms. Officials described the symptoms as a fever, headache, and an 'altered mental status,' only days after using a 'nasal irrigation device' filled with tap water. The report continued, saying that the woman received medical treatment for a suspected Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis infection. But despite the treatment, the woman began having seizures, subsequently dying eight days after symptoms began. Following her death, CDC officials confirmed in the report that Naegleria fowleri was found in the woman's cerebrospinal fluid, which the Cleveland Clinic says is a clear and colorless fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord and acts as a protective cushion and provides nutrients. What is Naegleria fowleri? According to the CDC, Naegleria fowleri, more commonly known as 'brain-eating amoeba,' is a one-celled organism that lives in freshwater lakes, rivers and hot springs. 'If water containing the ameba goes up the nose and to the brain, it can cause an infection called primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM),' the CDC said. Officials said that fewer than 10 people a year contract PAM, with a death rate of almost 100%. How can I stay safe from brain-eating amoeba? According to the CDC, officials gave the following recommendations to stay safe: Hold your nose or wear a nose clip if you are jumping or diving into fresh water. Always keep your head above water in hot springs. Don't dig in shallow water because the amoeba is more likely to live there. Use distilled or boiled tap water when rinsing your sinuses or cleansing your nasal passages. Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.

Will norovirus surge early again this year? Here's what scientists say
Will norovirus surge early again this year? Here's what scientists say

Yahoo

time43 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Will norovirus surge early again this year? Here's what scientists say

Will the upcoming norovirus season be just as early and active as the past year? While the answer may be anyone's guess right now, federal health officials recently warned that the dominant strain of the contagious virus — the leading cause of vomiting, diarrhea, and foodborne illness in the U.S. — has changed between the 2022-2023 and 2024-2025 seasons. 'GII.17 has caused 75 percent of all norovirus outbreaks during the 2024–25 season so far, thereby replacing GII.4 as the predominant norovirus outbreak strain in the United States,' Centers for Disease Control researchers wrote in an article published this month by the agency's Emerging Infectious Diseases journal. This past season also started at the earlier date of October, as opposed to December. GII.17 also drove a record wave of outbreaks. But, what all of this might mean going forward needs further research. 'Additional sequence analysis of complete GII.17 genomes and identification of cross-protective neutralizing antibodies of GII.17 compared with GII.4 viruses could help clarify whether GII.17 viruses will persist. Continued surveillance is needed to determine if this genotype remains the dominant genotype, as well as whether the norovirus season continues to start earlier than previous years,' they wrote. A spokesperson for the agency told CBS News that there are 'currently insufficient historic data to predict whether norovirus GII.17 will remain the dominant genotype and lead to an earlier onset of the norovirus season later this year.' They pointed to a surge of GII.17 strains in Asia and Europe in 2014 that was followed by no reports of a change to seasonality, and noted that there has been no clear evidence to prove that GII.17's emergence was the cause of a change to the norovirus season last year. Still, this past season reached the worst levels in a decade. There were 91 suspected or confirmed outbreaks during the first week of December, which Yale Medicine said exceeded the number of outbreaks during the same week in any year since 2012. The majority were the GII.7 strain. In years when there is a new strain of the virus, there can be 50 percent more norovirus illness. Cases continued to tick up months into this year. By May 7, there were 2,571 outbreaks. During the same time last year, there were only 1,358. 'The total number of outbreaks reported during the 2024 to 2025 seasonal year is above the range reported during the same period during the 2012 to 2020 and 2021 to 2024 seasonal years,' the CDC said. Cases have fallen markedly since January, and are now at low levels. While the outbreaks occur throughout the year, they are the most common from November to April as people head indoors and it's easier to spread norovirus through infected particles. Anyone who consumes raw shellfish is also at risk of contracting it. Infection can be deadly largely among adults aged 65 and up, but anyone can get sick. Children younger than 5 years old and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to develop severe infections. There are 900 deaths on average each year and between 19 and 21 million illnesses. There's no specific treatment for norovirus, but most people recover with a period of up to three days. 'The norovirus can spread so quickly, but also, as we already talked about, norovirus can be very — it's usually very fast. So yeah, if people are taking care of themselves, we leave them alone,' explained Dr. Joanna Bisgrove, a family physician at Rush University Medical Center. 'But if it keeps going, we're like, maybe this isn't norovirus, and we need to do other things.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store