Latest news with #hospitalizations
Wall Street Journal
a day ago
- Health
- Wall Street Journal
U.S., State Health Officials Probe Salmonella Cases Related to Eggs
Health officials are investigating a salmonella outbreak linked to eggs from August Egg Co. and sold under several brands. As of June 5, 79 people had been reported infected with the outbreak strain, with at least 21 hospitalizations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Medscape
03-06-2025
- General
- Medscape
Wildfire Smoke Linked to Respiratory Admissions in Seniors
Among older adults in the western United States, exposure to high concentrations of smoke-related fine particulate matter (PM2.5) was associated with increased rates of hospitalizations for respiratory diseases, with weaker but suggestive ties to cardiovascular hospitalizations. METHODOLOGY: Researchers carried out a retrospective cohort study to analyze the association between exposure to smoke-specific PM2.5 and cause-specific hospitalizations in older adults in the United States. They used inpatient claims data of 10,369,361 Medicare beneficiaries (mean age, 74.7 years; 53.1% women) across 11 western United States during wildfire seasons from 2006 to 2016, with 57,974,120 person-months of follow-up. The causes of unscheduled hospitalizations were inferred from International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes and classified into various disease categories. codes and classified into various disease categories. Daily concentrations of surface-level smoke-specific PM2.5 were estimated through machine learning models that utilized ground measurements, satellite data, and reanalysis data sources. The associations between causes of hospitalization and smoke-specific PM2.5 were characterized by examining daily county-level rates of unscheduled hospitalization by disease category, modeling hospitalization rates according to same-day and prior-week smoke-specific PM2.5 exposure. TAKEAWAY: The leading cause of unscheduled hospitalizations was cardiovascular disease, with a mean daily rate of 7.92 per 100,000 persons, followed by digestive system disease at 3.62 and respiratory disease at 3.53 per 100,000 persons. Respiratory hospitalizations increased as smoke-specific PM2.5 exceeded 25 μg/m 3 , with average daily rates increasing by 2.40 (95% CI, 0.17-4.63) per 100,000 persons when PM2.5 levels rose from 0 to 40 μg/m 3 over a week. , with average daily rates increasing by 2.40 (95% CI, 0.17-4.63) per 100,000 persons when PM2.5 levels rose from 0 to 40 μg/m over a week. Hospitalizations due to cardiovascular diseases were unrelated to smoke-specific PM2.5 at exposure levels < 20 μg/m 3 but showed an increasing trend at higher concentrations. but showed an increasing trend at higher concentrations. No significant associations were seen for hospitalizations related to injuries, digestive issues, neuropsychiatric conditions, or endocrine disorders. IN PRACTICE: 'This information can be used by both policymakers and clinicians to design policies and guidelines to protect vulnerable older adults from the escalating health threats posed by wildfire smoke,' the authors wrote. SOURCE: This study was led by Sofia L. Vega, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston. It was published online on April 30, 2025, in JAMA Network Open . LIMITATIONS: Estimating concentrations of smoke-specific PM2.5 proved challenging due to the lack of direct measurements. County-level exposure measures may not have accurately reflected the exposures experienced by individual residents. This study did not include information on wildfires from recent years when their intensity increased. DISCLOSURES: This study was supported by the Harvard Climate Change Solutions Fund and grants from the National Institutes of Health. One author reported receiving support through an environmental fellowship at the Harvard University Center. The authors reported having no conflicts of interest.
Fast Company
30-05-2025
- Business
- Fast Company
Target recalling over 40 cucumber products as Salmonella outbreak spreads to 18 states: Update
The FDA recalled a series of non-organic cucumbers grown by Bedner Growers, Inc. that are currently under investigation for a salmonella outbreak. And now, Target is included in the cross-fire. At this point, the outbreak has affected 45 people in 18 states, and has almost doubled in three days ago. Target initially announced a recall of cucumbers and items containing the cucumbers on May 19, though Target specifically was mentioned in the FDA update on May 30. Compared to other companies that have recalled just one cucumber product, like Walmart, Target's recall list contains over 40 different products purchased between May 7 and May 21. Two of them are regular cucumbers, two are chicken salad products, and a whopping 38 of the recalled products are a sushi variety. The outbreak has resulted in 16 hospitalizations and zero deaths.
