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Second U.S. coronavirus patient confirmed
at a Jan. 24, 2020, press briefing.
The first U.S. case, a traveler who entered the United States at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, was confirmed on Jan. 20.
A Chicago resident returning from Wuhan, China, on Jan. 13, 2020, developed symptoms of the disease and contacted her health care clinician and is currently being treated in isolation at an unnamed hospital, according to Nancy Messonnier, MD, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the CDC. The patient, a woman in her 60s, is in stable condition and remains hospitalized. She was not symptomatic on her flight to Chicago but developed symptoms in the following days after her return from Wuhan. She had limited contacts after her return, and all potential contacts are being tracked.
Dr. Messonnier said the CDC expects more cases in the United States but stressed that, although this is a serious public health threat, the risk to the American public is low. She noted that the situation is evolving rapidly and that the CDC is following the developments hour by hour.
Jennifer Layden, MD, PhD, chief medical officer and state epidemiologist with the Illinois Department of Public Health, said public health preparations made it possible to quickly identify and arrange appropriate hospitalization for this patient. Allison Arwady, MD, Chicago Department of Health commissioner, said the Illinois Department of Health partnered with the CDC to test specimens quickly, which led to the diagnosis in this patient.
So far, 63 U.S. patients have been investigated for possible infection with the 2019-nCoV; 11 so far have tested negative and 2 have tested positive. Testing of the remaining potential cases and others is ongoing.
Currently, samples from patients with suspected 2010-nCoV infections are being sent to the CDC for testing, Dr. Messonnier said. The turnaround for testing is currently 4-6 hours. Respiratory samples and some blood samples are being tested by the CDC labs.
The CDC is developing diagnostic kits for public health authorities in the United States for local testing and will work with the World Health Organization to make these kits available to the international community when possible.
Dr. Messonnier said that, at present, the incubation period for this disease appears to be about 14 days, but she suggested that further study will be required to identify the range of time for contagion. She also said it is premature to compare the 2019-nCoV with previous coronavirus outbreaks, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) or Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), in terms of contagion or fatality rates.
Meanwhile, Andrew D. Mesecar, PhD, the Walther Professor in Cancer Structural Biology and head of the department of biochemistry at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., said on Jan. 24 in a news release that 2019-nCoV is genetically similar to the SARS variant. “MERS virus and the SARS virus are more different genetically,” noted Dr. Mesecar, whose team received the genome of 2019-nCoV on Jan. 17 and analyzed it the next day. “But the Wuhan virus is genetically almost identical to the SARS virus and, therefore, it is expected to look and act nearly the same. In another week or two, we’ll be able to begin to see if the virus is mutating.”
Dr. Messonnier said that nonessential travel to Wuhan is not recommended. In addition, she said, and all other visitors to China need to take appropriate precautions, such as handwashing and avoiding other individuals with respiratory illness.
Screenings at five U.S. airports will continue. So far, approximately 200 flights and 2,000 travelers have been screened as of Jan. 23. No cases were reported, but one traveler has been identified for further for evaluation. Possible contacts with those suspected of infection have been identified and alerted in 22 states.
The CDC will continue to update the public and will post information on the CDC newsroom website.
at a Jan. 24, 2020, press briefing.
The first U.S. case, a traveler who entered the United States at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, was confirmed on Jan. 20.
A Chicago resident returning from Wuhan, China, on Jan. 13, 2020, developed symptoms of the disease and contacted her health care clinician and is currently being treated in isolation at an unnamed hospital, according to Nancy Messonnier, MD, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the CDC. The patient, a woman in her 60s, is in stable condition and remains hospitalized. She was not symptomatic on her flight to Chicago but developed symptoms in the following days after her return from Wuhan. She had limited contacts after her return, and all potential contacts are being tracked.
Dr. Messonnier said the CDC expects more cases in the United States but stressed that, although this is a serious public health threat, the risk to the American public is low. She noted that the situation is evolving rapidly and that the CDC is following the developments hour by hour.
Jennifer Layden, MD, PhD, chief medical officer and state epidemiologist with the Illinois Department of Public Health, said public health preparations made it possible to quickly identify and arrange appropriate hospitalization for this patient. Allison Arwady, MD, Chicago Department of Health commissioner, said the Illinois Department of Health partnered with the CDC to test specimens quickly, which led to the diagnosis in this patient.
So far, 63 U.S. patients have been investigated for possible infection with the 2019-nCoV; 11 so far have tested negative and 2 have tested positive. Testing of the remaining potential cases and others is ongoing.
Currently, samples from patients with suspected 2010-nCoV infections are being sent to the CDC for testing, Dr. Messonnier said. The turnaround for testing is currently 4-6 hours. Respiratory samples and some blood samples are being tested by the CDC labs.
The CDC is developing diagnostic kits for public health authorities in the United States for local testing and will work with the World Health Organization to make these kits available to the international community when possible.
Dr. Messonnier said that, at present, the incubation period for this disease appears to be about 14 days, but she suggested that further study will be required to identify the range of time for contagion. She also said it is premature to compare the 2019-nCoV with previous coronavirus outbreaks, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) or Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), in terms of contagion or fatality rates.
Meanwhile, Andrew D. Mesecar, PhD, the Walther Professor in Cancer Structural Biology and head of the department of biochemistry at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., said on Jan. 24 in a news release that 2019-nCoV is genetically similar to the SARS variant. “MERS virus and the SARS virus are more different genetically,” noted Dr. Mesecar, whose team received the genome of 2019-nCoV on Jan. 17 and analyzed it the next day. “But the Wuhan virus is genetically almost identical to the SARS virus and, therefore, it is expected to look and act nearly the same. In another week or two, we’ll be able to begin to see if the virus is mutating.”
Dr. Messonnier said that nonessential travel to Wuhan is not recommended. In addition, she said, and all other visitors to China need to take appropriate precautions, such as handwashing and avoiding other individuals with respiratory illness.
Screenings at five U.S. airports will continue. So far, approximately 200 flights and 2,000 travelers have been screened as of Jan. 23. No cases were reported, but one traveler has been identified for further for evaluation. Possible contacts with those suspected of infection have been identified and alerted in 22 states.
The CDC will continue to update the public and will post information on the CDC newsroom website.
at a Jan. 24, 2020, press briefing.
The first U.S. case, a traveler who entered the United States at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, was confirmed on Jan. 20.
A Chicago resident returning from Wuhan, China, on Jan. 13, 2020, developed symptoms of the disease and contacted her health care clinician and is currently being treated in isolation at an unnamed hospital, according to Nancy Messonnier, MD, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the CDC. The patient, a woman in her 60s, is in stable condition and remains hospitalized. She was not symptomatic on her flight to Chicago but developed symptoms in the following days after her return from Wuhan. She had limited contacts after her return, and all potential contacts are being tracked.
Dr. Messonnier said the CDC expects more cases in the United States but stressed that, although this is a serious public health threat, the risk to the American public is low. She noted that the situation is evolving rapidly and that the CDC is following the developments hour by hour.
Jennifer Layden, MD, PhD, chief medical officer and state epidemiologist with the Illinois Department of Public Health, said public health preparations made it possible to quickly identify and arrange appropriate hospitalization for this patient. Allison Arwady, MD, Chicago Department of Health commissioner, said the Illinois Department of Health partnered with the CDC to test specimens quickly, which led to the diagnosis in this patient.
So far, 63 U.S. patients have been investigated for possible infection with the 2019-nCoV; 11 so far have tested negative and 2 have tested positive. Testing of the remaining potential cases and others is ongoing.
Currently, samples from patients with suspected 2010-nCoV infections are being sent to the CDC for testing, Dr. Messonnier said. The turnaround for testing is currently 4-6 hours. Respiratory samples and some blood samples are being tested by the CDC labs.
The CDC is developing diagnostic kits for public health authorities in the United States for local testing and will work with the World Health Organization to make these kits available to the international community when possible.
Dr. Messonnier said that, at present, the incubation period for this disease appears to be about 14 days, but she suggested that further study will be required to identify the range of time for contagion. She also said it is premature to compare the 2019-nCoV with previous coronavirus outbreaks, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) or Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), in terms of contagion or fatality rates.
Meanwhile, Andrew D. Mesecar, PhD, the Walther Professor in Cancer Structural Biology and head of the department of biochemistry at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., said on Jan. 24 in a news release that 2019-nCoV is genetically similar to the SARS variant. “MERS virus and the SARS virus are more different genetically,” noted Dr. Mesecar, whose team received the genome of 2019-nCoV on Jan. 17 and analyzed it the next day. “But the Wuhan virus is genetically almost identical to the SARS virus and, therefore, it is expected to look and act nearly the same. In another week or two, we’ll be able to begin to see if the virus is mutating.”
Dr. Messonnier said that nonessential travel to Wuhan is not recommended. In addition, she said, and all other visitors to China need to take appropriate precautions, such as handwashing and avoiding other individuals with respiratory illness.
Screenings at five U.S. airports will continue. So far, approximately 200 flights and 2,000 travelers have been screened as of Jan. 23. No cases were reported, but one traveler has been identified for further for evaluation. Possible contacts with those suspected of infection have been identified and alerted in 22 states.
The CDC will continue to update the public and will post information on the CDC newsroom website.
Surgeon General scolds docs for failing to help patients quit smoking
The U.S. Surgeon General is calling on all physicians to help patients stop smoking, noting that two-thirds of adult smokers say they want to quit, but only 40% report that their doctor has advised them to stop.
“I’ve got to own this as the nation’s doctor, and our health providers in this room and in this country need to own this stat,” said Surgeon General Jerome Adams, MD, at a press briefing releasing a new report on smoking cessation.
“Smoking is the No. 1 preventable cause of death, disease, and disability in the United States,” he said. “So why are 40% of our health providers out there not advising smokers to quit when they come in?”
