MMWR Weekly Briefing
199 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 month ago -This weekly podcast series summarizes the latest scientific information published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).
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Episodes
Week of May 6, 2024
May 15, 2024 13:27 - 5 minutes - 12.1 MBThis episode discusses three MMWR reports. First, seven children in Utah were hospitalized with E. coli after drinking and playing in untreated water used for watering yards. Second, traveling in malaria-endemic countries can increase travel-associated malaria in the U.S. Prompt identification, diagnosis, and treatment are essential to prevent severe illness. Last, highly drug-resistant infections were identified in U.S. patients who recently traveled to Mexico for stem cell injections.
Week of April 22, April 29, 2024
May 09, 2024 18:23 - 7 minutes - 14.7 MBThis episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, emergency department visits for traffic-related pedestrian injuries are more common among racial and ethnic minority groups. Second, opportunities for clinicians to help pregnant and postpartum patients quit smoking. Third, a cluster of HIV cases associated with cosmetic injections emphasizes the importance of proper infection control and licensing at spa facilities. Finally, PCR lab tests are the most reliable tests for diagnosing COVID-19 to ...
Week of April 15, 2024
April 25, 2024 16:20 - 7 minutes - 17.6 MBThis episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, extreme heat caused more emergency department visits in several U.S. regions in 2023 than in previous years. Second, health-related social needs, such as social isolation, dissatisfaction with life, and barriers to health care access, were associated with decreased mammogram use. Third, nursing home residents continued to get COVID-19 infection and be hospitalized during the most recent respiratory virus season. Fewer than half of nursing home ...
Week of April 8, 2024
April 18, 2024 16:31 - 7 minutes - 17.5 MBThis episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, there was a rapid increase in the number of reported measles cases during the first quarter of 2024. Almost all cases occurred in people who were unvaccinated or with unknown vaccination status. Second, backyard poultry might increase the risk of Salmonella in infants and newborns, even in the absence of direct exposure. Third, new data show COVID-19 vaccines did not cause cardiac death in teens and young adults in Oregon. Finally, a cluster of...
Week of April 1, 2024
April 11, 2024 18:58 - 6 minutes - 15.8 MBThis episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, most newborns with sickle cell disease are born to mothers living in socially vulnerable counties. Second, CDC encourages providers to "Think. Test. Treat TB" as U.S. tuberculosis cases increase. Third, updated 2023-24 COVID-19 vaccines reduce the risk of hospitalization by about one-third among adults with weakened immune systems. Finally, lab tests used to diagnose rash may incorrectly indicate a child has measles if the child recently receiv...
Week of March 18, 2024
April 01, 2024 16:04 - 5 minutes - 11.7 MBThis episode discusses three MMWR reports. First, diagnosing chickenpox can be challenging; a lab test can help. Next, more than 13 million people with HIV were given lifesaving tuberculosis preventive treatment through PEPFAR-supported programs. Finally, prompt diagnosis and treatment of fungal diseases is needed.
Week of March 11, 2024
April 01, 2024 15:58 - 6 minutes - 14.7 MBThis episode discusses four MMWR reports. Measles is a highly contagious vaccine-preventable disease. It can cause serious complications, particularly in young children. About 1 of every 5 people with measles have to be hospitalized. Thanks to a strong childhood vaccination program, measles stopped being constantly present in the U.S. in 2000. As the number of unvaccinated children increases, however, measles outbreaks are becoming more common. In the first report, the Cook County Department ...
Week of March 4, 2024
March 14, 2024 22:40 - 6 minutes - 14.3 MBThis episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, a new CDC study shows that nirsevimab, an antibody, protects babies against RSV hospitalization. Second, unsupervised melatonin ingestion by young children resulted in nearly 11,000 emergency department visits in the U.S. during 2019-2022. Third, a new study finds an increase in the use of blood pressure medicine in people diagnosed with high blood pressure. Finally, out-of-hospital cardiac arrest among adults in Chicago is occurring at younger...
Week of February 26, 2024
March 06, 2024 15:05 - 7 minutes - 16.2 MBThis episode discusses six MMWR reports. First, deaths from excessive alcohol use are on the rise in the U.S. Next, this season's flu vaccines are effective at reducing flu-related medical visits and hospitalizations. Finally, CDC releases updated guidance for investigating and responding to suicide clusters.
Week of February 19, 2024
February 28, 2024 21:13 - 6 minutes - 15.2 MBThis episode discusses three MMWR reports. First, Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections in children have recently increased but remain below pre-pandemic levels. Next, a quick response by CDC's quarantine program for imported nonhuman primates prevented potential tuberculosis exposures. Finally, measles cases in the World Health Organization's Eastern Mediterranean Region spiked sharply in 2022.
