Policy Updates

The CDC continues to monitor outbreaks of dengue (particularly in Puerto Rico) and Oropouche (particularly in Cuba) viruses across the Americas.  As of October 9, 6,164 locally-acquired and travel-associated cases of dengue have been reported across 50 U.S. state and territorial jurisdictions, and 90 travel-associated cases of Oropouche have been reported in five U.S. state … Continued

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is experiencing the highest number of mpox cases on record for that country, with about 5,600 confirmed cases, more than 31,000 suspected cases, and nearly 1,000 deaths since January 2024. Mpox clade I cases have also appeared in neighboring countries of Burundi, Rwanda, Central African Republic, Republic of … Continued

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