In the first U.S. Surgeon General report on smoking cessation in 30 years, the 700-page report suggests smoking cessation-related quality measures that include physician reimbursement would increase treatment.
The evidence also suggests that using electronic health records to prompt clinicians to inquire about smoking would increase cessation treatment.
EHRs could be used to “empower and enable” physicians to advise people to quit, said Dr. Adams. Physicians also need “the education and the confidence to be able to have that conversation, because too many of them look at someone and say: ‘Nope, too hard, too much effort, no, that’s not what they’re here for today,’ ” he said.
However, “simply asking, advising, and referring can be enough to get someone on the pathway to quitting,” Dr. Adams said.
34 million still smoke
The new report is the first on the topic released since 1990, and the 34th on tobacco control since the first one was issued in 1964, said Dr. Adams. Since that first report, adult smoking has declined 70%, but some 34 million Americans (14%) still smoke, he said.
In addition, Dr. Adams said that many subpopulations have been left behind, noting: “Cigarette smoking remains highest among LGBTQ adults, people with disabilities or limitations, American Indians and Alaska Natives, and people with mental health conditions or substance use disorders.”
He also noted that 40% of cigarettes are consumed by those with a mental illness or a substance use disorder.
Quitting is beneficial at any age and can add as much as a decade to life expectancy, the report notes. Quitting also reduces the risk of 12 cancers, cuts the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and reduces cardiovascular and stroke morbidity and mortality.
Pregnant women who quit also reduce their own morbidity and mortality risk and that of unborn children and infants, the report says.
“We know more about the science of quitting than ever before. We can, and must, do more to ensure that evidence-based cessation treatments are reaching the people that need them,” said Dr. Adams.
Less than one-third of those who have quit have used Food and Drug Administration–approved cessation medications or behavioral counseling, Dr. Adams said.
Barriers to care
Despite the existence of five nicotine replacement therapies and two nonnicotine oral medications, and more widespread availability of proven counseling methods – including web- or text-based programs – barriers to access remain.
These include a lack of insurance coverage for comprehensive, evidence-based smoking cessation treatment, which, when offered, increases availability and use.
“These are cost-effective interventions,” said Dr. Adams. “It’s penny wise and pound foolish to not give someone access to what we know works,” he said.
Because of the diversity of e-cigarette products and the variety of ways they are used, coupled with little research, it’s not currently possible to determine whether they are, or are not, useful smoking cessation tools, the report notes.
However, experts who compiled the report found some evidence to suggest that e-cigarettes containing nicotine may be “associated with increased smoking cessation compared with the use of e-cigarettes not containing nicotine.”
Asked whether the report’s conclusions might be interpreted as supportive of e-cigarettes, Dr. Adams said the report focused on smoking cessation, not initiation.
“I’m terribly concerned about the clear data that shows youth are initiating tobacco product use with e-cigarettes,” he said.
The Trump administration’s current proposal to partially restrict sales of some flavored e-cigarettes “reflects the science,” and “a balance between a desire to really make sure that people aren’t initiating with these products, but also a desire to again try to maintain a pathway for adults who want to use these products to quit to use them,” Dr. Adams said.
The focus, said Dr. Adams, should not be on e-cigarettes and whether they do, or do not, work.
“People want to quit,” he said. “We know what works. Not enough of them are getting it, and there are terrible disparities in who is and who is not getting access to effective and evidence-based treatment – that’s the story here.”
This article first appeared on Medscape.com.
The U.S. Surgeon General is calling on all physicians to help patients stop smoking, noting that two-thirds of adult smokers say they want to quit, but only 40% report that their doctor has advised them to stop.
“I’ve got to own this as the nation’s doctor, and our health providers in this room and in this country need to own this stat,” said Surgeon General Jerome Adams, MD, at a press briefing releasing a new report on smoking cessation.
“Smoking is the No. 1 preventable cause of death, disease, and disability in the United States,” he said. “So why are 40% of our health providers out there not advising smokers to quit when they come in?”
In the first U.S. Surgeon General report on smoking cessation in 30 years, the 700-page report suggests smoking cessation-related quality measures that include physician reimbursement would increase treatment.
The evidence also suggests that using electronic health records to prompt clinicians to inquire about smoking would increase cessation treatment.
EHRs could be used to “empower and enable” physicians to advise people to quit, said Dr. Adams. Physicians also need “the education and the confidence to be able to have that conversation, because too many of them look at someone and say: ‘Nope, too hard, too much effort, no, that’s not what they’re here for today,’ ” he said.
However, “simply asking, advising, and referring can be enough to get someone on the pathway to quitting,” Dr. Adams said.
34 million still smoke
The new report is the first on the topic released since 1990, and the 34th on tobacco control since the first one was issued in 1964, said Dr. Adams. Since that first report, adult smoking has declined 70%, but some 34 million Americans (14%) still smoke, he said.
In addition, Dr. Adams said that many subpopulations have been left behind, noting: “Cigarette smoking remains highest among LGBTQ adults, people with disabilities or limitations, American Indians and Alaska Natives, and people with mental health conditions or substance use disorders.”
He also noted that 40% of cigarettes are consumed by those with a mental illness or a substance use disorder.
Quitting is beneficial at any age and can add as much as a decade to life expectancy, the report notes. Quitting also reduces the risk of 12 cancers, cuts the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and reduces cardiovascular and stroke morbidity and mortality.
Pregnant women who quit also reduce their own morbidity and mortality risk and that of unborn children and infants, the report says.
“We know more about the science of quitting than ever before. We can, and must, do more to ensure that evidence-based cessation treatments are reaching the people that need them,” said Dr. Adams.
Less than one-third of those who have quit have used Food and Drug Administration–approved cessation medications or behavioral counseling, Dr. Adams said.
Barriers to care
Despite the existence of five nicotine replacement therapies and two nonnicotine oral medications, and more widespread availability of proven counseling methods – including web- or text-based programs – barriers to access remain.
These include a lack of insurance coverage for comprehensive, evidence-based smoking cessation treatment, which, when offered, increases availability and use.
“These are cost-effective interventions,” said Dr. Adams. “It’s penny wise and pound foolish to not give someone access to what we know works,” he said.
Because of the diversity of e-cigarette products and the variety of ways they are used, coupled with little research, it’s not currently possible to determine whether they are, or are not, useful smoking cessation tools, the report notes.
However, experts who compiled the report found some evidence to suggest that e-cigarettes containing nicotine may be “associated with increased smoking cessation compared with the use of e-cigarettes not containing nicotine.”
Asked whether the report’s conclusions might be interpreted as supportive of e-cigarettes, Dr. Adams said the report focused on smoking cessation, not initiation.
“I’m terribly concerned about the clear data that shows youth are initiating tobacco product use with e-cigarettes,” he said.
The Trump administration’s current proposal to partially restrict sales of some flavored e-cigarettes “reflects the science,” and “a balance between a desire to really make sure that people aren’t initiating with these products, but also a desire to again try to maintain a pathway for adults who want to use these products to quit to use them,” Dr. Adams said.
The focus, said Dr. Adams, should not be on e-cigarettes and whether they do, or do not, work.
“People want to quit,” he said. “We know what works. Not enough of them are getting it, and there are terrible disparities in who is and who is not getting access to effective and evidence-based treatment – that’s the story here.”
This article first appeared on Medscape.com.
The U.S. Surgeon General is calling on all physicians to help patients stop smoking, noting that two-thirds of adult smokers say they want to quit, but only 40% report that their doctor has advised them to stop.
“I’ve got to own this as the nation’s doctor, and our health providers in this room and in this country need to own this stat,” said Surgeon General Jerome Adams, MD, at a press briefing releasing a new report on smoking cessation.
“Smoking is the No. 1 preventable cause of death, disease, and disability in the United States,” he said. “So why are 40% of our health providers out there not advising smokers to quit when they come in?”
In the first U.S. Surgeon General report on smoking cessation in 30 years, the 700-page report suggests smoking cessation-related quality measures that include physician reimbursement would increase treatment.
The evidence also suggests that using electronic health records to prompt clinicians to inquire about smoking would increase cessation treatment.
EHRs could be used to “empower and enable” physicians to advise people to quit, said Dr. Adams. Physicians also need “the education and the confidence to be able to have that conversation, because too many of them look at someone and say: ‘Nope, too hard, too much effort, no, that’s not what they’re here for today,’ ” he said.
However, “simply asking, advising, and referring can be enough to get someone on the pathway to quitting,” Dr. Adams said.
34 million still smoke
The new report is the first on the topic released since 1990, and the 34th on tobacco control since the first one was issued in 1964, said Dr. Adams. Since that first report, adult smoking has declined 70%, but some 34 million Americans (14%) still smoke, he said.
In addition, Dr. Adams said that many subpopulations have been left behind, noting: “Cigarette smoking remains highest among LGBTQ adults, people with disabilities or limitations, American Indians and Alaska Natives, and people with mental health conditions or substance use disorders.”
He also noted that 40% of cigarettes are consumed by those with a mental illness or a substance use disorder.
Quitting is beneficial at any age and can add as much as a decade to life expectancy, the report notes. Quitting also reduces the risk of 12 cancers, cuts the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and reduces cardiovascular and stroke morbidity and mortality.
Pregnant women who quit also reduce their own morbidity and mortality risk and that of unborn children and infants, the report says.
“We know more about the science of quitting than ever before. We can, and must, do more to ensure that evidence-based cessation treatments are reaching the people that need them,” said Dr. Adams.
Less than one-third of those who have quit have used Food and Drug Administration–approved cessation medications or behavioral counseling, Dr. Adams said.
