Updates on New Infectious Disease Threats: What You Need to Know
Information about COVID-19 as well as other infectious diseases is constantly evolving. I am hoping to summarize some of that in these newsletters. New information will be in BOLD.
COVID-19
General Information
Looking over the final draft of this newsletter, I notice that there is not a lot of new information. Sorry about that! Perhaps there is not a lot of new information out there, or maybe I was too busy with the holidays to find more information (NOT!), or maybe I just took pity on you, as I know you all are busy as well. Or, maybe, I'm hoping to leave you just wanting more! Rest assured, the January newsletter will not disappoint!
On 10/23/24, the CDC added a new recommendation for vaccination for people aged 65 or have impaired immune system: such people are now urged to get a second booster of the newly formulated flu shot 6 months after the first dose.
So far, our "flu and respiratory illness season" has been quite mild. COVID-19 levels are lower since we've seen since the start of the pandemic!! Also, wastewater analysis has found low levels of influenza and RSV virus also. However, experts are worried that we will end up with much more infections later this season, because the number of people who are vaccinated against flu, RSV, and COVID for the season is really low. In fact, emergency department visits for flu and RSV are already on the rise.
The latest COVID-19 variant on the rise is called "XEC," (sounds like a name given by millennials to their kids :)). It is descended from the omicron variant and should be covered quite well by the most recent COVID-19 vaccine.
LONG COVID:
We have learned that the best window of recovery from Long Covid is the first six months after infection. Chances of full recovery recede as the duration of Long COVID grows. Also, the more severe the initial COVID infection was, the lower the likelihood of recovery seems to be (Lancet).
Treatment
Testing
I recommend you always have some at-home COVID tests in your household. And check yourself if you are feeling ill, especially now, when COVID rates are sky-rocketing. I do ask that anyone with cold-like symptoms check themselves for COVID prior to coming to my office.
Other Infectious Diseases:
TUBERCULOSIS:
I know that many of us think of tuberculosis as a disease of the Victorian era, but it has been present all along. And now, for 2023, there were more cases of tuberculosis-related death than COVID-related death world-wide! Indeed, TB was the top cause death due to infectious diseases in 2023. Last year, 8.2 million people were newly diagnosed with the infection, which is the highest number since the WHO started keeping track of this in 1995!
RSV:
I have written in the past about RSV ("Respiratory Syncytial Virus") that causes flu-like symptoms and pneumonia in the very young as well as the elderly. There is a vaccine out for this and this is recommended for people over 75, or those with underlying lung disease. But not everyone has taken advantage of the vaccine. A recent article (JAMA Network Open) found that about 5% of adults who get infected with the virus end up in the hospital...this is not a trivial amount!
MEASLES:
In the last year, measles cases have risen 20% worldwide. This is attributed to decreasing vaccination rates, especially in countries ravaged by war. In 2023, about 107,500 people died of measles; children under 5 years of age were most affected. In the U.S. , there were 277 cases of measles in 2024, which is four times the number of cases of 2023 (MMWR).
MPOX:
You might remember my newsletters from 2022, when there was an outbreak of MPOX (formerly known as "monkey pox") in areas outside of Africa, including in the United States. This disease is caused by a virus and can cause fever, chills, and a rash consisting of blisters that are often on the hands, feet, face, and genital area. The disease seems to be transmitted by close (often sexual) contact. In 2022, most of the cases showed up in gay men. Luckily, the number of cases dropped significantly in the months and years after.
Recently, a patient who had traveled to Africa was seen at various emergency departments and urgent care centers in our community and eventually admitted to Mills-Peninsula Hospital. This is the first case with this Mpox version (Clade1) in the United States. Mills-Peninsula is working with the appropriate health agencies. This version of Mpox is spread through close skin contact and the rash is not usually confined to the genital areas.
AVIAN FLU:
AKA "Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza" or HPAI (or "A H5N1").
Bird flu has become the most recent concerning virus that could lead to an epidemic. The disease can lead to a pneumonia, neurological problems, and conjunctivitis. It has largely been found in animals such as cows, wild birds, and marine mammals, but has spread to many mammals at this point.
Federal officials, anticipating a possible outbreak of bird flu, have doubled their stockpile of emergency bird flu vaccines. GSK, Sanofi, and CSL Ltd have contracted with the U.S. government to produce those vaccines.
The risk of bird flu in the general public remains low.
As of November 6, 21 cases of the bird flu have been detected in dairy workers in California. Luckily, all have had mild disease; 290 dairy herds have now been infected in California.
In mid November, California's public health department reported a case of bird flu in a child with mild cold-like symptoms. It is unclear how the child contracted the virus at this time, but public health experts are investigating exposure to wild birds.
FLU:
Health officials are expecting a "normal" flu season this year.
OTHER MEDICAL NEWS:
A recent report found that 16% (!!!) of American adults have diabetes at this time. This is up from 9.7% in 1999. (NCHS Data Brief).
For those of you who know me, you will recall that I am a staunch advocate of physical exercise for the promotion of health. A recent article (JAMA Network Open) found (again) two things of interest:
1) Physical exercise decreases mortality.
2) This mortality benefit gets more pronounced the older you get. In other words, it's never too late to start exercising and it's even more important as we age!
About Dr. Sujansky's Life in These Times
Happy belated Thanksgiving to all of you! We spent the holiday with my parents and my siblings (and their families) on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. The weather was crisp but beautiful, the turkey delicious, and the atmosphere relaxing. Best of all, my two sons were there as well, the younger one coming from Boston and the older one flying in all the way from Norway! It was perfect.
I hope all of you were able to recharge your batteries before the winter holidays. I know it is supposed to be a wonderful time of year (and it is!), but sometimes we forget the forest for all of the trees!
So if you are looking for something fun to do this holiday, check out the giant two-story gingerbread house at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. It is amazing! You can even reserve a room in it to have tea, which is incredible. I am attaching a picture of our visit there last week.
Otherwise, I wish all of you a wonderful Holiday Season, much love, good food, and some R+R. Next newsletter in January!