Week of February 12, 2024
February 22, 2024 18:38 - 6 minutes - 15.1 MBThis episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, improved reporting for Lyme disease helps track and monitor cases. Second, smoking overtakes injection as the primary route of drug use in U.S. overdose deaths. Third, a hepatitis A vaccination campaign helps prevent an outbreak at the Los Angeles County jail. Finally, in 2022 the percentage of U.S. adults who experienced Long COVID was higher in some U.S. states.
Week of February 5, 2024
February 14, 2024 20:21 - 5 minutes - 12.1 MBThis episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, teens report that seeking relief from stress, anxiety, and depression are top reasons for substance use. Second, antimicrobial resistance prompts CDC to update guidance on antibiotic selection to prevent meningococcal disease. Third, among workers in the oil and gas extraction industry, well-servicing contractors were found to be at the highest risk of severe injury. Finally, 8 mg naloxone was associated with more withdrawal symptoms when used ...
Week of January 29, 2024
February 07, 2024 03:58 - 5 minutes - 12 MBThis episode discusses five MMWR reports. First, a new CDC study shows that updated COVID-19 vaccines protect against symptomatic illness, including infections caused by the JN.1 variant. Second, Neptune's Fix, a flavored tianeptine elixir sold in gas stations, convenience stores, and online, is associated with serious clinical outcomes in 17 patients in New Jersey. Third, acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM, remained low in the U.S. between 2019 and 2022 despite increased circulation of EV-D68, a...
Week of January 22, 2024
January 31, 2024 14:58 - 6 minutes - 13.8 MBThis episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, when trying to understand who gets diabetes and heart disease, looking at traditional categories of race and ethnicity doesn't tell the whole story. Second, antivirals, which are known to reduce the risk of severe COVID-19, are underused. Third, deaths among U.S. citizens who had cosmetic surgery in the Dominican Republic were mostly due to preventable conditions. Finally, poor infection control at a South Florida cosmetic surgery clinic most l...
Week of January 15, 2024
January 25, 2024 19:39 - 5 minutes - 13 MBThis episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, cannabis use dropped among students, particularly male students, in King County, Washington. Second, inadequate chlorine levels in a hotel pool likely led to a water-associated Pseudomonas outbreak in Maine. Third, wastewater monitoring detects even low levels of mpox in communities. Finally, mpox transmission in Los Angeles County, California, increased during the summer of 2023 compared with previous months.
Week of January 8, 2024
January 20, 2024 00:30 - 5 minutes - 12.9 MBThis episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, CDC encourages clinicians to confirm fungal diagnoses before prescribing topical antifungals. Next, CDC releases the 2024 immunization schedules for children and adolescents, as well as adults. Finally, staying up to date with COVID-19 vaccines helps prevent COVID-19-related strokes, blood clots, and heart attacks in adults aged 65 years and older and adults on dialysis.
Week of January 1, 2024
January 11, 2024 01:03 - 5 minutes - 13.7 MBThis episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, an outbreak of tuberculosis caused by contaminated bone product shows that additional interventions are needed to address gaps in transplant tissue safety in the U.S. Next, drug shortages create additional challenges for tuberculosis patients and programs in California. Finally, young adults in Chicago hospitalized after taking counterfeit pills disguised as alprazolam.
Week of December 18, 2023
January 04, 2024 19:50 - 7 minutes - 16.2 MBThis episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, researchers found no increased risk of hospitalizations or deaths due to COVID-19 rebound. Viral rebound rates were similar between COVID-19 patients who had or had not received antiviral treatment. Next, most nursing home residents have not received an updated COVID-19 vaccine or the RSV vaccine. Finally, new research finds low COVID-19, flu, and RSV vaccination coverage for eligible adults.
Week of December 11, 2023
December 28, 2023 19:16 - 7 minutes - 16.1 MBThis week, MMWR published reports on unintentional firearm injury deaths among children and teens, suicide rates by industry, occupation, and sex, and more.
Week of November 13, 2023
December 15, 2023 16:16 - 7 minutes - 17.1 MBThis episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, lack of timely testing and inadequate treatment contributed to almost 90% of congenital syphilis cases in the U.S. in 2022. Second, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease trends are stable, but disparities persist by age, sex, education, and rural residence. Third, the first occupational asthma death in a U.S. cannabis production worker has been reported. Finally, invasive pneumococcal disease was identified among people experiencing homelessnes...