Barriers to care
Despite the existence of five nicotine replacement therapies and two nonnicotine oral medications, and more widespread availability of proven counseling methods – including web- or text-based programs – barriers to access remain.
These include a lack of insurance coverage for comprehensive, evidence-based smoking cessation treatment, which, when offered, increases availability and use.
“These are cost-effective interventions,” said Dr. Adams. “It’s penny wise and pound foolish to not give someone access to what we know works,” he said.
Because of the diversity of e-cigarette products and the variety of ways they are used, coupled with little research, it’s not currently possible to determine whether they are, or are not, useful smoking cessation tools, the report notes.
However, experts who compiled the report found some evidence to suggest that e-cigarettes containing nicotine may be “associated with increased smoking cessation compared with the use of e-cigarettes not containing nicotine.”
Asked whether the report’s conclusions might be interpreted as supportive of e-cigarettes, Dr. Adams said the report focused on smoking cessation, not initiation.
“I’m terribly concerned about the clear data that shows youth are initiating tobacco product use with e-cigarettes,” he said.
The Trump administration’s current proposal to partially restrict sales of some flavored e-cigarettes “reflects the science,” and “a balance between a desire to really make sure that people aren’t initiating with these products, but also a desire to again try to maintain a pathway for adults who want to use these products to quit to use them,” Dr. Adams said.
The focus, said Dr. Adams, should not be on e-cigarettes and whether they do, or do not, work.
“People want to quit,” he said. “We know what works. Not enough of them are getting it, and there are terrible disparities in who is and who is not getting access to effective and evidence-based treatment – that’s the story here.”
This article first appeared on Medscape.com.
Washington state patient is first U.S. case of novel coronavirus
The first case of the novel coronavirus, named 2019-nCoV, in the United States has been diagnosed in a traveler from China who came through Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Jan 15, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced today at a press briefing.
The outbreak began at a animal and meat market in China and now has spread to at least three other countries, including Thailand, Japan and South Korea. While originally thought to be spreading from animal to person, it appears that limited person-to-person transmission is occurring, although it is currently unknown how easily this virus spreads between people.
More than 300 cases have been reported and six deaths have occurred. Fourteen health care workers have been infected.
Scott Lindquist, MD, MPH, Washington state epidemiologist, said at the briefing that the patient, a man who had been in Wuhan, arrived at Sea-Tac on Jan. 15, 2 days before airport screening had been initiated. He was symptom free at the time of his arrival and probably would not have been identified as infected with 2019-nCoV. The patient had been aware of the public health and news media coverage of 2019-nCoV and, after developing symptoms, contacted his health care provider on Jan. 19. The patient did not fly directly from Wuhan, but Dr. Lindquist said that he has been fully cooperative and has been helpful to authorities in tracing his route and contacts. The man is being treated at Providence Regional Medical Center, Everett, Wash.
The CDC obtained a specimen from the patient immediately and identified the 2019-nCoV within 24 hours.
Screening at airports is part of a multipart strategy to address this type of infection that includes public health information dissemination, patient education, as well as hospital preparation and training exercises. Currently, a strategy referred to as “funneling” is being implemented wherein travelers from China are rerouted and reticketed to one of the five airports conducting screening. At present, JFK in New York, San Francisco International, Los Angeles International, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, and Chicago O’Hare International Airport are conducting inbound traveler screening.
The CDC is working in close cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Aviation Administration to coordinate travel screenings and reroutings. In addition, the CDC is working with the World Health Organization and the international global health community to share information about this outbreak. The CDC also has staff on site in Wuhan and is communicating with local health authorities. The CDC has activated its Emergency Operations Center to better provide ongoing support to the 2019-nCoV response. Currently, the focus is on tracing contacts and the means of transmission of this virus.
Updates on the outbreak will be posted on the CDC coronavirus website.
CORRECTION: 1/21/2020: The name of the medical center where the 2019-nCoV patient is being treated was corrected.
The first case of the novel coronavirus, named 2019-nCoV, in the United States has been diagnosed in a traveler from China who came through Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Jan 15, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced today at a press briefing.
The outbreak began at a animal and meat market in China and now has spread to at least three other countries, including Thailand, Japan and South Korea. While originally thought to be spreading from animal to person, it appears that limited person-to-person transmission is occurring, although it is currently unknown how easily this virus spreads between people.
More than 300 cases have been reported and six deaths have occurred. Fourteen health care workers have been infected.
Scott Lindquist, MD, MPH, Washington state epidemiologist, said at the briefing that the patient, a man who had been in Wuhan, arrived at Sea-Tac on Jan. 15, 2 days before airport screening had been initiated. He was symptom free at the time of his arrival and probably would not have been identified as infected with 2019-nCoV. The patient had been aware of the public health and news media coverage of 2019-nCoV and, after developing symptoms, contacted his health care provider on Jan. 19. The patient did not fly directly from Wuhan, but Dr. Lindquist said that he has been fully cooperative and has been helpful to authorities in tracing his route and contacts. The man is being treated at Providence Regional Medical Center, Everett, Wash.
The CDC obtained a specimen from the patient immediately and identified the 2019-nCoV within 24 hours.
Screening at airports is part of a multipart strategy to address this type of infection that includes public health information dissemination, patient education, as well as hospital preparation and training exercises. Currently, a strategy referred to as “funneling” is being implemented wherein travelers from China are rerouted and reticketed to one of the five airports conducting screening. At present, JFK in New York, San Francisco International, Los Angeles International, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, and Chicago O’Hare International Airport are conducting inbound traveler screening.
The CDC is working in close cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Aviation Administration to coordinate travel screenings and reroutings. In addition, the CDC is working with the World Health Organization and the international global health community to share information about this outbreak. The CDC also has staff on site in Wuhan and is communicating with local health authorities. The CDC has activated its Emergency Operations Center to better provide ongoing support to the 2019-nCoV response. Currently, the focus is on tracing contacts and the means of transmission of this virus.
Updates on the outbreak will be posted on the CDC coronavirus website.
CORRECTION: 1/21/2020: The name of the medical center where the 2019-nCoV patient is being treated was corrected.
The first case of the novel coronavirus, named 2019-nCoV, in the United States has been diagnosed in a traveler from China who came through Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Jan 15, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced today at a press briefing.
The outbreak began at a animal and meat market in China and now has spread to at least three other countries, including Thailand, Japan and South Korea. While originally thought to be spreading from animal to person, it appears that limited person-to-person transmission is occurring, although it is currently unknown how easily this virus spreads between people.
More than 300 cases have been reported and six deaths have occurred. Fourteen health care workers have been infected.
Scott Lindquist, MD, MPH, Washington state epidemiologist, said at the briefing that the patient, a man who had been in Wuhan, arrived at Sea-Tac on Jan. 15, 2 days before airport screening had been initiated. He was symptom free at the time of his arrival and probably would not have been identified as infected with 2019-nCoV. The patient had been aware of the public health and news media coverage of 2019-nCoV and, after developing symptoms, contacted his health care provider on Jan. 19. The patient did not fly directly from Wuhan, but Dr. Lindquist said that he has been fully cooperative and has been helpful to authorities in tracing his route and contacts. The man is being treated at Providence Regional Medical Center, Everett, Wash.
The CDC obtained a specimen from the patient immediately and identified the 2019-nCoV within 24 hours.
Screening at airports is part of a multipart strategy to address this type of infection that includes public health information dissemination, patient education, as well as hospital preparation and training exercises. Currently, a strategy referred to as “funneling” is being implemented wherein travelers from China are rerouted and reticketed to one of the five airports conducting screening. At present, JFK in New York, San Francisco International, Los Angeles International, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, and Chicago O’Hare International Airport are conducting inbound traveler screening.
The CDC is working in close cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Aviation Administration to coordinate travel screenings and reroutings. In addition, the CDC is working with the World Health Organization and the international global health community to share information about this outbreak. The CDC also has staff on site in Wuhan and is communicating with local health authorities. The CDC has activated its Emergency Operations Center to better provide ongoing support to the 2019-nCoV response. Currently, the focus is on tracing contacts and the means of transmission of this virus.
Updates on the outbreak will be posted on the CDC coronavirus website.
CORRECTION: 1/21/2020: The name of the medical center where the 2019-nCoV patient is being treated was corrected.
REPORTING FROM CDC
Nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease cases on the rise across U.S.
To assess the NTM lung disease burden on a national level, Kevin L. Winthrop, MD, of Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, and associates analyzed patient data from a U.S. managed care claims database between 2008 and 2015. Their findings were published in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
A case of NTM lung disease was defined as a patient with at least two medical claims with the disease’s diagnostic codes – 031.0 and A31.0 – that were at least 30 days apart. Of the 74,984,596 beneficiaries in the database, 9,476 met the case definition for NTM lung disease; 69% (n = 6,530) were women.
From 2008 to 2015, the annual incidence of NTM lung disease increased from 3.13 (95% confidence interval, 2.88-3.40) to 4.73 (95% CI, 4.43-5.05) per 100,000 person-years, with the average rate of yearly change being +5.2% (95% CI, 4.0%-6.4%; P less than .01).The annual prevalence increased from 6.78 (95% CI, 6.45-7.14) to 11.70 (95% CI, 11.26-12.16) per 100,000 persons, with the average rate of yearly change being +7.5% (95% CI, 6.7-8.2%; P less than .01).
The majority of NTM lung disease in the United States is caused by Mycobacterium avium complex (17), although other species such as M. abscessus, M. kansasii, M. xenopi, and others contribute to this disease burden.
“It’s a classic chicken-or-egg scenario,” said Sachin Gupta, MD, a pulmonologist in San Francisco, in regard to the rising numbers. “Increased awareness of NTM lung disease is, in part, why we’re seeing prevalence and incidence go up. And yet the disease itself may also be growing in clusters and pockets, as the data show, in various places across the nation.