Medscape
28-05-2025
- Business
- Medscape
Recombinant Flu Shots Can Prevent Additional Hospital Stays
A recent analysis indicated that switching from the standard-dose inactivated influenza vaccine to the recombinant influenza vaccine (RIV) could have prevented nearly 100,000 hospitalizations among working-age adults in the United States over 10 seasons. The greatest benefits would have been seen in individuals aged 50-64 years and at-risk adults aged 18-49 years with chronic conditions. METHODOLOGY: Researchers investigated the burden of influenza and the potential impact of switching from the standard-dose inactivated influenza vaccine to RIV in reducing influenza-related hospitalizations among working-age adults in the United States, including those aged 18-49 years or 50-64 years. They collected data on influenza burden, vaccine effectiveness, and coverage rates for both age groups from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the years 2012-2023, excluding 2020-2021. The rates of influenza-related hospitalizations and deaths were estimated among adults aged 18-49 years or 50-64 years with at least one chronic medical condition. A modeling analysis was carried out for both age groups to estimate the potential reduction in hospitalizations if RIV had replaced the standard-dose inactivated influenza vaccine, taking chronic conditions into account. TAKEAWAY: Over the past decade, influenza caused a median annual number of 151,021 hospitalizations and 7215 deaths among US adults of working age, with adults aged 50-64 years experiencing threefold and fivefold higher rates of hospitalizations and deaths, respectively, than those aged 18-49 years. Among adults aged 18-49 years, the 14% with chronic conditions accounted for 28% of hospitalizations and 29% of deaths related to influenza. Similarly, among those aged 50-64 years, the 47% with at least one chronic condition accounted for 68% of hospitalizations and 69% of deaths related to influenza. The modelling analysis indicated that a complete switch to RIV could have prevented a total of 87,654 (95% CI, 74,518-101,482) additional influenza-related hospitalizations over the past ten seasons among adults aged 50-64 years. Similarly, among adults aged 18-49 years, a switch to RIV could have prevented a total of 14,436 (95% CI, 10,100-19,963) additional influenza-related hospitalizations over the same period. IN PRACTICE: 'Considering the whole 50- to 64-year age group for the use of enhanced vaccines, like RIV, deserves consideration as it could support public health interventions promoting healthy aging,' the authors wrote. 'A risk-based recommendation may be more appropriate for younger working ages, given the fraction of burden within those with chronic conditions,' they added. SOURCE: The study was led by Laurence Torcel-Pagnon, MSc, Sanofi, Lyon, France. It was published online on April 17, 2025, in Clinical Infectious Diseases . LIMITATIONS: The vaccine effectiveness of RIV vs the standard-dose inactivated influenza vaccinevaries between seasons and studies, making it challenging to compare benefits across different scenarios. The analysis was limited due to a scarcity of high-quality evidence on clinical burden and vaccine effectiveness in at-risk groups. Lastly, the modeling approach used may not have considered indirect effects that influenced vaccination at the population level. DISCLOSURES: This study was funded by Sanofi. The authors reported being employees of Sanofi and potentially holding shares in the company.
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Doctors issue warning over dangerous new Covid strain imported from CHINA that's now in four US states
A new Covid variant behind a surge of hospitalizations in China has been detected at US airports for the first time. Latest tracking data from the CDC shows the new strain — dubbed NB.1.8.1 — has been detected among international travelers arriving in California, Washington state, Virginia and New York City. The patients have come from at least nine countries — including Japan, South Korea, France, Thailand, the Netherlands, Spain, Vietnam, China and Taiwan — arriving between April 22 and May 12. Currently, there is international alarm over the new variant, which is potentially more infectious than previous Covid variants. In China, official data claims that the proportion of severely ill respiratory patients with Covid has jumped from 3.3 to 6.3 percent over the last month, while the proportion of ER patients testing positive for Covid had jumped from 7.5 to 16.2 percent. Officials in Taiwan, which is facing an outbreak, are reporting a surge in emergency room admissions, with the number rising 78 percent in a week over the seven-days to May 3, according to the latest data available. And there are more hospitalizations being reported in Hong Kong, where officials are telling people to mask up, with the number of admissions reaching a 12-month high of 31 people. Thailand and Singapore have also recorded cases of the variant. The variant has been circulating in the US since late March, it appears, when cases were first detected in Ohio, Rhode Island and Hawaii. There is no sign at present of widespread transmission of the new variant in the country. In the US, there is no sign of a major uptick in cases at present — with the positivity rate of swabs detecting the virus falling 12 percent in the latest week data is available. The data showing arriving cases of the strain in the US was revealed by the CDC's airport testing partner Ginkgo Bioworks and reported by CBS News. In this program, travelers at select airports can volunteer to self-collect two nasal swab samples and complete a short survey. These swabs are then tested for a range of diseases of concern, including Covid. The travelers behind the cases of the new variant were tested between April 22 and May 12. Experts are closely watching the new variant, which is already dominant in China and is on the rise in parts of Asia. In Taiwan, there were 19,097 visits for Covid last week, the latest available — and the NB.1.8.1 variant has become dominant in the country. Early research from China suggests the NB.1.8.1 variant is not better at evading the immune system — but it may be better at binding to cells, making it more infectious. In a notice from Hong Kong released last week, officials again urged people to wear face masks in public places if they were at high risk from an infection. And they urged the public to wear a face mask when traveling on public transportation or staying in crowded areas. The FDA held a meeting Thursday on whether to update the Covid vaccines, where the strain came up multiple times. Currently, the latest vaccines target the JN.1 variant and its descendants. Data currently suggests that the LP.8.1 variant is dominant in the US — which is a descendant of JN.1. At the meeting, CDC and FDA officials told the panel that only one strain — called XFC — has been significantly growing in the US.