Week of December 4, 2023
December 14, 2023 23:48 - 8 minutes - 16.4 MBThis episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, prenatal care clinicians and fertility specialists should consider tuberculosis evaluations if their patients are from a country where tuberculosis is common. Second, CDC published updated recommendations for the use of inactivated polio vaccine for adults who are known to be unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated. Third, antimicrobial-resistant bacteria are a leading global public health threat. They are spreading in Ukraine and surrounding c...
Week of November 27, 2023
December 08, 2023 18:08 - 8 minutes - 18.6 MBThis episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, a new study finds at least 2 doses of COVID-19 vaccine are effective at reducing emergency department visits and hospitalizations in young children. Second, wastewater monitoring helps experts better prepare for and respond to respiratory virus seasons. Third, the 2022 U.S. firearm suicide rate reached the highest level documented. Finally, a greater percentage of young children with HIV on antiretroviral treatment die compared to older ind...
Week of November 6, 2023
November 15, 2023 22:52 - 5 minutes - 13.7 MBThis episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, vaccination rates among kindergartners are still lower than before the COVID-19 pandemic. Second, 1 in 3 U.S. veterans has arthritis. Diagnosed arthritis is much more common among the youngest veterans compared with people of the same age. Finally, health care personnel were less likely to get a flu shot during the pandemic. Most were not up to date with COVID-19 vaccination during the last respiratory virus season.
Week of October 30, 2023
November 08, 2023 21:34 - 8 minutes - 19.2 MBThis episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, vaccination coverage among children remains high. However, disparities persist and are widening for some groups of children. Second, CDC issues new recommendations for testing infants and children born to pregnant people with hepatitis C. Third, e-cigarette use among high school students declined in 2023, yet nearly half of youth who have tried e-cigarettes reported current use. Finally, further efforts are needed to identify and overcome barri...
Week of October 23, 2023
November 03, 2023 00:37 - 7 minutes - 17.7 MBThis episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, routine vaccination coverage increased globally in 2022 but has yet to return to 2019 pre-pandemic levels. Second, CDC used early-warning surveillance systems to track the emergence of COVID-19 variant BA.2.86. Third, CDC's Traveler-Based Genomic Surveillance program identified the BA.2.86 variant in a traveler within days of its first identification globally. Finally, health workers continued to face a mental health crisis in 2022. Resources a...
Week of October 16, 2023
November 03, 2023 00:04 - 7 minutes - 16.6 MBThis episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, hepatitis A vaccines prevent deaths, but they are still not reaching adults at highest risk. Second, the U.S. firearm homicide rate decreased in 2022, but remained higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic. Third, a Mycobacterium abscessus outbreak is linked to contaminated water and improper infection prevention and control practices. Finally, severe cases of Bartonella quintana infection were detected among people experiencing unsheltered home...
Week of October 9, 2023
October 18, 2023 22:48 - 6 minutes - 8.65 MBThis episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, the flu hit children and teens hard last season. Second, CDC recommends the RSV vaccine during weeks 32 through 36 of pregnancy to protect young infants. Third, CDC recommends everyone aged 6 months and older get an updated COVID-19 vaccine this fall. Finally, 1 in 5 U.S. adults have arthritis.
Week of October 2, 2023
October 16, 2023 23:49 - 6 minutes - 9.59 MBFirst, two CDC studies confirm RSV causes serious illness in older adults and highlight the potential benefit of RSV vaccines in preventing severe illness in this population. Next, adults 65 years and older accounted for 63% of all COVID-19-associated hospitalizations in the first half of 2023, yet more than 75% of those hospitalized had not received the recommended bivalent COVID-19 vaccine. Finally, a CDC study of long-term care facility residents found bivalent COVID-19 vaccine coverage wa...
Week of September 25, 2023
October 16, 2023 23:01 - 6 minutes - 9.57 MBThis week, MMWR published four reports that add to evidence that COVID-19 vaccinations during pregnancy help protect patients and newborns from serious illness and hospitalization. However, pregnancy vaccination coverage has been low and has varied by vaccine type and patients' race and ethnicity.
Week of September 4, 2023
September 14, 2023 19:04 - 6 minutes - 9.49 MBThis episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, despite very low risk of getting malaria in the U.S., locally acquired malaria cases reported in Florida and Texas highlight importance of quick diagnosis, treatment, and malaria prevention methods. Second, more than 33 million children in Africa are missing a measles vaccine, highlighting the urgent need to increase immunization efforts to prevent outbreaks and deaths. Third, the JYNNEOS vaccine offers protection against hospitalization among ...