“The worrisome aspect here,” he added, “is that future studies will likely show that, as incidence is increasing, mortality is increasing as well. That speaks to the challenges with these bugs: Very hard to diagnose, very hard to treat.”
The authors acknowledged their study’s limitations, including the lack of microbiologic or radiographic confirmation of the NTM infection and the inherent shortcomings of claims data–based studies overall. They did note a previous report, however, that “claims-based case identification has a high positive predictive value of approximately 82% for NTM lung disease.”
The study was funded by Insmed; the Intramural Research Programs of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. The authors reported no conflicts of interest.
SOURCE: Winthrop KL et al. Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2019 Dec 13. doi: 10.1513/AnnalsATS.201804-236OC.
To assess the NTM lung disease burden on a national level, Kevin L. Winthrop, MD, of Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, and associates analyzed patient data from a U.S. managed care claims database between 2008 and 2015. Their findings were published in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
A case of NTM lung disease was defined as a patient with at least two medical claims with the disease’s diagnostic codes – 031.0 and A31.0 – that were at least 30 days apart. Of the 74,984,596 beneficiaries in the database, 9,476 met the case definition for NTM lung disease; 69% (n = 6,530) were women.
From 2008 to 2015, the annual incidence of NTM lung disease increased from 3.13 (95% confidence interval, 2.88-3.40) to 4.73 (95% CI, 4.43-5.05) per 100,000 person-years, with the average rate of yearly change being +5.2% (95% CI, 4.0%-6.4%; P less than .01).The annual prevalence increased from 6.78 (95% CI, 6.45-7.14) to 11.70 (95% CI, 11.26-12.16) per 100,000 persons, with the average rate of yearly change being +7.5% (95% CI, 6.7-8.2%; P less than .01).
The majority of NTM lung disease in the United States is caused by Mycobacterium avium complex (17), although other species such as M. abscessus, M. kansasii, M. xenopi, and others contribute to this disease burden.
“It’s a classic chicken-or-egg scenario,” said Sachin Gupta, MD, a pulmonologist in San Francisco, in regard to the rising numbers. “Increased awareness of NTM lung disease is, in part, why we’re seeing prevalence and incidence go up. And yet the disease itself may also be growing in clusters and pockets, as the data show, in various places across the nation.
“The worrisome aspect here,” he added, “is that future studies will likely show that, as incidence is increasing, mortality is increasing as well. That speaks to the challenges with these bugs: Very hard to diagnose, very hard to treat.”
The authors acknowledged their study’s limitations, including the lack of microbiologic or radiographic confirmation of the NTM infection and the inherent shortcomings of claims data–based studies overall. They did note a previous report, however, that “claims-based case identification has a high positive predictive value of approximately 82% for NTM lung disease.”
The study was funded by Insmed; the Intramural Research Programs of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. The authors reported no conflicts of interest.
SOURCE: Winthrop KL et al. Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2019 Dec 13. doi: 10.1513/AnnalsATS.201804-236OC.
To assess the NTM lung disease burden on a national level, Kevin L. Winthrop, MD, of Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, and associates analyzed patient data from a U.S. managed care claims database between 2008 and 2015. Their findings were published in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
A case of NTM lung disease was defined as a patient with at least two medical claims with the disease’s diagnostic codes – 031.0 and A31.0 – that were at least 30 days apart. Of the 74,984,596 beneficiaries in the database, 9,476 met the case definition for NTM lung disease; 69% (n = 6,530) were women.
From 2008 to 2015, the annual incidence of NTM lung disease increased from 3.13 (95% confidence interval, 2.88-3.40) to 4.73 (95% CI, 4.43-5.05) per 100,000 person-years, with the average rate of yearly change being +5.2% (95% CI, 4.0%-6.4%; P less than .01).The annual prevalence increased from 6.78 (95% CI, 6.45-7.14) to 11.70 (95% CI, 11.26-12.16) per 100,000 persons, with the average rate of yearly change being +7.5% (95% CI, 6.7-8.2%; P less than .01).
The majority of NTM lung disease in the United States is caused by Mycobacterium avium complex (17), although other species such as M. abscessus, M. kansasii, M. xenopi, and others contribute to this disease burden.
“It’s a classic chicken-or-egg scenario,” said Sachin Gupta, MD, a pulmonologist in San Francisco, in regard to the rising numbers. “Increased awareness of NTM lung disease is, in part, why we’re seeing prevalence and incidence go up. And yet the disease itself may also be growing in clusters and pockets, as the data show, in various places across the nation.
“The worrisome aspect here,” he added, “is that future studies will likely show that, as incidence is increasing, mortality is increasing as well. That speaks to the challenges with these bugs: Very hard to diagnose, very hard to treat.”
The authors acknowledged their study’s limitations, including the lack of microbiologic or radiographic confirmation of the NTM infection and the inherent shortcomings of claims data–based studies overall. They did note a previous report, however, that “claims-based case identification has a high positive predictive value of approximately 82% for NTM lung disease.”
The study was funded by Insmed; the Intramural Research Programs of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. The authors reported no conflicts of interest.
SOURCE: Winthrop KL et al. Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2019 Dec 13. doi: 10.1513/AnnalsATS.201804-236OC.
FROM ANNALS OF THE AMERICAN THORACIC SOCIETY
Cardiovascular risks associated with cannabis use
Researchers are recommending routine screening of marijuana use in cardiovascular care settings.
A review of current evidence suggests an association between marijuana use and adverse cardiovascular effects, as well as interactions between marijuana and cardiovascular medications.
Although more research is needed, the review authors suggested patients may benefit from marijuana screening and testing as well as discussions about the potential risks of marijuana use in the setting of cardiovascular disease.
Ersilia M. DeFilippis, MD, of Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York and colleagues conducted this review, which was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
The authors noted that research on marijuana use and cardiovascular disease is limited. The different forms of cannabis and various routes of administration have made it difficult to draw concrete conclusions about marijuana products. Additionally, there have been no randomized, controlled trials of marijuana products in the United States because such trials are illegal; however, there are observational studies linking marijuana use and adverse cardiovascular effects.
Snapshot of available evidence
One study showed that smoking marijuana produces many of the same cardiotoxic chemicals produced by smoking tobacco (BMJ. 2003 May 3;326[7396]:942-3). Another study suggested marijuana smokers may have greater exposure to harmful chemicals (J Psychoactive Drugs. 1988 Jan-Mar;20[1]:43-6).
More specifically, a meta-analysis suggested that smoking marijuana was one of the top three triggers of myocardial infarction (Lancet. 2011 Feb 26;377[9767]:732-40). And in a systematic analysis, 28 of 33 studies linked marijuana use to an increased risk of acute coronary syndromes (Clin Toxicol [Phila]. 2019 Oct;57[10]:831-41).
Furthermore, a study of 2.5 million marijuana users showed that 3% experienced arrhythmias (Int J Cardiol. 2018 Aug 1;264:91-2). A population survey showed that people who smoked marijuana in the past year experienced a 3.3-fold higher rate of cerebrovascular events (Aust N Z J Public Health. 2016 Jun;40[3]:226-30).
Studies have also indicated that cannabinoids can affect cardiovascular medications, including antiarrhythmics, calcium-channel blockers, isosorbide dinitrate/mononitrate, statins, beta-blockers, warfarin, theophylline, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (Medicines [Basel]. 2018 Dec 23;6[1] pii: E3; Curr Top Behav Neurosci. 2017;32:249-62; Pharmacogenet Genomics. 2009 Jul;19[7]:559-62; Ann Pharmacother. 2009 Jul;43[7]:1347-53; Pharmacol Ther. 2019 Sep;201:25-38).
Reviewer recommendations
Cardiovascular specialists should be informed about regulations governing marijuana products, as well as “potential health consequences of marijuana and its derivatives,” according to Dr. DeFilippis and colleagues.
The authors recommend routinely screening patients for marijuana use, perhaps using the Daily Sessions, Frequency, Age of Onset, and Quantity of Cannabis Use Inventory (PLoS One. 2017 May 26;12[5]:e0178194) or the Cannabis Abuse Screening Test (Int J Methods Psychiatr Res. 2018 Jun;27[2]:e1597).
The authors say urine toxicology “may be reasonable” for patients with myocardial infarction or new-onset heart failure. Such testing is required for patients undergoing a heart transplant because marijuana use may affect their candidacy.
Dr. DeFilippis and colleagues say cardiovascular specialists should inform patients about the risks associated with marijuana use. The authors recommend shared decision making for patients who use marijuana for symptom management or palliative purposes.
Three review authors disclosed relationships with many different pharmaceutical companies. One author disclosed relationships with Medscape Cardiology and WebMD, which are owned by the same parent company as MDedge.
SOURCE: J Am Coll Cardiol. 2020 Jan 20. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2019.11.025.
Researchers are recommending routine screening of marijuana use in cardiovascular care settings.
A review of current evidence suggests an association between marijuana use and adverse cardiovascular effects, as well as interactions between marijuana and cardiovascular medications.
Although more research is needed, the review authors suggested patients may benefit from marijuana screening and testing as well as discussions about the potential risks of marijuana use in the setting of cardiovascular disease.
Ersilia M. DeFilippis, MD, of Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York and colleagues conducted this review, which was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
The authors noted that research on marijuana use and cardiovascular disease is limited. The different forms of cannabis and various routes of administration have made it difficult to draw concrete conclusions about marijuana products. Additionally, there have been no randomized, controlled trials of marijuana products in the United States because such trials are illegal; however, there are observational studies linking marijuana use and adverse cardiovascular effects.
Snapshot of available evidence
One study showed that smoking marijuana produces many of the same cardiotoxic chemicals produced by smoking tobacco (BMJ. 2003 May 3;326[7396]:942-3). Another study suggested marijuana smokers may have greater exposure to harmful chemicals (J Psychoactive Drugs. 1988 Jan-Mar;20[1]:43-6).
