MMWR News Synopsis

Articles

HIV Infection and HIV-Associated Behaviors Among Persons Who Inject Drugs — 23 Metropolitan Statistical Areas, United States, 2018

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CDC’s most recent data exploring HIV risk behaviors and prevention strategies among people who inject drugs (PWID) in select metropolitan areas found use of syringe services programs (SSPs) did not change significantly for this group between 2015 and 2018. Of concern was data showing a substantial decrease in the use of SSPs among Black/African American PWID (from 51% to 40%). CDC’s National HIV Behavioral Surveillance (NHBS) conducts interviews and HIV testing among populations at high risk for HIV infection in selected metropolitan areas. Recent data found that nearly 60% of HIV negative PWID reported receiving an HIV test in the past year, and more than half received syringes from SSPs during the same period. Of concern was data showing a substantial decrease in the use of SSPs among Black/African American PWID (from 51% to 40%). These findings call for more study of disparities in SSP use and demonstrate the need for comprehensive community-based prevention services, including access to sterile injection equipment where legally permitted.

Self-Management Education Class Attendance and Health Care Provider Counseling for Physical Activity Among Adults with Arthritis — United States, 2019

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Findings from this report showed that fewer than 2 in 10 adults with arthritis reported ever attending a self-management class, and nearly 7 in 10 reported receiving health care provider counselling to be physically active. Health care providers can reduce arthritis patients’ pain and improve their health status and quality of life by talking to patients about the benefits of physical activity and self-management education, and by supporting referrals to these evidence-based programs. Arthritis is common and disabling among U.S. adults. Self-management education and physical activity can reduce arthritis pain and improve overall health status and quality of life of adults with arthritis. In 2019, only 1 in 6 (16.2%) adults with arthritis reported ever attending a self-management class and 69.3% reported receiving health care provider counselling to be physically active. Prevalences of both differed by state and were lower for men compared to women and those with lower educational attainment, less severe joint pain, and more rural residence.

Mycobacterium porcinum Skin and Soft Tissue Infections After Vaccinations — Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio, September 2018–February 2019

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Improper storage, handling, preparation, and administration of vaccines were linked to an outbreak involving skin and soft tissue infections in three states over several months in 2018. This outbreak highlights the vital role of trained health care personnel in proper vaccine storage, handling, and administration, and in reporting adverse events to public health authorities. During December 2018–February 2019, a multistate investigation identified 101 patients with postvaccination–associated adverse events following receipt of vaccines by an estimated 940 people during September 11–November 28, 2018. Multiple vaccine types had been administered in workplace vaccination events administered by a third-party company (company A) located in Kentucky at 24 businesses in 54 locations across Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana. Injection-site wound isolates from 30 patients yielded Mycobacterium porcinum, a nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) species in the Mycobacterium fortuitum group. Onsite company A visits and staff interviews identified problems with hand hygiene, improper vaccine storage and handling, lack of appropriate medical record documentation, and lack of reporting to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). To prevent future vaccination-associated outbreaks, health care workers responsible for handling or administering vaccines should be trained in safe vaccine handling and storage and should report any suspected postvaccination adverse events to VAERS and public health authorities.

Temporal Trends in Dietary Sodium Intake Among Adults Aged ≥19 Years — United States, 2003–2016

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During 2003-2016, more than 8 out of 10 US adults consumed more sodium than is recommended to reduce the risk for chronic disease. To describe excess sodium intake in the context of the Chronic Disease Risk Reduction (CDRR) intake goal, investigators used National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data from 2003–2016 to look at trends over time in sodium intake, among U.S. adults aged 19 years and older. The proportion of U.S. adults with sodium intake above the CDRR was 87.0% in 2003–2004 and 86.7% in 2015–2016. Mean sodium consumption did not change between 2003-2016 among U.S. adults overall or among demographic and health subgroups.

Effectiveness of Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA Vaccination Against COVID-19 Hospitalization Among Persons Aged 12–18 Years — United States, June–September 2021

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• Pediatric HIV Outbreak in Ratodero, Pakistan — April 2019–April 2020There is an ongoing need to improve infection prevention and control measures at the local level in Pakistan in order to avoid transmission of bloodborne pathogens due to unsafe medical practices (i.e., iatrogenic transmission). A preliminary investigation by WHO, CDC, and partners into the 2019 outbreak of HIV infections in children in a rural subdistrict of Larkana District, in Sindh Province, Pakistan identified iatrogenic transmission, or unsafe medical practices, as the predominant mode of HIV transmission. Most children were born to mothers who were HIV negative. Investigations identified unsafe injection practices at health care facilities, unsafe practices at blood banks, and inadequate infection control measures as possible risk factors. Iatrogenic transmission of HIV has been associated with at least four other HIV outbreaks in Pakistan in the past 20 years. To reduce future outbreaks of HIV and other bloodborne diseases in Pakistan, the outbreak response team recommended improving infection prevention and control and blood safety, including educating health care workers on safe injection practices.

• Age-Adjusted Rates of Firearm-Related Homicide, by Race, Hispanic Origin, and Sex — National Vital Statistics System, United States, 2019

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