Outbreak Outlook - National - April 15

A quick update

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Respiratory Diseases

ILI

We finally made it! Outpatient influenza-like illness has fallen to 2.8%, below the national baseline of 2.9% that marks the beginning and end of flu season. Activity is still a little high compared to summer lows, but I’m pleased we are below that 2.9%.

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COVID-19

Covid-19 activity continues to recede. Weekly hospitalizations are still declining steadily, and wastewater remains low.

Most of the country is seeing these encouraging trends, with hospitalizations declining. One small exception is the Northeastern region, which saw increases in several states. However, this is the first week I’ve seen this, so it could easily be a temporary blip.

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Stomach Bugs

Still high! Test positivity is 14% at the national level.

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Food recalls

The following foods are being recalled because they are contaminated. Please check your cupboards and throw out any of these items:

New

• None

Previously reported:

• Helados Mexico mango bars (more info)

• Trader Joe’s 50% Less Salt Roasted & Salted Whole Cashews (more info)

• If you have food allergies, you may wish to review these FDA safety alerts and USDA alerts for foods with undeclared allergens.

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In other news

• I have been following the outbreaks of H5N1 in dairy cows closely. There are now 28 affected herds in 8 states, according to USDA. No additional human cases have been identified since the person in Texas who developed conjunctivitis. Very few epidemiological details are available at this point; I hope we learn more in the near future.

• Today’s update is light — I spent all weekend getting plants in the ground. Hope you are enjoying the spring weather, too.

• P.S. I was promoted to associate professor at Johns Hopkins. 🎉 Thanks for traveling with me on this non-traditional journey through academia, readers!

Photo by Vitolda Klein on Unsplash