More specifically, a meta-analysis suggested that smoking marijuana was one of the top three triggers of myocardial infarction (Lancet. 2011 Feb 26;377[9767]:732-40). And in a systematic analysis, 28 of 33 studies linked marijuana use to an increased risk of acute coronary syndromes (Clin Toxicol [Phila]. 2019 Oct;57[10]:831-41).
Furthermore, a study of 2.5 million marijuana users showed that 3% experienced arrhythmias (Int J Cardiol. 2018 Aug 1;264:91-2). A population survey showed that people who smoked marijuana in the past year experienced a 3.3-fold higher rate of cerebrovascular events (Aust N Z J Public Health. 2016 Jun;40[3]:226-30).
Studies have also indicated that cannabinoids can affect cardiovascular medications, including antiarrhythmics, calcium-channel blockers, isosorbide dinitrate/mononitrate, statins, beta-blockers, warfarin, theophylline, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (Medicines [Basel]. 2018 Dec 23;6[1] pii: E3; Curr Top Behav Neurosci. 2017;32:249-62; Pharmacogenet Genomics. 2009 Jul;19[7]:559-62; Ann Pharmacother. 2009 Jul;43[7]:1347-53; Pharmacol Ther. 2019 Sep;201:25-38).
Reviewer recommendations
Cardiovascular specialists should be informed about regulations governing marijuana products, as well as “potential health consequences of marijuana and its derivatives,” according to Dr. DeFilippis and colleagues.
The authors recommend routinely screening patients for marijuana use, perhaps using the Daily Sessions, Frequency, Age of Onset, and Quantity of Cannabis Use Inventory (PLoS One. 2017 May 26;12[5]:e0178194) or the Cannabis Abuse Screening Test (Int J Methods Psychiatr Res. 2018 Jun;27[2]:e1597).
The authors say urine toxicology “may be reasonable” for patients with myocardial infarction or new-onset heart failure. Such testing is required for patients undergoing a heart transplant because marijuana use may affect their candidacy.
Dr. DeFilippis and colleagues say cardiovascular specialists should inform patients about the risks associated with marijuana use. The authors recommend shared decision making for patients who use marijuana for symptom management or palliative purposes.
Three review authors disclosed relationships with many different pharmaceutical companies. One author disclosed relationships with Medscape Cardiology and WebMD, which are owned by the same parent company as MDedge.
SOURCE: J Am Coll Cardiol. 2020 Jan 20. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2019.11.025.
Researchers are recommending routine screening of marijuana use in cardiovascular care settings.
A review of current evidence suggests an association between marijuana use and adverse cardiovascular effects, as well as interactions between marijuana and cardiovascular medications.
Although more research is needed, the review authors suggested patients may benefit from marijuana screening and testing as well as discussions about the potential risks of marijuana use in the setting of cardiovascular disease.
Ersilia M. DeFilippis, MD, of Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York and colleagues conducted this review, which was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
The authors noted that research on marijuana use and cardiovascular disease is limited. The different forms of cannabis and various routes of administration have made it difficult to draw concrete conclusions about marijuana products. Additionally, there have been no randomized, controlled trials of marijuana products in the United States because such trials are illegal; however, there are observational studies linking marijuana use and adverse cardiovascular effects.
Snapshot of available evidence
One study showed that smoking marijuana produces many of the same cardiotoxic chemicals produced by smoking tobacco (BMJ. 2003 May 3;326[7396]:942-3). Another study suggested marijuana smokers may have greater exposure to harmful chemicals (J Psychoactive Drugs. 1988 Jan-Mar;20[1]:43-6).
More specifically, a meta-analysis suggested that smoking marijuana was one of the top three triggers of myocardial infarction (Lancet. 2011 Feb 26;377[9767]:732-40). And in a systematic analysis, 28 of 33 studies linked marijuana use to an increased risk of acute coronary syndromes (Clin Toxicol [Phila]. 2019 Oct;57[10]:831-41).
Furthermore, a study of 2.5 million marijuana users showed that 3% experienced arrhythmias (Int J Cardiol. 2018 Aug 1;264:91-2). A population survey showed that people who smoked marijuana in the past year experienced a 3.3-fold higher rate of cerebrovascular events (Aust N Z J Public Health. 2016 Jun;40[3]:226-30).
Studies have also indicated that cannabinoids can affect cardiovascular medications, including antiarrhythmics, calcium-channel blockers, isosorbide dinitrate/mononitrate, statins, beta-blockers, warfarin, theophylline, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (Medicines [Basel]. 2018 Dec 23;6[1] pii: E3; Curr Top Behav Neurosci. 2017;32:249-62; Pharmacogenet Genomics. 2009 Jul;19[7]:559-62; Ann Pharmacother. 2009 Jul;43[7]:1347-53; Pharmacol Ther. 2019 Sep;201:25-38).
Reviewer recommendations
Cardiovascular specialists should be informed about regulations governing marijuana products, as well as “potential health consequences of marijuana and its derivatives,” according to Dr. DeFilippis and colleagues.
The authors recommend routinely screening patients for marijuana use, perhaps using the Daily Sessions, Frequency, Age of Onset, and Quantity of Cannabis Use Inventory (PLoS One. 2017 May 26;12[5]:e0178194) or the Cannabis Abuse Screening Test (Int J Methods Psychiatr Res. 2018 Jun;27[2]:e1597).
The authors say urine toxicology “may be reasonable” for patients with myocardial infarction or new-onset heart failure. Such testing is required for patients undergoing a heart transplant because marijuana use may affect their candidacy.
Dr. DeFilippis and colleagues say cardiovascular specialists should inform patients about the risks associated with marijuana use. The authors recommend shared decision making for patients who use marijuana for symptom management or palliative purposes.
Three review authors disclosed relationships with many different pharmaceutical companies. One author disclosed relationships with Medscape Cardiology and WebMD, which are owned by the same parent company as MDedge.
SOURCE: J Am Coll Cardiol. 2020 Jan 20. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2019.11.025.
FROM JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CARDIOLOGY
Travelers to three U.S. airports to be screened for novel coronavirus
according to an announcement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Starting today, Jan. 17, 2020, people traveling from Wuhan to New York (JFK), San Francisco (SFO), and Los Angeles (LAX) airports will be screened for symptoms associated with 2019-nCoV, which include fever, cough, and difficulty breathing.
“Based on the information that CDC has today, we believe the current risk for this virus to the general public is low,” Nancy Messonnier, MD, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said during a CDC telebriefing.
To date, 45 cases of 2019-nCoV have been reported in Wuhan, according to the CDC. The Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said 15 patients have been cured and discharged, 5 severe cases are still being treated, and 2 patients have died. Both deaths occurred in older patients, one of whom was aged 69 years and one aged 61 years. One of the patients was known to have underlying health conditions.
Three cases of 2019-nCoV have been confirmed outside of Wuhan, one in Japan and two in Thailand. All three were travelers from Wuhan.
The virus is believed to have originated at Wuhan South China Seafood City, a market that sold seafood, chickens, bats, cats, marmots, and other wild animals. (The market has since been closed and disinfected.) The origin suggests animal-to-human transmission of 2019-nCoV, but it appears that human-to-human transmission can occur as well.
“While most of these infections seem to be happening from animals to people, there is some indication that limited person-to-person spread is happening,” Dr. Messonnier said.
Because of this potential risk, the CDC is working with the Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection to screen travelers from Wuhan to the United States. The CDC is deploying about 100 additional staff to JFK, SFO, and LAX, where direct flights (JFK and SFO) or connecting flights (LAX) from Wuhan land.
The CDC could not confirm if exit screening is planned for people traveling abroad from Wuhan.
At the U.S. airports, travelers from Wuhan will be given a questionnaire asking about symptoms of 2019-nCoV (fever, cough, and difficulty breathing). People who exhibit symptoms will be assessed and questioned further. If they are believed to have 2019-nCoV, they will be sent to designated hospitals, where they will be examined, and samples will be collected.
Samples from patients with suspected 2019-nCoV will be sent to the CDC for analysis. Chinese health authorities made the full genome of 2019-nCoV publicly available, which will allow the CDC to confirm any cases that may arise in the United States. The CDC is currently working on a test to detect 2019-nCoV, which can be distributed to state health departments.
Earlier this month, the CDC issued a Level 1 Travel Health Notice for travelers to Wuhan and a Health Alert on 2019-nCoV. The latest information on 2019-nCoV can be found on the CDC’s Novel Coronavirus 2019 webpage.
according to an announcement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Starting today, Jan. 17, 2020, people traveling from Wuhan to New York (JFK), San Francisco (SFO), and Los Angeles (LAX) airports will be screened for symptoms associated with 2019-nCoV, which include fever, cough, and difficulty breathing.
“Based on the information that CDC has today, we believe the current risk for this virus to the general public is low,” Nancy Messonnier, MD, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said during a CDC telebriefing.
To date, 45 cases of 2019-nCoV have been reported in Wuhan, according to the CDC. The Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said 15 patients have been cured and discharged, 5 severe cases are still being treated, and 2 patients have died. Both deaths occurred in older patients, one of whom was aged 69 years and one aged 61 years. One of the patients was known to have underlying health conditions.
Three cases of 2019-nCoV have been confirmed outside of Wuhan, one in Japan and two in Thailand. All three were travelers from Wuhan.
The virus is believed to have originated at Wuhan South China Seafood City, a market that sold seafood, chickens, bats, cats, marmots, and other wild animals. (The market has since been closed and disinfected.) The origin suggests animal-to-human transmission of 2019-nCoV, but it appears that human-to-human transmission can occur as well.
