Weekly newsletter from the Center for Acute Disease Epidemiology (CADE) and the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH). To start receiving the Epi Update, please call Shawnice Cameron at 1-800-362-2736.
Current Issue
Epi Update for Friday, January 13, 2023
Items for this week’s Epi Update include
- Ebola outbreak in Uganda declared over
- Recommendation for opt-out syphilis testing in northwest Iowa prompted by rapid increases in diagnoses
Archive Issues
Epi Update for Friday, January 6, 2023
Items for this week’s Epi Update include
- Mpox testing remains available at SHL, no Iowa HHS approval required
- Reminder: Submit positive influenza specimens to SHL throughout the season
- CDC: Increase in pediatric invasive group A streptococcal infections
- Meeting announcements and training opportunities
Epi Update for Thursday, December 22, 2022
Items for this week’s Epi Update include
- Meningococcal disease cases identified in Iowa
- Updated guidelines regarding COVID-19 therapeutics for treatment and prevention
- Holiday leftover food safety, CDC video
- Infographic: Cook meat and eggs to safe internal temperatures
Epi Update for Friday, December 16, 2022
Items for this week’s Epi Update include
- Guidance for prioritizing influenza antiviral use when oseltamivir availability is limited
- Seasonal disease activity remains high statewide
- Bats and rabies
- Infographic: Feeling sick?
Epi Update for Friday, December 9, 2022
Items for this week’s Epi Update include
- December 5: Dr. Ann Garvey Appreciation Day
- Mpox testing no longer requires Iowa HHS approval, call center closing
- Neisseria meningitidis reporting reminder
- Bordetella parapertussis
- Child products recalled due to lead hazards
- In the news: FDA approves first fecal microbiota product
- Meeting announcements and training opportunities
Epi Update for Friday, November 18, 2022
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- Early and increased respiratory virus activity, especially among youth
- Everyday disease prevention
- Be Antibiotics Aware: Protect your patient
- Monitoring, maintaining dental waterlines to prevent infections – SHL can help!
- Measles: Cases in the U.S., stay vigilant
- Cooking for large groups
Special Edition: Epi Update for Friday, November 4, 2022
Special Edition: In Memory of Dr. Ann Garvey
Epi Update for Friday, October 21, 2022
Items for this week’s Epi Update include
- Screening patients for Ebola virus disease (EVD)
- Recent reports of RSV, parainfluenza in Iowa and clarification regarding B. Parapertussis
- Infographic: Think Ebola: Early recognition is critical for infection control
- Meeting announcements and training opportunities
Epi Update for Friday, October 14, 2022
Items for this week’s Epi Update include
- Monkeypox update
- In the news: Flu off to an early start as CDC warns about potentially severe season
- Meeting announcements and training opportunities
Epi Update for Friday, October 7, 2022
Items for this week’s Epi Update include
- Outbreak of Ebola virus disease in Central Uganda
- Resources and requests for the 2022-23 influenza season
- Protecting everyone entering a health care facility
- Infographic: Iowa influenza surveillance webinar for the 2022-23 season
Epi Update for Friday, September 30, 2022
Items for this week’s Epi Update include
- Monkeypox update
- Updated COVID-19 infection prevention and control guidance for health care settings
Epi Update for Friday, September 23, 2022
Items for this week’s Epi Update include
- Monkeypox update
- West Nile virus activity increasing
- Blood lead collection tube shortage affecting lead testing
- Meeting announcements and training opportunities
Epi Update for Friday, September 16, 2022
Items for this week’s Epi Update include
- Monkeypox update
- Acute flaccid myelitis and national increase in enteroviruses, including EV-D68
- Winter is coming: Remember these steps to reduce respiratory illness
- Infographic: Look out for AFM signs and symptoms
Epi Update for Friday, September 9, 2022
Items for this week’s Epi Update include
- Enhanced barrier precaution use to prevent Multidrug-Resistant Organism (MDRO) transmission
- Rabies consultations regarding possible bat exposures increasing
- Rabies post-exposure rabies prophylaxis – it’s not too late!
- Infographic: Rabies exposure management for bat-related incidents
- Meeting announcements and training opportunities
Epi Update for Friday, September 2, 2022
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- Monkeypox update
- Influenza vaccine recommendations for 2022-23 season
- Variant influenza: Identification, treatment, and prevention
- HHS announces first West Nile case of 2022
- Infographic: Tips for adequate collection of lesion specimens from suspect monkeypox case
- Meeting announcements and training opportunities
Epi Update for Friday, August 26, 2022
Items for this week’s Epi Update include
- Monkeypox update
- In the news: Monkeypox experts give virus variants new names
- Infographic: What to do if you suspect monkeypox
Epi Update for Friday, August 12, 2022
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- Monkeypox update
- CDC confirms first human influenza infection from pigs during 2022
- Free online courses: Bring Home the Blue, Not the Flu! Now available in Spanish!
