Policy Updates

Damage to Baxter’s North Cove facility in North Carolina during Hurricane Helene has resulted in supply disruptions in Baxter’s products, including normal saline IV fluids, normal saline irrigation fluid, sterile water irrigation, and dextrose 5% IV fluids. The Biden-Harris Administration has been working with Baxter to increase access. Read the HHS fact sheet. Read CDC’s … Continued

The EPA released a framework to expand interagency collaboration to reduce the adverse impact of pesticides on the efficacy of human and animal antibacterial and antifungal drugs. Read more.

At the request of the manufacturer, the FDA revoked the emergency use authorization (EUA) issued to Janssen Biotech, Inc. for its COVID-19 vaccine. In its request letter to the FDA, Janssen indicated that the last lots of the vaccine purchased by the U.S. Government have expired, there is no demand for new lots of this … Continued

The Rwanda Ministry of Health has confirmed 26 cases of Marburg virus disease. Eight of these individuals have died. To date, no cases of Marburg virus disease related to this outbreak have been reported in the U.S., and the anticipated risk to the general population in the U.S. is low. Read more.

The CDC has confirmed two human cases of H5N1 bird flu in people with occupational exposure to infected dairy cows in California. H5N1 outbreaks in dairy cows were first reported in CA in August 2024, but these are the first known human cases there. This does not change CDC’s risk assessment for H5N1 in the … Continued

The CDC Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) team will present a webinar on Updates on Diagnostic Testing and Outpatient Treatment for COVID-19 and Influenza. The webinar will be on Thursday, October 10 at 2:00 – 3:00 pm ET. Free continuing education is available. Learn more.

Dentists prescribe approximately 10 percent of all outpatient antibiotics in the U.S., but many of these antibiotic prescriptions may not be needed based on existing guidelines. In the past, antibiotic prophylaxis was commonly prescribed to patients with prosthetic joints before certain dental procedures to prevent joint infections. However, expert guidelines no longer recommend pre-dental procedure … Continued

New World screwworm (NWS) (Cochliomyia hominivorax) flies produce larvae that feed on living tissue, causing disease primarily in animals and livestock, though humans can also be infested. NWS was eradicated in the U.S. in the 1960s, in Mexico in the 1970s, and in Central America in the early 2000s. However, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and … Continued

The National Quality Forum (NQF) released the Hospital-Onset Bacteremia and Fungemia Playbook, a guide to help organizational leaders and clinical care teams in acute care settings implement or improve hospital-onset bacteremia and fungemia (HOB) prevention, identification, and treatment initiatives. The release of the HOB Playbook comes as the CDC is taking steps to address HOB … Continued