“While most of these infections seem to be happening from animals to people, there is some indication that limited person-to-person spread is happening,” Dr. Messonnier said.
Because of this potential risk, the CDC is working with the Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection to screen travelers from Wuhan to the United States. The CDC is deploying about 100 additional staff to JFK, SFO, and LAX, where direct flights (JFK and SFO) or connecting flights (LAX) from Wuhan land.
The CDC could not confirm if exit screening is planned for people traveling abroad from Wuhan.
At the U.S. airports, travelers from Wuhan will be given a questionnaire asking about symptoms of 2019-nCoV (fever, cough, and difficulty breathing). People who exhibit symptoms will be assessed and questioned further. If they are believed to have 2019-nCoV, they will be sent to designated hospitals, where they will be examined, and samples will be collected.
Samples from patients with suspected 2019-nCoV will be sent to the CDC for analysis. Chinese health authorities made the full genome of 2019-nCoV publicly available, which will allow the CDC to confirm any cases that may arise in the United States. The CDC is currently working on a test to detect 2019-nCoV, which can be distributed to state health departments.
Earlier this month, the CDC issued a Level 1 Travel Health Notice for travelers to Wuhan and a Health Alert on 2019-nCoV. The latest information on 2019-nCoV can be found on the CDC’s Novel Coronavirus 2019 webpage.
according to an announcement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Starting today, Jan. 17, 2020, people traveling from Wuhan to New York (JFK), San Francisco (SFO), and Los Angeles (LAX) airports will be screened for symptoms associated with 2019-nCoV, which include fever, cough, and difficulty breathing.
“Based on the information that CDC has today, we believe the current risk for this virus to the general public is low,” Nancy Messonnier, MD, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said during a CDC telebriefing.
To date, 45 cases of 2019-nCoV have been reported in Wuhan, according to the CDC. The Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said 15 patients have been cured and discharged, 5 severe cases are still being treated, and 2 patients have died. Both deaths occurred in older patients, one of whom was aged 69 years and one aged 61 years. One of the patients was known to have underlying health conditions.
Three cases of 2019-nCoV have been confirmed outside of Wuhan, one in Japan and two in Thailand. All three were travelers from Wuhan.
The virus is believed to have originated at Wuhan South China Seafood City, a market that sold seafood, chickens, bats, cats, marmots, and other wild animals. (The market has since been closed and disinfected.) The origin suggests animal-to-human transmission of 2019-nCoV, but it appears that human-to-human transmission can occur as well.
“While most of these infections seem to be happening from animals to people, there is some indication that limited person-to-person spread is happening,” Dr. Messonnier said.
Because of this potential risk, the CDC is working with the Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection to screen travelers from Wuhan to the United States. The CDC is deploying about 100 additional staff to JFK, SFO, and LAX, where direct flights (JFK and SFO) or connecting flights (LAX) from Wuhan land.
The CDC could not confirm if exit screening is planned for people traveling abroad from Wuhan.
At the U.S. airports, travelers from Wuhan will be given a questionnaire asking about symptoms of 2019-nCoV (fever, cough, and difficulty breathing). People who exhibit symptoms will be assessed and questioned further. If they are believed to have 2019-nCoV, they will be sent to designated hospitals, where they will be examined, and samples will be collected.
Samples from patients with suspected 2019-nCoV will be sent to the CDC for analysis. Chinese health authorities made the full genome of 2019-nCoV publicly available, which will allow the CDC to confirm any cases that may arise in the United States. The CDC is currently working on a test to detect 2019-nCoV, which can be distributed to state health departments.
Earlier this month, the CDC issued a Level 1 Travel Health Notice for travelers to Wuhan and a Health Alert on 2019-nCoV. The latest information on 2019-nCoV can be found on the CDC’s Novel Coronavirus 2019 webpage.
Flu activity declines for second straight week
Flu activity dropped nationally for a second consecutive week, but the changing predominance in type from influenza B to A suggests that “it is too early to know whether the season has peaked,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Jan. 17.
Patients with influenza-like illness (ILI) dropped from 5.7% to 4.7% of all visits to outpatient providers for the week ending Jan. 11, and the proportion of respiratory specimens positive for influenza decreased from 23.6% the week before to 22.9%, the CDC’s influenza division reported.
Despite that overall drop in positive specimens, however, “the percent positive for influenza A viruses increased and some regions are seeing increases in the proportion of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses compared to other influenza viruses,” the influenza division noted.
Outpatient activity on the state level also was down for the week. There were 23 jurisdictions – 21 states, New York City, and Puerto Rico – at level 10 on the CDC’s 1-10 scale of ILI activity for the week ending Jan. 11, compared with 33 the previous week, data from the CDC’s Outpatient Influenza-like Illness Surveillance Network show.
Indicators of ILI severity have not risen to high levels. “The percentage of deaths attributed to pneumonia and influenza increased from 6.0% to 6.9% but remains below the epidemic threshold” of 7.0% for the week, and the hospitalization rate remains at a fairly typical level for this time of year, the influenza division said.
For the week ending Jan. 11, 7 new ILI-related pediatric deaths were reported, which brings the total to 39 for the 2019-2020 season. Children aged 0-4 years are the second-most likely age group to be hospitalized with the flu (34.4/100,000 population) after adults aged 65 years and older, who have a cumulative rate of 47.6/100,000 for the season, the CDC reported.
Flu activity dropped nationally for a second consecutive week, but the changing predominance in type from influenza B to A suggests that “it is too early to know whether the season has peaked,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Jan. 17.
Patients with influenza-like illness (ILI) dropped from 5.7% to 4.7% of all visits to outpatient providers for the week ending Jan. 11, and the proportion of respiratory specimens positive for influenza decreased from 23.6% the week before to 22.9%, the CDC’s influenza division reported.
Despite that overall drop in positive specimens, however, “the percent positive for influenza A viruses increased and some regions are seeing increases in the proportion of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses compared to other influenza viruses,” the influenza division noted.
Outpatient activity on the state level also was down for the week. There were 23 jurisdictions – 21 states, New York City, and Puerto Rico – at level 10 on the CDC’s 1-10 scale of ILI activity for the week ending Jan. 11, compared with 33 the previous week, data from the CDC’s Outpatient Influenza-like Illness Surveillance Network show.
Indicators of ILI severity have not risen to high levels. “The percentage of deaths attributed to pneumonia and influenza increased from 6.0% to 6.9% but remains below the epidemic threshold” of 7.0% for the week, and the hospitalization rate remains at a fairly typical level for this time of year, the influenza division said.
For the week ending Jan. 11, 7 new ILI-related pediatric deaths were reported, which brings the total to 39 for the 2019-2020 season. Children aged 0-4 years are the second-most likely age group to be hospitalized with the flu (34.4/100,000 population) after adults aged 65 years and older, who have a cumulative rate of 47.6/100,000 for the season, the CDC reported.
Flu activity dropped nationally for a second consecutive week, but the changing predominance in type from influenza B to A suggests that “it is too early to know whether the season has peaked,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Jan. 17.
Patients with influenza-like illness (ILI) dropped from 5.7% to 4.7% of all visits to outpatient providers for the week ending Jan. 11, and the proportion of respiratory specimens positive for influenza decreased from 23.6% the week before to 22.9%, the CDC’s influenza division reported.
Despite that overall drop in positive specimens, however, “the percent positive for influenza A viruses increased and some regions are seeing increases in the proportion of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses compared to other influenza viruses,” the influenza division noted.
Outpatient activity on the state level also was down for the week. There were 23 jurisdictions – 21 states, New York City, and Puerto Rico – at level 10 on the CDC’s 1-10 scale of ILI activity for the week ending Jan. 11, compared with 33 the previous week, data from the CDC’s Outpatient Influenza-like Illness Surveillance Network show.
Indicators of ILI severity have not risen to high levels. “The percentage of deaths attributed to pneumonia and influenza increased from 6.0% to 6.9% but remains below the epidemic threshold” of 7.0% for the week, and the hospitalization rate remains at a fairly typical level for this time of year, the influenza division said.
For the week ending Jan. 11, 7 new ILI-related pediatric deaths were reported, which brings the total to 39 for the 2019-2020 season. Children aged 0-4 years are the second-most likely age group to be hospitalized with the flu (34.4/100,000 population) after adults aged 65 years and older, who have a cumulative rate of 47.6/100,000 for the season, the CDC reported.
Cannabis users struggle to quit cigarettes
a large national survey has found.
“Over the past decade, there has been an increase in the use of cannabis among cigarette smokers and prevalence of cigarettes and cannabis co-use, suggesting that the negative consequences of cigarette–cannabis co-use may also become more prevalent over time,” wrote Andrea H. Weinberger, PhD, of Yeshiva University, New York, and colleagues. They noted that the prevalence of cigarette smoking is nearly three times higher among persons who use cannabis and have cannabis use disorders relative to those who do not.
The 2019 National Survey of Drug Use and Health estimated that 15.9% of Americans aged 12 years or older used cannabis in the past year. This number has been rising throughout the 2000s.
In that same report, cannabis use disorder (or marijuana use disorder) was defined as when an individual experiences clinically significant impairment caused by the recurrent use of marijuana, including health problems, persistent or increasing use, and failure to meet major responsibilities at work, school, or home. The report stated that approximately 1.6% of Americans aged 12 or older in 2018 had marijuana use disorder.
In the study published in Tobacco Control, the researchers used the National Survey on Drug Use and Health data to analyze cigarette smoking quit ratios among U.S. adults with and without cannabis use and cannabis use disorders. “Quit ratio was calculated as the proportion of former smokers among lifetime smokers and is considered a measure of total cessation in a population,” the researchers said.
