National Public Health Week, a Second COVID Booster (for some), and an Alert About Marburg
Three Things Thursday
Three Things Thursday highlights three things I am paying attention to as an epidemiologist each week.
And this week we are celebrating National Public Health Week!
(And due to the excitement of National Public Health Week + the businesses of April on a college campus, this Three Things Thursday is coming at you at the last minute.)
This week’s Three Things Thursday focuses on National Public Health Week, a (possible) second bivalent booster shot, and a health alert related to the Marburg virus disease outbreaks.
Hoping these posts help to educate and empower you
to be healthy and create healthy communities.
National Public Health Week
It is National Public Health Week (through Sunday). And this year we are centering and celebrating cultures of health. The overarching goal of the week is to take steps toward creating the healthiest nation, which starts with creating healthy communities.
“Our cultures have always shaped our health. We learn from the communities we're born in and that we build together. For this NPHW, we look to community leaders as our health leaders. We celebrate the unique and joyful ways different cultures focus on health. And we look to how we can learn from each other, with humility and openness.”
I kicked off National Public Health Week with our local community health fair, which was a huge success. On Saturday, our Immunity Is Community comic book was released. And we have stickers and pins to go along with it. If you’d like a copy of the book or some amazing swag, please reach out.
And then last night, I gave a talk at Allegheny College.
(According to Rumors) FDA Is Set to Approve A Second Booster
WHO is watching the XBB.1.16 Omicron subvariant. According to WHO —
"So this is one to watch. It's been in circulation for a few months. We haven't seen a change in severity in individuals or in populations, but that's why we have these systems in place."
As the global public health community watches the virus, the FDA is expected to approve a second bivalent COVID vaccine for individuals who are 65+ or those with a weakened immune system.
Immunity from the vaccine does fade after six months, and there is evidence that individuals who are at high risk will need a second bivalent booster shot this spring/summer (before an annual fall COVID shot is approved).
If/when the FDA approves a second booster shot, the CDC will also need to authorize the second shot. We are waiting to hear if CDC will host a meeting of its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices or not.
Much more to come before a second bivalent booster shot becomes available for some of us. Be sure you are subscribed so you don’t miss the news of the approval/authorization.
Health Advisory Issued by CDC for Marburg Virus Disease
This morning, the CDC issued a Health Advisory to alert clinicians and public health officials about two confirmed outbreaks of Marburg virus disease. The outbreaks are occurring in Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania. According to the Health Advisory —
“To date, no confirmed cases of MVD related to these outbreaks have been reported in the United States or other countries outside Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania. This Health Advisory provides information about these outbreaks to increase awareness of the risk of imported cases in the United States. It also summarizes CDC’s recommendations for case identification, testing, and clinical laboratory biosafety considerations in the United States.”
Marburg virus disease is a rare but highly fatal viral hemorrhagic fever caused by two zoonotic viruses. It is a distant cousin of the Ebola virus disease. According to CDC — an individual with Marburg virus disease is not contagious until symptoms appear. Symptoms may include fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, fatigue, loss of appetite, gastrointestinal symptoms, or unexplained bleeding. Marburg virus is spread through contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood or other body fluids (including urine, saliva, sweat, feces, vomit, breast milk, amniotic fluid, or semen) of a person who is sick with or has died from MVD, with the body fluids of infected animals, or with needles or other fomites that are contaminated with the virus. Marburg virus is not spread through airborne transmission.
Questions? Want to know more? Be sure to leave a comment —
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