Epi Update for Thursday, August 4, 2022
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- Monkeypox update
- Parechovirus (PeV) circulating in the United States
- Impact of COVID-19 on antimicrobial resistance in the U.S.
- In the news: Bacteria that causes rare disease melioidosis discovered in U.S. environmental samples
- Infographic: Invest in prevention
Epi Update for Monday, July 18, 2022
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- Monkeypox update
- Know the risks for legionellosis, including warmer temperatures and diluted windshield wiper fluid
- HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) celebrates 10 years
Epi Update for Friday, June 24, 2022
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- Monkeypox update
- West Nile virus detected in mosquito sample. Avoid mosquito and tick bites!
- CDC Heat and Health Tracker
- In the news: CDC investigates 'one of the worst outbreaks of meningococcal disease' in US history among gay and bisexual men in Florida
- In the news: Poliovirus in London sewage sparks alarm
- Infographic: Avoid, spot, treat: Heat stroke and heat exhaustion
Epi Update for Friday, June 17, 2022
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- Monkeypox update, testing guideline changes
- Measles cases identified in Minnesota
- CDC: No recent increase in hepatitis among U.S. children, surveillance ongoing
Epi Update for Monday, June 13, 2022
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- Monkeypox update
- Candida auris: Third case identified in MN, guidance for laboratories
- Infographic: Social gatherings, safer sex, and monkeypox
Epi Update for Friday, June 3, 2022
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- Update on monkeypox in the U.S., guidance for requesting laboratory testing
- Cyclospora positive stool? Send it to SHL!
- Infographic: Laboratory process for monkeypox virus
- Meeting announcements and training opportunities
Epi Update for Friday, May 20, 2022
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- Monkeypox case identified in U.S., clusters identified in non-endemic countries
- Healthy and Safe Swimming Week, toolkit
- Cryptosporidium risks with animal exposure
- CDC’s BEAM Dashboard provides in-depth foodborne pathogen data
- Infographic: Make a healthy splash
Epi Update for Friday, May 13, 2022
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- Project Firstline infection control survey
- Infant formula shortage update
- Updated rabies Pre-exposure (PrEP) vaccine, titer check recommendations
- May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month
Epi Update for Friday, May 6, 2022
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- Iowa COVID-19 update
- Travel, potential health risks, and guidance to stay safe
- In the news: CDC investigating more than 100 cases of unexplained hepatitis in children, including 5 deaths
- Infographic: Protect your health – Illness could be just a plane ride away
Epi Update for Friday, April 29, 2022
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- Reporting Pediatric Cases of Acute Hepatitis of Unknown Etiology
- World Hand Hygiene Day
- Infographic: My 5 moments for hand hygiene
Epi Update for Friday, April 22, 2022
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- CDC Alert: Adenovirus and children with acute hepatitis of unknown etiology
- Did you know?
- Infographic: 8 strategies for a healthy spring
Epi Update for Friday, April 15, 2022
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- CDC warning on source of lead in Kajal among resettled Afghan families
- Florida meningococcal disease outbreak highlights importance of vaccination
- Infographic: Meningococcal vaccines used in the United States
Epi Update for Friday, April 8, 2022
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- Salmonella and Easter chicks
- Tick removal and testing
- STD Awareness Week
- In the news: Fox captured on Capitol Hill after biting 9 people tests positive for rabies
- Infographic: Prevent tick bites!
