MMWR News Synopsis

Noncongenital Zika Virus Disease Cases — 50 States and the District of Columbia, 2016

CDC Media Relations
404-639-3286

Based on the data in this report, CDC continues to recommend that people living in or traveling to areas with risk of Zika infection take steps to prevent mosquito bites and sexual transmission of Zika. More information is available at https://www.cdc.gov/zika/about/overview.html. Most reported cases of Zika in 2016 in the continental United States were in travelers. CDC data show that in 2016, 5,168 symptomatic cases of Zika virus disease (Zika) were reported from the 50 U.S. states and Washington, DC. Of those cases, 4,897 (more than 9 out of 10) occurred in people after travel from areas with risk of Zika outside the continental United States; 224 people were reported to have been infected with Zika from local mosquitoes in small areas of Florida and Texas. Quickly identifying and investigating cases of Zika, especially in areas where mosquitoes are spreading the virus, may help direct mosquito control efforts and may reduce the further spread of Zika.

Dental Personnel Treated for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis at a Tertiary Care Center — Virginia, 2000–2015

CDC Media Relations
404-639-3286

This is the first identified cluster of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis cases among dental personnel. It highlights the need for more information about exposures that occur during dental practice and whether those exposures are related to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. This report describes the first identified cluster of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, or IPF, among dental personnel. Eight dentists and one dental technician were diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic progressive lung disease, at a Virginia hospital during 2000–2015. CDC researchers found the number of dentists diagnosed with IPF was 23 times higher than expected. The cause for this cluster of IPF cases is not known; however, exposures that occurred during dental practice possibly contributed.

Update: Dura Mater Graft-Associated Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease — Japan, 1975–2017

Ryusuke Ae, M.D. PhD
Department of Public Health
Jichi Medical University
Phone: +81-285-58-7338
E-mail: shirouae@jichi.ac.jp

Prion diseases are rare and transmissible through contact with central nervous system tissue such as dura mater grafts. Because the time between infection and symptoms is years to decades, these grafts can cause prolonged outbreaks that need to be recognized early so that preventive measures can be implemented promptly. Human prion diseases like CJD are fatal, transmissible disorders affecting the brain. In 1987, an investigation of a case of CJD in a young patient led CDC to determine that a commercially produced brain graft, Lyodura, used in the patient’s brain surgery had caused her infection with CJD. Shortly thereafter, the manufacturer reported implementing practices to reduce the risk of CJD transmission through Lyodura. However, the CJD outbreak in Japan among people who likely received tainted product produced before 1987 continues. To date, Japan has reported 154 cases. Like other prion disease cases, the time between exposure and symptoms is often years or decades. In this outbreak, this latency period is now up to 30 years. This outbreak highlights the importance of early recognition of prion disease outbreaks and prompt implementation of preventive measure.

• Brucella abortus Vaccine Strain RB51 Exposures Associated with Raw Milk Consumption — Wise County, Texas, 2017

• Percentage of Adults Aged ≥20 Years Reporting Depressive Symptoms in the Past 2 Weeks, by Sex — United States, 2013–2016

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

CDC works 24/7 protecting America’s health, safety and security. Whether diseases start at home or abroad, are curable or preventable, chronic or acute, or from human activity or deliberate attack, CDC responds to America’s most pressing health threats. CDC is headquartered in Atlanta and has experts located throughout the United States and the world.