This week in outbreaks, September 7 edition

Flu season inches closer

I have a reader poll at the end of today’s newsletter, so please check it out and cast a vote. If it looks familiar, that’s because I am re-doing a poll from June with updated information in response to reader questions.

Respiratory diseases

Covid-19’s summer wave continues to increase. I had hoped we would see some relief this week, but no luck just yet. Wastewater concentration is still rising in all four regions of the country, putting it on par with levels last seen in February. (However, wastewater concentration remains below where we were this time last year).

Hospitalizations are also still rising:

• Now: 17,000 new admissions, a 16% increase in the last week

• June, our recent low: 6,500 new admissions

• This time last year: 37,000 new admissions

As in previous weeks, the Southern region is most heavily affected. I’m not seeing many signs of slowing there, yet. Florida and Georgia, in particular, have high levels of Covid-19 activity. Parts of the Western region, notably Washington state, are also affected.

Source: CDC

Influenza-like illness is rising, which is somewhat unexpected. Around 1.7% of visits to the doctor’s office were due to fever and cough or sore throat, which is still below the baseline of 2.5% that marks the beginning of flu season. Still, there has been a gradual increase in activity over the past several weeks. Most of that uptick is attributed to younger age groups, which have seen a sharp rise in influenza-like illness in recent weeks. For instance, children ages 0-4 have seen their rates increase from 4% to nearly 6%, the highest level since May.

To be clear, current ILI activity is far below what we see during the height of flu season, so I’m not ringing the alarm but rather commenting on trends.

Source: CDC

CDC pushed out a Health Alert Network advisory on increased RSV activity in Southeastern states earlier this week. I’ve been reporting on the same trends for several weeks now here on Force of Infection. This week is more of the same, with activity still rising in the Southeastern region. I’m also seeing some signals in the Southwest and Midwest, though it’s too early to tell if they are significant. I’ll let you know how things develop in the weeks to come.

PCR detections of RSV in the Southeastern region. Source.

Rhinovirus/enterovirus activity is way up, according to data from Biofire. That means stuffy noses are in the mix, too. On the bright side, metrics for norovirus, adenovirus and the seasonal coronaviruses look good right now.

Food recalls

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

New:

• Life Raft Treats, “Not Fried Chicken” and “Life is Peachy” products (more info)

• Dozens of products by Ice Cream House, dairy and non-dairy frozen dessert products, sold in New York, New Jersey and Ohio (more info)

• Hillshire Brands smoked sausage (more info)

• Banquet Chicken Strips Meal (more info)

Previously reported:

• Frozen corn and mixed vegetables from Food Lion and Kroger (more info)

• Dehumidifiers, dozens of models sold by major retailers, including Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Walmart. The recalled units were manufactured between 2011 and 2014 (more info — check this list carefully, it’s extensive)

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

In other news

• Virginia is currently grappling with an outbreak of meningococcal disease type Y, with 27 cases reported since June 2022, leading to five deaths. Most patients are Black or African American adults aged 30-60, and 26 of them were not vaccinated. Meningococcal disease is caused by the bacteria Neisseria meningitidis, and is preventable with the MenACWY vaccine.

• Mpox activity remained low in the United States through the summer months, with an average of 3-5 cases reported per day. Last year, reported case counts peaked at over 450. I am still a big proponent of elimination, as I wrote in Nature last August. I hope this remains a goal for the U.S.

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Reader poll

I am considering offering regional editions of my “This week in outbreaks” series during the upcoming flu season. The epidemiological data I use is detailed enough for me to consider offering regions: West, Midwest, South and Northeast.

This would be an additional offering for paid subscribers because I would need a research assistant. Paid subscribers could sign up to receive any or all of the regional editions. I would still publish a free national version.

This poll is just to gauge interest, not a sign-up form or request of commitment.

Readers, would you be interested in regional updates on what’s going around?

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Photo by Nicholas Selman on Unsplash