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Articles

West Nile Virus and Other Domestic Nationally Notifiable Arboviral Diseases — United States, 2019

CDC Media Relations
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Arboviral diseases, including West Nile virus, were reported from nearly every state in 2019. Arboviruses (viruses spread by arthropods like mosquitoes or ticks) cause severe illness in the United States each year. In 2019, there were more than 1,000 reported cases of domestic arboviral diseases, 83% of which were caused by West Nile virus. Notable trends in 2019 include an increase in the number of reported Powassan and eastern equine encephalitis virus disease cases, which were higher than any other previous year. Communities can prevent arboviral diseases by implementing mosquito and tick control measures and screening blood donations. People can take steps to prevent mosquito and tick bites by wearing insect repellent and long-sleeved shirts and pants when outdoors.

Alternative Methods for Grouping Race and Ethnicity to Monitor COVID-19 Outcomes and Vaccination Coverage

CDC Media Relations
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When considering how to design programs to prevent the spread of COVID-19, race and ethnicity data for COVID-19 cases and vaccinations are important for identifying and monitoring inequalities and for implementing prevention strategies. High proportions of missing race and ethnicity data can create challenges for the methods used to group race and ethnicity categories, resulting in a need to consider alternative methods for grouping race and ethnicity data. A CDC analysis demonstrates the need to optimize available data and continue using multiple data systems to monitor differences in COVID-19 outcomes and vaccination coverage across racial and ethnic groups. Using COVID-19 case and vaccination data, CDC explored three methods of grouping people by race and ethnicity: the current method, which prioritizes ethnicity, and two alternative methods (A and B) that use more race information when ethnicity information is missing or unknown. Compared with the current method, the alternative methods resulted in higher counts of COVID-19 cases and fully vaccinated people across all racial groups. American Indian/Alaska Native people showed the largest increase in cases (59% with method B) and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander people showed the largest increase in the number fully vaccinated (52% with method B). When race and ethnicity information is incomplete, different groupings of race and ethnicity for analyses may need to be considered; however, each grouping method has limitations.

Reduced Risk of Reinfection with SARS-CoV-2 After COVID-19 Vaccination — Kentucky, May–June 2021 (Early Release August 6, 2021)

CDC Media Relations
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Rapid Increase in Circulation of the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 (Delta) Variant — Mesa County, Colorado, April–June 2021 (Early Release August 6, 2021)

CDC Media Relations
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Effectiveness of COVID-19 Vaccines in Preventing Hospitalization Among Adults Aged ≥65 Years — COVID-NET, 13 States, February–April 2021 (Early Release August 6, 2021)

CDC Media Relations
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Use of COVID-19 Vaccines After Reports of Adverse Events Among Adult Recipients of Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) and mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna): Update from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices — United States, July 2021 (Early Release August 10, 2021)

CDC Media Relations
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• Recurrence of a Multistate Outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium Infections Linked to Contact with Hedgehogs — United States and Canada, 2020

Hedgehogs can carry Salmonella germs in their droppings even if they look healthy and clean. These germs can easily spread to their bodies, habitats, and anything in the area where they live. In July 2020, CDC began investigating a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium infections linked to contact with pet hedgehogs. A total of 49 cases were reported across 25 states, including 14 (29%) in children younger than 5 years. This particular Salmonella strain has continued to cause disease despite targeted outreach to hedgehog breeders and industry groups during two previous outbreaks with the strain linked to hedgehogs. Additional efforts are needed to reduce the number of cases and spread of Salmonella among hedgehogs and to limit spread from hedgehogs to humans. To prevent future outbreaks linked to contact with pet hedgehogs, breeders and veterinarians need to educate owners on the risk and prevention of Salmonella spread from hedgehogs and advise that hedgehogs might be inappropriate pets for children younger than 5 years.

• Percentage of Adults Aged ≥18 Years Who Daily Experienced Feelings of Anxiety (Feeling Worried, Nervous, or Anxious) or Depression, or Both, by Sex — National Health Interview Survey, United States, 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.