Epi Update for Friday, April 1, 2022
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- FDA: Use and store at-home COVID-19 tests properly to avoid potential harm
- CDC releases quick, easy COVID-19 quarantine and isolation calculator
- Recent norovirus outbreaks, important prevention tips
- Infographic: Using your COVID-19 self-test
Epi Update for Friday, March 25, 2022
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- New CDC Legionella resources available
- Tick-borne encephalitis vaccine recommendations for U.S. travelers approved
- Infographic: World TB Day
Epi Update for Friday, March 11, 2022
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- Influenza and respiratory illness continues to increase in Iowa
- Stop HIV Iowa opening plenary presentation
- In the news: Why millions of genetically modified mosquitoes may be released in Florida and California
- Meeting announcements and training opportunities
Epi Update for Friday, March 4, 2022
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- Highly pathogenic avian influenza identified in Iowa
- Rising incidence of Legionnaires’ disease in Iowa and the US, 1992-2018
- Syphilis surge continues, disparities persist
- In the news: Global health champion Paul Farmer dies at 62
Epi Update for Friday, February 18, 2022
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- Infant formula recall
- Hepatitis C ECHO: No cost CME Credit and consult with experts
- In the news: Malawi detects polio, first wild case in Africa in over 5 years
Epi Update for Friday, February 11, 2022
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- Upcoming changes to COVID-19 response in Iowa
- Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in commercial turkey flock in Indiana
- Identifying Higher-Volume Antibiotic Outpatient Prescribers Using Publicly Available Medicare Part D Data — United States, 2019
Epi Update for Friday, February 4, 2022
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- Omicron variant update
- Hepatitis A IgM testing limitations
- CDC updates COVID-19 child care guidelines
- StopHIVIowa launched last week
Epi Update for Friday, January 28, 2022
Items for this week’s EPI Update include:
- Omicron variant update
- Overview: SHL sequencing process to identify variants
- In the news: Past Covid infection protected against delta, but vaccines safest to prevent dire illness, CDC says
Epi Update for Friday, January 14, 2022
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- Omicron variant update
- Mandatory reporting orders renewed: CP-CRE, C. auris, AFM, MIS-C
- Study: Pregnant women high risk influenza group, vaccination and antivirals key
- In the news: CDC study shows flu vaccination prevents severe flu illness in U.S. children
Epi Update for Friday, January 7, 2022
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- Omicron variant update
- CDC clarifies recent isolation, quarantine guidelines, testing options
- Iowa influenza activity continues to increase
- Pertussis testing: PCR is best
- Clarifying COVID-19 CDC FDA PCR test approval, available options
Epi Update for Friday, December 31, 2021
Items for this week’s EPI Update include:
- CDC shortens recommended COVID-19 isolation and quarantine for the public
- Updated CDC guidance for health care workers
- Omicron variants continue to be identified in Iowa
Epi Update for Friday, December 17, 2021
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- Omicron variants continue to be identified
- Know about norovirus: Prevent the spread
- Syphilis continues to increase in Iowa, more women affected
- Infographic: Protect yourself from norovirus
Epi Update for Friday, December 10, 2021
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- Iowa confirms case of Omicron variant
- In the news: Coronavirus FAQ: What does it mean if the booster knocks me out? What if it doesn't?
- Infographic: What’s being done to slow the spread of Omicron variant in the US?
- Meeting announcements and training opportunities
Epi Update for Friday, December 3, 2021
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- Omicron identified in multiple states across the US
- Influenza activity still low but continuing to increase in Iowa
- COVID-19: Expanded vaccination and MIS-C update
- World AIDS Day
- In the news: US Covid vaccinations spike, several states confirm omicron cases
- In the news: Scientists made a map of the nasty diseases ticks can give you
- Infographic: HIV – Know the facts
* Special Supplement * Epi Update for Friday, November 19, 2021
*Special Supplement*
Epi Update for Friday, November 19, 2021
Epi Update for Friday, November 19, 2021
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- Influenza AH3N2 increasing in Iowa, especially among young adults
- Dramatic increase in U.S. drug overdose deaths
- Monkeypox: Ongoing cases in Nigeria, case identified in the U.S.
- In the news: CDC investigates flu outbreak at University of Michigan's Ann Arbor campus
- Infographic: Medications for opioid overdose, withdrawal, and addiction
Epi Update for Friday, November 12, 2021
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- Prevent infectious diseases this holiday season
- Quiz: Holiday meal outbreak
- In the news: 22 million babies missed measles vaccines during the pandemic. That's a big problem, CDC warns
- Infographic: Food safety - Turkey
Epi Update for Friday, November 5, 2021
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- Iowa’s first influenza death of the 2021-22 season and novel influenza cases
- National shortage of medication used to treat gonorrhea affecting Iowa
- CDC’s 2020 HAI Progress Report shows increase in some HAIs compared to 2019
Epi Update for Friday, October 29, 2021
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- Melioidosis bacteria found in aromatherapy room spray, products sold in Iowa
- Congenital syphilis cases accelerating in Iowa
- 2020 hepatitis C end-of-year report highlights
- CDC Food Safety Alert: Multistate outbreak of Salmonella linked to salami sticks
SPECIAL EDITION - Epi Update for Monday, October 25, 2021
Source implicated in fatal case in Georgia - Multistate outbreak of non-travel associated Burkholderia pseudomallei infections (melioidosis) in four patients.
