MMWR News Synopsis

Articles

Changes in Suicide Rates — United States, 2018-2019

CDC Media Relations
404-639-3286

In 2019, suicide rates declined for the first time in over a decade. Suicide rates declined significantly overall (-2.1%), among females (-3.2%), and males (-1.8%), in certain states and demographic groups, and by certain mechanisms of suicide. Suicide rates declined in five states and in some of the most urban and some of the most rural areas. While the rate declined, more than 47,500 Americans died by suicide in 2019. In order to prevent suicide and to reach the national goal to reduce suicide rates 20% by 2025, a firm commitment to comprehensive prevention is critical. Comprehensive suicide prevention efforts use data to drive decision-making, implement prevention strategies with the best available evidence, and focus on the multiple risk and protective factors associated with suicide, especially in populations disproportionately affected by suicide.

Estimated Medicaid Costs Associated with Hepatitis A During an Outbreak — West Virginia, 2018–2019

CDC Media Relations
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Hepatitis A can be prevented with a highly effective vaccine. The substantial hepatitis A-related clinical costs among West Virginia Medicaid beneficiaries emphasize the importance of vaccination according to Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommendations, especially among people who use illicit drugs. Although hepatitis A can be prevented with a highly effective vaccine, widespread outbreaks of hepatitis A among people who use illicit drugs have increased in recent years – with West Virginia experiencing an outbreak that began in March 2018. This analysis provides the first estimate of costs incurred during the state’s outbreak. Hepatitis A-related direct clinical costs among the state’s Medicaid beneficiaries (1,925 beneficiaries with a diagnosis of hepatitis A during January 1, 2018–July 31, 2019) ranged from $1.4 million to $5.6 million. Among those with a substance use disorder diagnosis, costs ranged from $1.0 million to $4.4 million. For all hepatitis A outbreaks, vaccination is an effective strategy for halting ongoing transmission and preventing future outbreaks. Further, the economic impact of this outbreak underscores the importance of adhering to the adult vaccination recommendations,  including vaccinating people who use illicit drugs against hepatitis A.

Suspected Recurrent SARS-CoV-2 Infections Among Residents of a Skilled Nursing Facility During a Second COVID-19 Outbreak — Kentucky, July–November 2020

Kelly Alexander
Chief of Staff at the Kentucky Department for Public Health
Office Phone: 502-564-3970 x4071
Email Address: Kelly.alexander@ky.gov

Five residents at a skilled nursing facility (SNF) in Kentucky received positive COVID-19 test results during both of two outbreaks separated by three months. Residents received negative test results between the two outbreaks suggesting they were reinfected. The Kentucky Department for Public Health (KDPH) and a local health department conducted an investigation at a SNF during the facility’s second COVID-19 outbreak in October 2020, three months after a first outbreak in July. Five residents received positive test results during both outbreaks and had at least four consecutive negative test results between outbreaks suggesting, that they had been reinfected. During the first outbreak, three of the five patients were asymptomatic and two had mild symptoms that resolved before the onset of new, more severe symptoms during the second outbreak. All five residents with recurrent positive tests results were symptomatic during the second outbreak, one was hospitalized and died. To help prevent reinfection, SNFs should employ strategies to reduce the risk for spread of COVID-19 among all residents, including those who have been previously diagnosed with COVID-19. Such strategies include frequent handwashing, staying six feet apart, wearing well-fitting masks, testing, isolation and quarantine, and vaccination for all residents and staff. The findings of this study highlight the importance of maintaining public health mitigation and protection strategies that reduce transmission risk, even among people with a history of COVID-19 infection.

First Identified Cases of SARS-CoV-2 Variant B.1.1.7 in Minnesota — December 2020–January 2021 (Early Release February 17, 2021)

CDC Media Relations
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Detection of B.1.351 SARS-CoV-2 Variant Strain — Zambia, December 2020 (Early Release February 17, 2021)

CDC Media Relations
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First Month of COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Monitoring — United States, December 14, 2020–January 13, 2021 (Early Release February 19, 2021)

CDC Media Relations
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Clusters of SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among Elementary School Educators and Students in One School District — Georgia, December 2020–January 2021 (Early Release February 22, 2021)

CDC Media Relations
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• Motor-Vehicle–Traffic Death Rates Among Persons Aged 15–24 Years and ≥25 Years — United States, 2000–2019

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