MMWR News Synopsis

Changes in Opioid-Involved Overdose Deaths Co-Occurring With Other Illicit Opioids, Benzodiazepines, Cocaine, and Methamphetamines — 25 States, July–December 2017 to January–June 2018

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Overdose deaths involving any opioids slightly declined across 25 states from July-December 2017 to January-June 2018, but deaths involving illicitly manufactured fentanyl (IMF) continued to rise, especially when IMF deaths co-involved other illicit opioids or co-occurred with benzodiazepines, cocaine, and methamphetamines. Opioid overdose deaths in 25 states decreased slightly from July-December 2017 to January-June 2018. This decrease was driven by declines in overdose deaths involving prescription opioids and certain illicit opioids: fentanyl analogs and U-series drugs. During the same period there were continued increases in illicitly manufactured fentanyl (IMF) deaths co-involving other illicit opioids or co-occurring with benzodiazepines, cocaine, and methamphetamines. These increases almost erased declines in other types of opioid overdose deaths.

Racial Disparities in Breastfeeding Initiation and Duration Among U.S. Infants Born in 2015

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Researchers found that differences between black and white infants in rates of breastfeeding at ages 3 and 6 months are caused, in part, by lower rates of breastfeeding initiation among black infants. CDC analyzed National Immunization Survey-Child data for children born in 2015 to describe breastfeeding duration and exclusivity at ages 3 and 6 months among all black and non-Hispanic white infants, and among only those who had ever received breast milk. In 2015, 69.4% of black infants had ever received breast milk compared with 85.9% of white infants, a difference of 16.5 percentage points. When the rate of breastfeeding was calculated only among infants who had ever received breast milk, the size of black/white differences in breastfeeding duration were reduced (range=1.2 to 9.9 percentage points).

• Mumps in Detention Facilities that House Detained Migrants — United States, September 2018–July 2019

The first known outbreaks of mumps in detention facilities have resulted in the spread of mumps to over 50 detention facilities in 19 states since September 2018. From September 1, 2018 to August 22, 2019, a total of 898 mumps cases in adult migrants in 57 detention facilities were reported in 19 states, with another 33 cases among detention facility staff. While more than 150 outbreaks have been reported in the U.S. since 2015 – most often in close-contact settings such as universities – this is the first time mumps outbreaks have been reported in detention facilities. CDC was first notified about the outbreaks by the Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) in December last year. Since that time, CDC has been working with state and local health departments, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Health Service Corps (IHSC), and other federal agencies to assist detention facility health administrators to develop and implement mumps outbreak control measures. 

• Multistate Outbreak of Salmonella Agbeni Associated with Consumption of Raw Cake Mix — Five States, 2018

Oregon Health Authority (OHA) officials discovered a multistate outbreak associated with cake mix using new technological tools. OHA officials detected the presence of Salmonella Agbeni in a cake-mix box while investigating an unrelated outbreak. Seven people across five states were confirmed infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella using whole genome sequencing. This is the first time OHA used this emerging technology, which has proven a useful tool in identifying outbreaks associated with products with longer shelf lives and low rates of consumption, such as raw cake mixes. Detection of these outbreaks is difficult and relies mainly on evidence from investigating larger number of cases.

• Percentage of Currently Employed Adults Who Had Paid Sick Leave, by Industry — National Health Interview Survey, 2009 and 2018

• International Overdose Awareness Day — August 31, 2019

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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.