MMWR News Synopsis
Thursday, August 9, 2018
Opioid Use Disorder Documented at Delivery Hospitalization — United States, 1999–2014
CDC Media Relations
404-639-3286
Opioid use disorder during pregnancy is a growing national problem. There is continued need for national, state, and provider efforts to prevent, monitor, and treat opioid use disorder among reproductive-age and pregnant women. The number of pregnant women with opioid use disorder (OUD) at labor and delivery more than quadrupled from 1999 to 2014 and increased in every state with available data. A CDC analysis found that the national OUD prevalence rate increased from 1.5 per 1,000 delivery hospitalizations in 1999 to 6.5 in 2014. This first-ever analysis of trends by state found significant increases in all 28 states with at least three years of data available. Opioid use during pregnancy has been associated with a range of negative health outcomes including maternal death, preterm birth, stillbirth, and neonatal abstinence syndrome. Authors highlight several strategies to address opioid use among reproductive-age and pregnant women, including ensuring appropriate prescribing, implementing the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ guidance on universal verbal screening in prenatal care, and ensuring mothers with OUD receive medication-assisted therapy while pregnant and adequate post-birth care.
Naloxone Administration Frequency During Emergency Medical Service Events — United States, 2012–2016
Shane Cartmill
Communications and Marketing Manager
National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians
Office: 614-888-4484 ext. 187
Cell: 614-516-2755
EMS data can help public health, healthcare organizations, emergency responders, and community organizations target and evaluate prevention and intervention strategies to address the opioid overdose epidemic. A new study reveals that the rate of emergency medical services (EMS) naloxone administration events—a proxy for people treated for opioid overdose symptoms—increased by 75.1 percent from 2012 to 2016, mirroring the 79.7 percent increase in opioid overdose mortality in the U.S. during this time. There was a trend of increasing naloxone administrations and deaths in people ages 25-34 years. The report shows the importance of EMS data in estimating public health burden of opioid overdose and informing prevention and intervention strategies.
Extrapulmonary Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Disease Surveillance — Oregon, 2014–2016
CDC Media Relations
404-639-3286
Although extrapulmonary NTM infections are rare, they can be very severe. Once the Oregon Health Authority began requiring that healthcare providers report cases of these infections, public health officials were able to use this information to help detect and control outbreaks with minimal cost. Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are bacteria that are commonly found in soil and water. These bacteria don’t usually make healthy people sick, but in rare cases, NTM can lead to serious infections. Although most illnesses caused by NTM are lung infections, these bacteria can also infect other parts of the body such as skin, bones, or joints. These kinds of NTM infections, called extrapulmonary infections, can be severe, in some cases leading to hospitalization, sepsis, and even death. In 2014, the Oregon Health Authority made extrapulmonary NTM infection a reportable condition. During 2014-2016, 134 extrapulmonary cases of NTM (11 cases per 1 million people each year) were reported in Oregon. Systematic reporting of these infections has led to detection and control of outbreaks at relatively low cost.
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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.
