Lawmakers may miss a crucial window to pass legislation to address the proliferation of drug-resistant infections, also known as superbugs, Politico reported Oct. 2.

While 69 percent of Americans agree flu vaccination is the best preventive measure against flu-related deaths, only 49 percent are planning on getting a shot this season, a new survey from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases found.

As BA.5 slowly descends, a collection of omicron relatives now make up 18.7 percent of U.S. COVID-19 cases, according to the CDC's latest variant proportion estimates. 

The accuracy of wastewater surveillance, which can track a sample to somewhere as specific as a home, raises ethical questions regarding privacy and consent, Fortune reported Oct. 2.

Public health officials across New York are attempting to cope with the threat of three simultaneous disease outbreaks — COVID-19, monkeypox and polio — which emphasizes how the nation's public health infrastructure is not equipped to handle multiple outbreaks, Politico reported Oct. 2. 

Oregon will expand Medicaid coverage to address hunger, homelessness, and climate change.

Updated omicron boosters have been available since late August, though just 17 percent of Americans say they have heard "a lot" about the updated shots, according to Kaiser Family Foundation's latest COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor survey. 

While COVID-19 cases have been falling for more than 10 consecutive weeks, modeling from Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic suggests this trend will reverse over the next few weeks.

Federal health officials held a meeting with leaders from 10 health systems and groups on Sept. 29 to discuss mitigation strategies ahead of a likely COVID-19 surge and severe flu season this fall. 

University of California Los Angeles researchers found pregnant women who receive the COVID-19 vaccine after recovering from the virus are more likely than other mothers to pass antibodies to their newborns, HealthDay reported Sept. 29.

The CDC revised its "up to date" COVID-19 vaccination term Sept. 30 to include the primary series and the recently authorized omicron-targeting booster. 

According to newly released data from the CDC, suicide deaths in the U.S. increased by 4 percent from 2020 to 2021.

The rate of new COVID-19 cases, deaths and hospitalizations all fell last week, with the nation's daily average hospital admissions reaching the lowest figure seen in more than four months, according to the CDC's COVID-19 data tracker weekly review published Sept. 30.

The Minnesota Department of Health is investigating 13 cases of measles that occurred from June through September.

Texas, Georgia and Washington, D.C., reported high flu activity for the week ending Sept. 24, according to the CDC's FluView report. 

In a health alert published Sept. 29, the CDC said "severe manifestations" of monkeypox have been reported in the nation's current outbreak, and urged providers to look out for risk factors for severe disease. 

East Lansing-based Michigan State University, Detroit-based Henry Ford Health, and Providence, R.I.-based Brown University established the National Center for Health and Justice Integration for Suicide Prevention Sept. 29, the universities shared in an email with Becker's.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mary Bassett, MD, health commissioner at the state's health department, announced Sept. 28 additional steps to help local and state health departments combat the polio outbreak.

More than 1,000 hospitals and health associations have joined a campaign led by New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell Health that encourages parents to ask about gun safety. 

While COVID-19 metrics are still down nationwide, there are early signs that the U.S. may be headed for a fall surge.