Public Health

An unvaccinated school-age child in Texas became the first known U.S. measles fatality since 2015, The Washington Post reported Feb. 26. 

Five older adults have been hospitalized after receiving the chikungunya vaccine, Ixchiq, prompting the CDC to launch an investigation. 

Nearly 100 cases of measles have been confirmed in Texas and New Mexico in recent weeks, though health officials say the true number of infections is likely much higher. 

The CDC reported high levels of respiratory virus activity across the U.S., with flu-related emergency department visits remaining very high, according to the latest CDC data. COVID-19 visits were low and RSV-related visits were moderate. 

Drug overdose deaths in the U.S. declined from 2022 to 2023, the first decrease since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data from the CDC. 

Texas is experiencing its worst measles outbreak in more than three decades, with 58 cases confirmed over the last three weeks.

A woman in Platte County, Wyo., has been hospitalized with the state's first reported case of H5N1 avian flu, the fourth severe case in the U.S., CIDRAP reported Feb. 17. 

After a moderate influenza season last year, flu has returned with a vengeance this winter.

Investments in primary care are declining and fewer clinicians are entering the field at a time when chronic disease rates are rising, according to a new report from researchers at the American Academy of Family Physicians. 

As hospitals navigate a severe virus season, measles is emerging as another infectious disease threat.