In 2016, the quit ratios for adults with a history of cannabis use or cannabis use disorders were 23% and 15%, respectively, compared with 51% and 48%, respectively, in those with no cannabis use or cannabis use disorders.
Overall, quit ratios did not change significantly from 2002 to 2016 for individuals with cannabis use disorders after controlling for multiple demographic factors and other substance use disorders. However, during the same time period, quit ratios showed a nonlinear increase in cannabis users, nonusers, and individuals without cannabis use disorders.
The study findings were limited by several factors including the inability to generalize results to youth or individuals living outside the United States, the use of DSM-IV criteria to identify cannabis use disorder, the use of self-reports, and the inability to examine the timing of cannabis use as related to attempts to quit smoking, the researchers noted. However, the results highlight the need to consider offering smoking cessation treatment to individuals being treated for cannabis use disorders, and to include cannabis users in smoking cessation programs, the researchers noted.
“Based on our results, both public health and clinical efforts to improve cigarette quit outcomes may benefit from including those with any cannabis use,” they said. More research is needed to determine whether trends in the quit ratio change over time for cannabis users or those with cannabis use disorder, they added.
The study was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The researchers had no financial conflicts to disclose.
SOURCE: Weinberger AH et al. Tob Control. 2020;29(1):74-80. doi: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2018-054590.
a large national survey has found.
“Over the past decade, there has been an increase in the use of cannabis among cigarette smokers and prevalence of cigarettes and cannabis co-use, suggesting that the negative consequences of cigarette–cannabis co-use may also become more prevalent over time,” wrote Andrea H. Weinberger, PhD, of Yeshiva University, New York, and colleagues. They noted that the prevalence of cigarette smoking is nearly three times higher among persons who use cannabis and have cannabis use disorders relative to those who do not.
The 2019 National Survey of Drug Use and Health estimated that 15.9% of Americans aged 12 years or older used cannabis in the past year. This number has been rising throughout the 2000s.
In that same report, cannabis use disorder (or marijuana use disorder) was defined as when an individual experiences clinically significant impairment caused by the recurrent use of marijuana, including health problems, persistent or increasing use, and failure to meet major responsibilities at work, school, or home. The report stated that approximately 1.6% of Americans aged 12 or older in 2018 had marijuana use disorder.
In the study published in Tobacco Control, the researchers used the National Survey on Drug Use and Health data to analyze cigarette smoking quit ratios among U.S. adults with and without cannabis use and cannabis use disorders. “Quit ratio was calculated as the proportion of former smokers among lifetime smokers and is considered a measure of total cessation in a population,” the researchers said.
In 2016, the quit ratios for adults with a history of cannabis use or cannabis use disorders were 23% and 15%, respectively, compared with 51% and 48%, respectively, in those with no cannabis use or cannabis use disorders.
Overall, quit ratios did not change significantly from 2002 to 2016 for individuals with cannabis use disorders after controlling for multiple demographic factors and other substance use disorders. However, during the same time period, quit ratios showed a nonlinear increase in cannabis users, nonusers, and individuals without cannabis use disorders.
The study findings were limited by several factors including the inability to generalize results to youth or individuals living outside the United States, the use of DSM-IV criteria to identify cannabis use disorder, the use of self-reports, and the inability to examine the timing of cannabis use as related to attempts to quit smoking, the researchers noted. However, the results highlight the need to consider offering smoking cessation treatment to individuals being treated for cannabis use disorders, and to include cannabis users in smoking cessation programs, the researchers noted.
“Based on our results, both public health and clinical efforts to improve cigarette quit outcomes may benefit from including those with any cannabis use,” they said. More research is needed to determine whether trends in the quit ratio change over time for cannabis users or those with cannabis use disorder, they added.
The study was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The researchers had no financial conflicts to disclose.
SOURCE: Weinberger AH et al. Tob Control. 2020;29(1):74-80. doi: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2018-054590.
a large national survey has found.
“Over the past decade, there has been an increase in the use of cannabis among cigarette smokers and prevalence of cigarettes and cannabis co-use, suggesting that the negative consequences of cigarette–cannabis co-use may also become more prevalent over time,” wrote Andrea H. Weinberger, PhD, of Yeshiva University, New York, and colleagues. They noted that the prevalence of cigarette smoking is nearly three times higher among persons who use cannabis and have cannabis use disorders relative to those who do not.
The 2019 National Survey of Drug Use and Health estimated that 15.9% of Americans aged 12 years or older used cannabis in the past year. This number has been rising throughout the 2000s.
In that same report, cannabis use disorder (or marijuana use disorder) was defined as when an individual experiences clinically significant impairment caused by the recurrent use of marijuana, including health problems, persistent or increasing use, and failure to meet major responsibilities at work, school, or home. The report stated that approximately 1.6% of Americans aged 12 or older in 2018 had marijuana use disorder.
In the study published in Tobacco Control, the researchers used the National Survey on Drug Use and Health data to analyze cigarette smoking quit ratios among U.S. adults with and without cannabis use and cannabis use disorders. “Quit ratio was calculated as the proportion of former smokers among lifetime smokers and is considered a measure of total cessation in a population,” the researchers said.
In 2016, the quit ratios for adults with a history of cannabis use or cannabis use disorders were 23% and 15%, respectively, compared with 51% and 48%, respectively, in those with no cannabis use or cannabis use disorders.
Overall, quit ratios did not change significantly from 2002 to 2016 for individuals with cannabis use disorders after controlling for multiple demographic factors and other substance use disorders. However, during the same time period, quit ratios showed a nonlinear increase in cannabis users, nonusers, and individuals without cannabis use disorders.
The study findings were limited by several factors including the inability to generalize results to youth or individuals living outside the United States, the use of DSM-IV criteria to identify cannabis use disorder, the use of self-reports, and the inability to examine the timing of cannabis use as related to attempts to quit smoking, the researchers noted. However, the results highlight the need to consider offering smoking cessation treatment to individuals being treated for cannabis use disorders, and to include cannabis users in smoking cessation programs, the researchers noted.
“Based on our results, both public health and clinical efforts to improve cigarette quit outcomes may benefit from including those with any cannabis use,” they said. More research is needed to determine whether trends in the quit ratio change over time for cannabis users or those with cannabis use disorder, they added.
The study was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The researchers had no financial conflicts to disclose.
SOURCE: Weinberger AH et al. Tob Control. 2020;29(1):74-80. doi: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2018-054590.
FROM TOBACCO CONTROL
Two new cases of coronavirus pneumonia in Thailand, Japan
Health authorities in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, identified the novel coronavirus, 2019-nCoV, responsible for the outbreak of a mysterious pneumonia that resulted in hospitalization of more than 40 patients and one death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a statement on the CDC website.
On Jan. 13, the Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health reported the first imported case of lab-confirmed 2019-nCoV from Wuhan. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated: “The traveler with febrile illness was detected on the same day by thermal surveillance at Suvarnabhumi Airport, Thailand, and was hospitalized the same day. After temperature check and initial assessment, she was transferred to the hospital for further investigations and treatment.”
Samples from this patient tested positive for coronaviruses by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. The genomic sequencing analysis was performed by Emerging Infectious Diseases Health Science Center, the Thai Red Cross Society, and the Thai National Institute of Health. The patient is reported to be in stable condition.
The New York Times has reported a case of 2019-nCoV in Japan in a traveler returning from Wuhan. That patient is reported to have recovered and been discharged.
Chinese health authorities transmitted the full genome of “2019 novel coronavirus,” or “2019-nCoV,” to GenBank, the genetic sequence database managed by the National Institutes of Health, and in the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data portal.
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses. Most known human coronaviruses only cause mild respiratory disease, such as the common cold. But several coronaviruses have emerged to infect people and cause severe disease, such as has been seen with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The cases in the Wuhan pneumonia outbreak have tested negative for both SARS and MERS.
The outbreak in Wuhan appears to be contained. The World Health Organization reported that the Wuhan health authorities identified and followed 763 close contacts, including health care workers. No additional cases of infection with the novel coronavirus have been identified. The cluster of cases is linked to the Wuhan South China Seafood City market where – in addition to seafood – chickens, bats, marmots, and other animals were sold. That market has been closed since Jan. 1, 2020, for cleaning and disinfection.
The WHO is monitoring the situation closely and is in close contact with Chinese health authorities.
The CDC has issued a Level 1 travel alert and recommended that travelers to Wuhan, a city of over 19 million people, avoid animal and meat markets, avoid contact with sick people, and wash hands often with soap and water. Travelers who have been in Wuhan recently and who experience respiratory symptoms should notify the local health department immediately.
In addition, the CDC recommends that, for symptomatic patients with a history of travel to Wuhan, caution should be exercised in the health care setting. “Ask such patients to don a surgical mask as soon as they are identified. Conduct their evaluation in a private room with the door closed. Personnel entering the room to evaluate the patient should use contact precautions and wear an N95 disposable facepiece respirator. For patients admitted for inpatient care, implement contact and airborne isolation precautions, in addition to standard precautions, until further information becomes available. For additional infection control guidance see: www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/guidelines/isolation/index.html.”
Health authorities in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, identified the novel coronavirus, 2019-nCoV, responsible for the outbreak of a mysterious pneumonia that resulted in hospitalization of more than 40 patients and one death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a statement on the CDC website.
On Jan. 13, the Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health reported the first imported case of lab-confirmed 2019-nCoV from Wuhan. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated: “The traveler with febrile illness was detected on the same day by thermal surveillance at Suvarnabhumi Airport, Thailand, and was hospitalized the same day. After temperature check and initial assessment, she was transferred to the hospital for further investigations and treatment.”
Samples from this patient tested positive for coronaviruses by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. The genomic sequencing analysis was performed by Emerging Infectious Diseases Health Science Center, the Thai Red Cross Society, and the Thai National Institute of Health. The patient is reported to be in stable condition.