Week of August 28, 2023
September 14, 2023 18:48 - 6 minutes - 9.54 MBThis episode discusses four MMWR reports. The most recent data from 2020 and 2021 were examined to determine the percentage of older adults who reported falling during the previous year and unintentional fall-related death rates. In 2020, approximately 14 million older adults reported falling during the past year. In 2021, nearly 39,000 older adults died due to an unintentional fall, which is about 100 older adults per day dying from falls. Older women were more likely to report a fall than o...
Week of August 21, 2023
September 05, 2023 20:53 - 7 minutes - 16.9 MBThis episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, West Nile virus continues to be the most common mosquito-borne disease in the U.S., with almost 3,000 cases reported in 2021. Second, CDC releases its first-ever 'Sepsis Core Elements' to help hospitals strengthen their sepsis programs. Third, CDC publishes its 2023-24 influenza vaccination recommendations. Everyone 6 months and older should get their annual flu shot, ideally in September or October. Finally, CDC recommends a new preventive too...
Week of August 14, 2023
August 24, 2023 23:15 - 6 minutes - 14.7 MBThis episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, a norovirus outbreak with more than 300 cases in Illinois is linked to an ill worker who continued working while sick. Second, COVID-19 vaccines protect young children against COVID-19-associated emergency department and urgent care visits. Third, adults older than 50 who received the JYNNEOS vaccine had lower rates of hospitalization with mpox. For the best protection, all eligible adults should receive 2 doses of JYNNEOS vaccine, regardless o...
Week of August 7, 2023
August 08, 2023 22:44 - 6 minutes - 15.4 MBThis episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, the percentage of adults reporting long COVID has decreased. However, 1 in 4 with long COVID reported significant impact to daily activities. Next, patients on dialysis had higher rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection and associated death compared to the general U.S. population during the Delta and early Omicron waves. Finally, tofu is identified as the source of a Salmonella outbreak in Ontario, Canada.
Week of July 24, 2023
August 05, 2023 23:23 - 6 minutes - 14.2 MBThis episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, a tick bite-associated allergy known as alpha-gal syndrome has become an emerging clinical and public health concern; however, many clinicians are unaware of the condition, how to diagnose it, and how to manage it. Next, travel-associated dengue cases continue to be reported in U.S. states. Mosquito bite prevention is important when traveling to areas with dengue risk. Finally, a new study finds route of mpox vaccine administration had no negat...
Weeks of July 10 and July 17, 2023
August 05, 2023 22:34 - 8 minutes - 18.7 MBFirst, cannabis-involved emergency department visits among children, teens, and young adults increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Second, ongoing testing at a large school district in Missouri found respiratory viruses common among students and staff. Third, a new report describes recommendations for respiratory syncytial virus vaccination in adults 60 years and older, using shared clinical decision-making. Finally, cases of soft tick relapsing fever, a rare but serious tickborne disease, ...
Week of July 3, 2023
July 11, 2023 23:54 - 6 minutes - 13.9 MBThis episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, the cost of birth defect-associated hospitalizations among patients younger than 65 totaled $22 billion in 2019. Second, increased international effort is urgently needed to accelerate the use of new and underused lifesaving vaccines worldwide. Third, an increase in gastrointestinal illnesses in Florida in 2022 was linked to salad kits. Finally, scrub typhus, typically only seen in the Asia-Pacific region, causes a recent outbreak in southern C...
Week of June 26, 2023
July 06, 2023 19:06 - 8 minutes - 19.7 MBThis episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, breakthrough cures for hepatitis C still fail to reach most Americans who need them. A transformative national response is needed. Second, xylazine mixed with fentanyl emerges as a public health threat, increasingly detected in overdose deaths. Third, targeted vaccination in LA County had a greater impact on COVID-19 infections in lower-income communities than in higher-income communities. Finally, many international travelers returning to the ...
Week of June 19, 2023
July 03, 2023 23:06 - 7 minutes - 17.5 MBThis episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, e-cigarette sales in the United States climbed during 2020-2022, with increases in the number of brands and sales of disposable devices and flavors popular among youth. Second, new data show thousands of e-cigarette-associated cases were reported to U.S. poison centers in the past year, most involving kids under 5. Third, the World Health Organization South-East Asia Region has made remarkable progress toward ending rubella, the leading cause o...
Week of June 12, 2023
July 03, 2023 23:01 - 7 minutes - 16 MBThis episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, estimates of adults ever diagnosed with depression highlight key geographic disparities. Second, people with HIV experienced an increase in rare, deadly meningococcal infections in 2022. Third, Omicron lineages emerged and expanded across the U.S. in 2022 and early 2023. Finally, the updated COVID-19 vaccine protects older adults against death for at least 6 months.
