Three things to know:
1. The CDC reported 14 new measles cases in the last week, bringing the national total to 1,109 infections for 2019. This weekly total marks a large decrease from the 78 measles cases reported in a single week in late March.
2. Health experts say the summer slowdown could be due to several factors, including the fact that kids are out of school and the virus’ seasonality — it usually peaks in the spring and drops off in the summer months.
3. However, measles cases could rise again in the fall when kids go back to school, according to Peter Hotez, PhD, MD, a dean at the Baylor College of Medicine and co-director of the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, both in Houston.
“I am concerned that we’re going to see the uptick again as we move into the fall months — and then the other question: What happens in 2020?” he told CNN. “Will we see a big jump in the spring of 2020? In other words, is this peak in the spring of 2019 just the beginning of frequent peaks?”
More articles on clinical leadership and infection control:
IHI CEO: Maternal mortality should be bigger priority for hospital leaders
San Francisco hospital CEO resigns amid patient abuse scandal
Duke Health uses AI to reduce sepsis in hospitals
