More than 2 million American workers called in sick in a single week in mid-April, causing the highest absence rate on record and leading to suspicions that COVID-19 cases were substantially undercounted, according to a research letter published yesterday in JAMA Internal Medicine.
About 1 in 15 US parents (6.1%) is hesitant about childhood vaccines, while 1 in 4 (26%) are unsure about flu vaccines.
Church events held between Mar 6 and 11 at an Arkansas church—where the pastor and his wife were positive for COVID-19 and showing symptoms—led to 35 confirmed COVID-19 cases among 92 people (38%) who attended events. The super-spreading event is described today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in an update yesterday that it has concluded its investigation into a 10-state outbreak of Escherichia coli linked to contaminated clover sprouts that sickened 51 people, up 12 from the agency's Mar 19 update.
Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health (MOH) reported a new MERS-CoV case today. This raises the number of MERS cases recorded this month to 11.
CARB-X said today it has awarded Lytica Therapeutics, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, up to $5.3 million to develop antibacterial peptides that have broad activity against multidrug-resistant bacteria for treating lung and other infections.
The two studies address unanswered questions about the vaccine, experts say.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today a multistate outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7 infections tied to contaminated romaine lettuce grown in Salinas, California, appears to be over.
The World Health Organization's (WHO's) online Ebola dashboard reflects 5 new cases of the viral disease over the weekend, including 3 cases reported today. The outbreak total now stands at 3,398, including 2,235 fatalities.
Officials are still investigating 410 suspected cases.
Wisconsin officials have confirmed 405 cases of chronic wasting disease (CWD) on state deer farms and hunting ranches since 2002, with 105 of those occurring since November 2018, Wisconsin Public Radio reported yesterday.
CWD is a deadly prion disease that affects deer, elk, and other cervids but has not yet been detected in people.