The New York Times has reported a case of 2019-nCoV in Japan in a traveler returning from Wuhan. That patient is reported to have recovered and been discharged.
Chinese health authorities transmitted the full genome of “2019 novel coronavirus,” or “2019-nCoV,” to GenBank, the genetic sequence database managed by the National Institutes of Health, and in the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data portal.
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses. Most known human coronaviruses only cause mild respiratory disease, such as the common cold. But several coronaviruses have emerged to infect people and cause severe disease, such as has been seen with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The cases in the Wuhan pneumonia outbreak have tested negative for both SARS and MERS.
The outbreak in Wuhan appears to be contained. The World Health Organization reported that the Wuhan health authorities identified and followed 763 close contacts, including health care workers. No additional cases of infection with the novel coronavirus have been identified. The cluster of cases is linked to the Wuhan South China Seafood City market where – in addition to seafood – chickens, bats, marmots, and other animals were sold. That market has been closed since Jan. 1, 2020, for cleaning and disinfection.
The WHO is monitoring the situation closely and is in close contact with Chinese health authorities.
The CDC has issued a Level 1 travel alert and recommended that travelers to Wuhan, a city of over 19 million people, avoid animal and meat markets, avoid contact with sick people, and wash hands often with soap and water. Travelers who have been in Wuhan recently and who experience respiratory symptoms should notify the local health department immediately.
In addition, the CDC recommends that, for symptomatic patients with a history of travel to Wuhan, caution should be exercised in the health care setting. “Ask such patients to don a surgical mask as soon as they are identified. Conduct their evaluation in a private room with the door closed. Personnel entering the room to evaluate the patient should use contact precautions and wear an N95 disposable facepiece respirator. For patients admitted for inpatient care, implement contact and airborne isolation precautions, in addition to standard precautions, until further information becomes available. For additional infection control guidance see: www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/guidelines/isolation/index.html.”
Health authorities in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, identified the novel coronavirus, 2019-nCoV, responsible for the outbreak of a mysterious pneumonia that resulted in hospitalization of more than 40 patients and one death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a statement on the CDC website.
On Jan. 13, the Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health reported the first imported case of lab-confirmed 2019-nCoV from Wuhan. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated: “The traveler with febrile illness was detected on the same day by thermal surveillance at Suvarnabhumi Airport, Thailand, and was hospitalized the same day. After temperature check and initial assessment, she was transferred to the hospital for further investigations and treatment.”
Samples from this patient tested positive for coronaviruses by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. The genomic sequencing analysis was performed by Emerging Infectious Diseases Health Science Center, the Thai Red Cross Society, and the Thai National Institute of Health. The patient is reported to be in stable condition.
The New York Times has reported a case of 2019-nCoV in Japan in a traveler returning from Wuhan. That patient is reported to have recovered and been discharged.
Chinese health authorities transmitted the full genome of “2019 novel coronavirus,” or “2019-nCoV,” to GenBank, the genetic sequence database managed by the National Institutes of Health, and in the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data portal.
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses. Most known human coronaviruses only cause mild respiratory disease, such as the common cold. But several coronaviruses have emerged to infect people and cause severe disease, such as has been seen with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The cases in the Wuhan pneumonia outbreak have tested negative for both SARS and MERS.
The outbreak in Wuhan appears to be contained. The World Health Organization reported that the Wuhan health authorities identified and followed 763 close contacts, including health care workers. No additional cases of infection with the novel coronavirus have been identified. The cluster of cases is linked to the Wuhan South China Seafood City market where – in addition to seafood – chickens, bats, marmots, and other animals were sold. That market has been closed since Jan. 1, 2020, for cleaning and disinfection.
The WHO is monitoring the situation closely and is in close contact with Chinese health authorities.
The CDC has issued a Level 1 travel alert and recommended that travelers to Wuhan, a city of over 19 million people, avoid animal and meat markets, avoid contact with sick people, and wash hands often with soap and water. Travelers who have been in Wuhan recently and who experience respiratory symptoms should notify the local health department immediately.
In addition, the CDC recommends that, for symptomatic patients with a history of travel to Wuhan, caution should be exercised in the health care setting. “Ask such patients to don a surgical mask as soon as they are identified. Conduct their evaluation in a private room with the door closed. Personnel entering the room to evaluate the patient should use contact precautions and wear an N95 disposable facepiece respirator. For patients admitted for inpatient care, implement contact and airborne isolation precautions, in addition to standard precautions, until further information becomes available. For additional infection control guidance see: www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/guidelines/isolation/index.html.”
Drop in flu activity may not signal seasonal peak
A key indicator of flu activity dropped but remains high, but measures of severity have not yet shown any unusual increases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Patients with influenza-like illness (ILI) made up an estimated 5.8% of the visits to outpatient providers during the week ending Jan. 4, and that’s a decline from 7.0% for the last full week of 2019, the CDC’s influenza division reported.
That 7.0% outpatient ILI visit rate was the highest seen in December since 2003, but “hospitalization rates and percent of deaths due to pneumonia and influenza remain low,” the influenza division said in its weekly report.
Influenza B/Victoria and influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses have been the predominant strains so far this season, and they “are more likely to affect children and younger adults than the elderly. Because the majority of hospitalizations and deaths occur among people age 65 and older, with fewer illnesses among that group, we expect, on a population level, to see less impact in flu-related hospitalizations and deaths,” the CDC said.
Last year, there was a similar drop in the outpatient ILI rate in early January after visits rose through December. The rate then increased for another 5 weeks before peaking at 5.0% in February. A similar pattern also occurred during the 2016-2017 and 2015-2016 seasons, CDC data show.
The nationwide ILI hospitalization rate, which is cumulative through the season, was up to 14.6 per 100,000 population for the week ending Jan. 4, the CDC said. Here are the corresponding rates for each of the last five seasons:
- 11.6 (2018-2019).
- 30.5 (2017-2018).
- 12.2 (2016-2017).
- 1.8 (2015-2016).
- 38.3 (2014-2015).
There were five new ILI-related pediatric deaths reported for the week ending Jan. 4, two of which occurred the week before. The total is now up to 32 for the 2019-2020 season, the CDC said in the weekly report. Last season, there were 21 pediatric deaths through the first January report, compared with 42 during the 2017-2018 season and 13 in 2016-2017.
A key indicator of flu activity dropped but remains high, but measures of severity have not yet shown any unusual increases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Patients with influenza-like illness (ILI) made up an estimated 5.8% of the visits to outpatient providers during the week ending Jan. 4, and that’s a decline from 7.0% for the last full week of 2019, the CDC’s influenza division reported.
That 7.0% outpatient ILI visit rate was the highest seen in December since 2003, but “hospitalization rates and percent of deaths due to pneumonia and influenza remain low,” the influenza division said in its weekly report.
Influenza B/Victoria and influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses have been the predominant strains so far this season, and they “are more likely to affect children and younger adults than the elderly. Because the majority of hospitalizations and deaths occur among people age 65 and older, with fewer illnesses among that group, we expect, on a population level, to see less impact in flu-related hospitalizations and deaths,” the CDC said.
Last year, there was a similar drop in the outpatient ILI rate in early January after visits rose through December. The rate then increased for another 5 weeks before peaking at 5.0% in February. A similar pattern also occurred during the 2016-2017 and 2015-2016 seasons, CDC data show.
The nationwide ILI hospitalization rate, which is cumulative through the season, was up to 14.6 per 100,000 population for the week ending Jan. 4, the CDC said. Here are the corresponding rates for each of the last five seasons:
- 11.6 (2018-2019).
- 30.5 (2017-2018).
- 12.2 (2016-2017).
- 1.8 (2015-2016).
- 38.3 (2014-2015).
There were five new ILI-related pediatric deaths reported for the week ending Jan. 4, two of which occurred the week before. The total is now up to 32 for the 2019-2020 season, the CDC said in the weekly report. Last season, there were 21 pediatric deaths through the first January report, compared with 42 during the 2017-2018 season and 13 in 2016-2017.
A key indicator of flu activity dropped but remains high, but measures of severity have not yet shown any unusual increases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Patients with influenza-like illness (ILI) made up an estimated 5.8% of the visits to outpatient providers during the week ending Jan. 4, and that’s a decline from 7.0% for the last full week of 2019, the CDC’s influenza division reported.
That 7.0% outpatient ILI visit rate was the highest seen in December since 2003, but “hospitalization rates and percent of deaths due to pneumonia and influenza remain low,” the influenza division said in its weekly report.
Influenza B/Victoria and influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses have been the predominant strains so far this season, and they “are more likely to affect children and younger adults than the elderly. Because the majority of hospitalizations and deaths occur among people age 65 and older, with fewer illnesses among that group, we expect, on a population level, to see less impact in flu-related hospitalizations and deaths,” the CDC said.
Last year, there was a similar drop in the outpatient ILI rate in early January after visits rose through December. The rate then increased for another 5 weeks before peaking at 5.0% in February. A similar pattern also occurred during the 2016-2017 and 2015-2016 seasons, CDC data show.
The nationwide ILI hospitalization rate, which is cumulative through the season, was up to 14.6 per 100,000 population for the week ending Jan. 4, the CDC said. Here are the corresponding rates for each of the last five seasons:
- 11.6 (2018-2019).
- 30.5 (2017-2018).
- 12.2 (2016-2017).
- 1.8 (2015-2016).
- 38.3 (2014-2015).
There were five new ILI-related pediatric deaths reported for the week ending Jan. 4, two of which occurred the week before. The total is now up to 32 for the 2019-2020 season, the CDC said in the weekly report. Last season, there were 21 pediatric deaths through the first January report, compared with 42 during the 2017-2018 season and 13 in 2016-2017.