MMWR News Synopsis

Trends in Diagnosis of HIV Infection, Linkage to Medical Care, and Viral Suppression Among Men Who Have Sex with Men, by Race/Ethnicity and Age — 33 Jurisdictions, United States, 2014–2018

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HIV continues to disproportionately affect gay and bisexual men. During 2014–2018, diagnoses of HIV infection among men who have sex with men (MSM) in 33 jurisdictions decreased 2.3% per year overall, but Black, Hispanic/Latino, and younger (aged 13–19 years) MSM experi­enced a small or no decrease. Gay and bisexual men account for two-thirds of all annual diagnoses of HIV infection in the United States. This analysis looked at diagnosis, linkage to care, and viral suppression among gay and bisexual men in 33 jurisdictions. Overall, during 2014–2018, annual diagnoses of HIV infection among gay and bisexual men decreased (2.3% per year). Additionally, annual percentages for linkage to care and viral suppression among all gay and bisexual men increased (2.9% and 6.8%, respectively). However, Black, Latino/Hispanic and those aged 13-19 experienced limited progress in these three areas. These findings confirm gaps in diagnosing, treating, and preventing HIV infection and underscore the need for intensified prevention efforts for these groups to help prevent HIV infection and eliminate racial/ethnic disparities.

Public Awareness of Invasive Fungal Diseases — United States, 2019

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Nationwide, public awareness of invasive fungal diseases is low but is essential for early diagnosis and treatment to prevent severe or fatal outcomes. Fungal diseases range from minor infections to deadly disease. Despite their substantial burden and healthcare costs, these diseases are likely underdiagnosed – potentially due in part to lack of recognition among healthcare providers and the public. To guide public health educational efforts, a nationally representative online survey of more than 3,000 adults measured awareness of six invasive fungal diseases. Awareness among the 3,624 participants was low and varied by disease, from 4.1% for blastomycosis to 24.6% for candidiasis. More than two-thirds (68.9%) of respondents had never heard of any of the diseases. These are the first estimates of nationwide public awareness of fungal diseases and will serve as a baseline to compare with similar surveys in the future. The findings underscore the need for continued strategies to increase public awareness about fungal diseases.

Characteristics and Maternal and Birth Outcomes of Hospitalized Pregnant Women with Laboratory-Confirmed COVID-19 — COVID-NET, 13 States, March 1–August 22, 2020 (Early release September 16, 2020)

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SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among Hospitalized Pregnant Women: Reasons for Admission and Pregnancy Characteristics — Eight U.S. Health Care Centers, March 1–May 30, 2020 (Early release September 16, 2020)

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COVID-19 Contact Tracing in Two Counties — North Carolina, June–July 2020 (Early release September 22, 2020)

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Update: Characteristics of Health Care Personnel with COVID-19 — United States, February 12–July 16, 2020

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Healthcare personnel (HCP) are essential members of the nation’s workforce and continued surveillance is vital to understand the impact of COVID-19 on essential workers. Ensuring access to personal protective equipment and training, and practices such as universal use of face masks at work, wearing masks in the community, and observing social distancing remain critical strategies to protect healthcare personnel and those they serve. Protecting healthcare personnel at work, at home, and in the community continues to be a national priority. This article updates CDC’s preliminary description of U.S. data on COVID-19 cases in HCP dated February 12-April 9, 2020. Since that time, the number of reported HCP with COVID-19 has increased tenfold and 641 deaths among HCP have been reported. A greater percentage of fatal HCP cases were reported in people who were male, aged ≥65 years, non-Hispanic Asian or non-Hispanic Black; a vast majority (92%) had an underlying medical condition. Nursing and residential care facilities were the most commonly reported job setting and nurses the most common single occupation of HCP with COVID-19 in a subset of six jurisdictions for which job setting and occupational data were available. This report does not include information on where healthcare personnel were exposed to or infected with the virus that causes COVID-19.

