MMWR News Synopsis

West Nile Virus and Other Nationally Notifiable Arboviral Diseases — United States, 2017

CDC Media Relations
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Arboviral diseases (viruses spread to people by mosquitoes and ticks) cause severe illness in the United States each year. Public health surveillance is important to identify outbreaks and guide prevention strategies. This article summarizes surveillance data for arboviruses reported to CDC for 2017. West Nile virus is the most common arbovirus in the continental United States. Eastern equine encephalitis virus transmission via organ transplantation was reported for the first time. La Crosse virus was the most common arbovirus among children. More Jamestown Canyon and Powassan virus cases were reported in 2017 than in any previous year. Communities can prevent arboviral diseases by implementing vector control measures and screening blood donations. Individuals can protect themselves by using insect repellent, wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants, using air conditioning when available, putting screens on windows and doors, and repairing screens to keep mosquitoes outside.

Mumps Outbreak in a Marshallese Community — Denver Metropolitan Area, Colorado, 2016–2017

CDC Media Relations
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Mumps is a serious viral infection that can be prevented by routine vaccination. People living or working in tight-knit networks, such as schools and athletic teams, are vulnerable to mumps outbreaks. Protect yourself and your community with the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. An outbreak of mumps occurred in the small Marshallese community in Denver, Colorado in 2017, likely linked to a larger, concurrent mumps outbreak in the Marshallese community in Arkansas. Mumps can be prevented by the MMR vaccine. Most patients in this outbreak did not have documentation of prior MMR vaccination. Rapid public health response to the outbreak included vaccinating 164 people during MMR vaccination clinics for the affected community, which might have limited spread of mumps to other local communities.

HIV Preexposure Prophylaxis, by Race and Ethnicity — United States, 2014–2016

CDC Media Relations
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Preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use is increasing, but it is still not reaching many of the Americans who could most benefit from it. Use ofPrEP, a daily pill to prevent HIV, is increasing, but not fast enough. A new CDC analysis found that between 2014 and 2016 the number of Americans who filled a prescription for PrEP increased by 470 percent, from nearly 14,000 to over 78,000 people. Still, this represents a small fraction of the estimated 1.1 million Americans who could benefit from PrEP. Uptake among racial and ethnic minorities is particularly low. While African Americans and Latinos represent approximately 44 percent and 26 percent of Americans who could benefit from PrEP, this study found they represent just 11 percent and 13 percent, respectively, of Americans prescribed PrEP in 2016. Addressing gaps in PrEP awareness and use is critical to stopping new HIV infections in the U.S

Use of Personal Hearing Protection Devices at Loud Athletic or Entertainment Events — United States, 2018

CDC Media Relations
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Noise levels at loud athletic or entertainment events can cause persistent and permanent health problems, but attendees can take simple steps to reduce or avoid their risk. Only 1 in 12 adults consistently use personal hearing protection devices when attending loud sporting or entertainment events. Sound intensity at these events can easily reach levels that increase the likelihood of adverse health problems. Sustained exposure to loud sounds not only increases the risk of hearing loss, but can also affect the cardiovascular system, blood pressure, metabolism, weight, and mental health. Three simple preventive measures can reduce the risk:

• Use of a personal hearing protection device such as earplugs, earmuffs, or noise cancelling earphones.
• Increasing distance from the sound source.
• Taking quiet breaks to reduce overall sound exposure.

CDC Grand Rounds: New Frontiers in Workplace Health

CDC Media Relations
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CDC’s Workplace Health Resource Center is a source for reliable evidence and best practices to improve worker health and productivity, address research gaps, and potentially reduce healthcare costs. For more than 150 million Americans, the workplace is an important setting for promoting health and well-being. Workplace health promotion programs offer an opportunity to improve the health of the nation’s workforce and lower healthcare costs. CDC’s Workplace Health Resource Center is comprehensive website with reliable information, tools, and resources to help employers find credible, public-domain, fact-based resources from organizations already in the workplace health marketplace. This CDC resource can be used by all employers to tailor workplace health promotion programs to their organizations’ needs.

• Reference Laboratory Investigation of Patients with Clinically Diagnosed Lyme Disease and Babesiosis — Indiana, 2016
• Contact Tracing Investigation after First Case of Andes Virus in the United States — Delaware, February 2018

• Age-Adjusted Percentage of Adults Aged ≥20 Years Who Tried to Lose Weight During the Past 12 Months, by Sex — National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2007–2008 to 2015–2016

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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.