Week of June 5, 2023
June 16, 2023 20:57 - 6 minutes - 15.2 MBThis episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, data show a third dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine is safe for young children. Second, a new study finds continued disparities in mpox vaccination, especially among Black people and American Indian and Alaska Native people. Third, early diagnosis of caregivers and household contacts will help reduce the spread of mpox to children. Finally, global polio detection is improving, but gaps remain in rapidly detecting spread.
Week of May 29, 2023
June 16, 2023 20:46 - 6 minutes - 15.2 MBAmerican Indian and Alaska Native people from hepatitis C. Second, an analysis of U.S. water systems during 2016-2021 shows most provided optimal fluoride levels to improve oral health in their communities Third, most U.S. adults have some form of immunity against COVID-19. Finally, data from select restaurant-related foodborne outbreaks during 2017-2019 show a sick worker was often involved. Policies for sick workers are key to preventing these types of outbreaks.
Week of May 22, 2023
June 14, 2023 22:21 - 5 minutes - 13.5 MBThis episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, simulation models show that increasing mpox vaccination coverage among men who have sex with men can help reduce the risk for and size of future mpox outbreaks. Second, mpox prevention efforts should use equity-based strategies to reach gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men in urban areas. Third, updated COVID-19 vaccines help protect adults against COVID-19-associated hospitalization and critical illness. Finally, 2020 data show 6...
Week of May 15, 2023
May 23, 2023 22:49 - 5 minutes - 13.5 MBThis episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, although the number of mpox cases has decreased since the peak of the U.S. outbreak in August 2022, the risk for future outbreaks remains. Clinicians need to be alert for new cases and people at risk should continue to take prevention measures. Second, a new report looking at data from 12 U.S. jurisdictions shows the JYNNEOS vaccine is effective at preventing mpox in people at high risk for mpox. Third, a study of mpox patients in New York prov...
Week of May 8, 2023
May 17, 2023 00:09 - 7 minutes - 17.2 MBThis episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, emergency department visits among adolescents related to mental health, suicide-related behaviors, and drug overdoses decreased as of late 2022 compared to a similar period in 2021. However, concerns remain, particularly for teenage girls. Second, CDC warns of a recently emerged drug-resistant fungus causing severe ringworm infections in New York City. Third, an increase in worldwide polio cases highlights the urgent need to vaccinate every chi...
Week of May 1, 2023
May 10, 2023 17:40 - 6 minutes - 15.3 MBThis episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, a new report describes updates to CDC's tracking of COVID-19 data. Second, early death data show COVID-19 fell from the third to fourth leading cause of death in 2022. Third, most COVID-19 deaths occurred in hospitals, but an increasing percentage occurred in the decedent's home or in a nursing home or long-term care facility. Finally, cigarette smoking declined from 12.5% in 2020 to 11.5% in 2021, the lowest level recorded since 1965. However,...
Week of April 24, 2023
May 10, 2023 16:47 - 6 minutes - 15 MBThis episode discusses a series of reports on the state of teen health in the U.S. First, there are shifts in youth demographics from previous years. About half of students surveyed represented racial and ethnic minority groups and 1 in 4 identified as LGBQ+. Second, substance use among U.S. high school students has declined, while use of inhalants has increased. Third, 1 in 5 U.S. high school students witnessed violence in their community. Last, reports of suicide-related outcomes among teen...
Week of April 17, 2023
April 26, 2023 19:26 - 7 minutes - 16.5 MBThis episode discusses four MMWR reports. The first report highlights postpartum substance use and associated mental health conditions, adverse childhood experiences, or stressful life events. The second report looks at suicide attempts by self-poisoning among children. The third report examines disparities in stroke deaths between Black and White adults in the U.S. And the last report describes the success of the COVIDTests.gov program.
Week of April 10, 2023
April 19, 2023 16:27 - 5 minutes - 13.1 MBThis episode discusses four MMWR reports. The first report highlights chronic pain among U.S. adults. The second report looks at mpox cases in the United States. The third report examines mpox-associated deaths in the United States. And the last report describes an outbreak of Campylobacter in Montana.
Week of April 3, 2023
April 13, 2023 22:22 - 8 minutes - 20.2 MBThis episode discusses four MMWR reports. The first report looks at ventilation improvements in school indoor air quality. The second report describes RSV epidemics during the past 2 years. The third report examines a hepatitis A outbreak in Virginia. And the last report highlights routine polio immunization coverage globally.