Disparities in COVID-19 Incidence, Hospitalizations, and Testing, by Area-Level Deprivation — Utah, March 3–July 9, 2020

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Local jurisdictions should target transmission reduction strategies to areas with high levels of deprivation. Useful interventions might include but are not limited to: increasing availability and accessibility of COVID-19 testing, contact tracing, isolation options, and preventive medical care and disease management in more deprived areas and distributing prevention guidance to facilities (e.g., clinics, community centers, and businesses) in these areas. During March 3–July 9, 2020, higher rates of COVID-19 infection were observed among residents in Utah’s most deprived areas — that is, areas with lower average incomes, higher rates of unemployment and other challenges. Compared with those in very low deprivation areas, odds of infection were three times as high in very high deprivation areas.

Rabies in a Dog Imported from Egypt — Kansas, 2019

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A rabid dog was imported from Egypt into Kansas in 2019 with documentation of receiving a rabies vaccine, representing the third imported case of canine rabies from Egypt into the U.S. in four years. This event highlights the continued risk of the canine rabies virus variant, which has been eliminated from the U.S., being reintroduced. It raises concern that dogs imported from countries with the presence and geographic distribution of the canine rabies virus variant and low quality in rabies surveillance and dog vaccination programs may lack accurate documentation of veterinary health information. The canine rabies virus variant has been eliminated from the United States. A rabid dog and 25 other dogs were imported into Kansas from Egypt in 2019; rabies vaccination certificates and certificates of veterinary inspection accompanied all dogs. U.S. antibody testing confirmed that most of the dogs had never received a rabies vaccine. It is unknown if the inadequacy of the rabid dog’s vaccination was due to a potency issue with the vaccine it received, vaccination failure, or fraudulent documentation. To prevent the importation of rabid dogs into the United States, CDC suspended dog importations from Egypt on May 10, 2019. Veterinary health documentation of dogs imported from high-risk countries should be critically evaluated before entry into the United States is permitted.

• Travel-Associated Measles in a Person Born Before 1957 — Pinellas County, Florida, 2019

Epidemiologists from the Florida Department of Health investigated the case of an individual born before 1957 who contracted measles while on vacation in Asia. While most people born before 1957 are assumed to have contracted measles during childhood and have immunity, this case suggests that the this is not always the situation, and that some older adults may still be susceptible. While many vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles are uncommon in the U.S., they are still common in other parts of the world. On April 19, 2019, the Florida Department of Health in Pinellas County Epidemiology Program was notified by a local hospital of a case of measles in a 72-year-old man who had recently returned from a month-long, multi-country trip to Asia. People born before 1957 are assumed to be immune to measles because of the likelihood that they were infected with measles during childhood. However, the occurrence of measles in people born before 1957 suggests that these cases can occur. Healthcare providers should consider measles in anyone who has returned from international travel and presents with rash illness, regardless of age.

• Management of Patient Health Information Functions Among Office-Based Physicians With and Without a Certified Electronic Health Record (EHR) System — National Electronic Health Records Survey, United States, 2018

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• Meningococcal Vaccination: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, United States, 2020

This report replaces all previously published reports and policy notes, and is a summary of all recommendations from CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for use of meningococcal vaccines in the United States. Vaccines can help prevent meningococcal disease, which is any type of illness caused by Neisseria meningitidis bacteria. There are 2 types of meningococcal vaccines available in the United States: meningococcal conjugate or MenACWY vaccines and serogroup B meningococcal or MenB vaccines.  ACIP recommends:

• Routine vaccination with a MenACWY vaccine for adolescents aged 11 or 12 years, with a booster dose at age 16 years.
• Routine vaccination with MenACWY for people aged 2 months or older at increased risk for meningococcal disease caused by serogroups A, C, W, or Y.
• MenACWY booster doses for people previously vaccinated who become or remain at increased risk.
• Routine use of MenB vaccine series among people aged 10 years or older who are at increased risk for serogroup B meningococcal disease.
• MenB booster doses for people previously vaccinated who become or remain at increased risk.
• A MenB series for adolescents and young adults aged 16–23 years on the basis of shared clinical decision-making to provide short-term protection against disease caused by most strains of serogroup B meningitidis.

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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.