Epi Update for Friday, October 22, 2021
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- Pumpkin patch and apple orchard safety
- Update on Influenza Surveillance Sites
- In the news: CDC warns people to throw away onions from Chihuahua, Mexico, after salmonella outbreak
- Infographic: Scary Food Habits That Can Make You Sick
- Meeting announcements and training opportunities
Epi Update for Friday, October 15, 2021
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- CDC issues update on Magellan LeadCare Test Kit Class I Recall
- West Nile virus activity update
- Resources for zoonotic disease prevention
- In the news: The World Health Organization honors the late Henrietta Lacks for her contributions to scientific research
- Infographic: COVID-19 3rd Dose vs. Booster
Epi Update for Friday, October 8, 2021
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- Update to Iowa’s COVID-19 testing program
- Iowa COVID-19 vaccination statistics, importance of influenza vaccination
- To prescribe or not prescribe?
Epi Update for Friday, October 1, 2021
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- CDC urges vaccination for pregnant people
- Influenza season starts October 3. Help us prevent flu.
- September 28: World Rabies Day
- In the news: Illinois man dies after catching rabies from an apparent bat bite while he slept at home
- Infographic: Protect yourself and your baby from COVID-19. Get vaccinated
Epi Update for Friday, September 24, 2021
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- Guidance for caring for individuals recently evacuated from Afghanistan
- Changes to legionellosis investigations, reminder of preferred diagnostic tests
- Fungus among us?
- In the news: CDC statement on ACIP booster recommendations
- Infographic: How to recognize MIS-C
Epi Update for Friday, September 17, 2021
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- Review: FDA approved COVID-19 tests, including at-home and lab based options
- COVID-19’s impact on healthcare-associated infection (HAI) rates
- Infographic: Clinicians – Care for yourself one small way each day
- Meeting announcements and training opportunities
Epi Update for Friday, September 3, 2021
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- Reminder: Positive and negative COVID-19 tests remain reportable in Iowa
- West Nile virus activity increasing in Iowa
- 2020 Iowa HIV End-of-Year Report highlights
- Infographic: HIV In Iowa
Epi Update for Friday, August 27, 2021
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- Potential shortage of blood lead test kits following July 2021 recall
- Continued increases in bacterial STIs
- New Lyme disease training modules for clinicians
- Infographic: What’s the difference between a booster dose and an additional dose?
Epi Update for Friday, August 20, 221
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- Consider melioidosis in patients with acute bacterial infection that doesn’t respond to normal antibiotics
- Peak West Nile virus season is here
- Rabies specimen submission guidelines
- CDC: COVID-19 vaccination safe, effective, recommended for pregnant people
- ACIP Authorizes Additional Vaccine Dose for Certain Immunocompromised Individuals
- HHS Releases plan for COVID-19 Booster Doses
- Infographic: Get a COVID-19 vaccine
Epi Update for Friday, August 6, 2021
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- Outbreak reporting of diseases not on the reportable disease list
- Rabies bat consultations increasing
- Infographic: Rabies exposure management for bat-related incidents
- Meeting announcements and training opportunities
Epi Update for Friday, July 30, 2021
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- Increasing inter-seasonal respiratory syncytial virus activity in Iowa
- Updated STI treatment guidelines released
- USPSTF Grade A recommendation for PrEP and cost-sharing elimination
- Pan-resistant Candida auris healthcare clusters identified in the U.S.
- Infographic: Infographic: AFM – Head, shoulders, knees, and toes
Epi Update for Friday, July 23, 2021
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- At-home testing available via SHL, Test Iowa program
- Reporting at-home tests not performed at SHL
- Increases in early syphilis and congenital syphilis in Iowa
- Reminder: VAERS reporting following COVID-19 vaccination
- Mental health conditions among public health workers
- Meeting announcements and training opportunities
Epi Update for Friday, July 9, 2021
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- Recall of LeadCare(R) lead tests due to risk of falsely low results
- Reopening buildings safely after prolonged shutdown or reduced operation
- Rabies resources available from IDPH
- In the news: Delta is now the dominant coronavirus variant in the U.S.
- In the news: US death rates are falling for many types of cancer, but not all
- Infographic: Recommendations for managing human rabies exposure
Epi Update for Friday, July 2, 2021
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- Cases of melioidosis identified in nearby states, lab misidentification potential
- CDC releases COVID-19 Viral Testing Tool for clinicians, individuals
- Summer food safety tips
- In the news: China declared officially malaria-free by WHO
- In the news: 5,000-year-old man was 'oldest plague victim'
- Infographic: Get ready to grill safely
- Meeting announcements and training opportunities
Epi Update for Friday, June 25, 2021
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- Medical, public health groups release statement on myocarditis, COVID-19 vaccination
- National HIV Testing Day, June 27
- Cyclospora infections on the rise in Iowa
- In the news: Nearly all COVID deaths in US are now among unvaccinated
- Infographic: HIV - Know your status
Epi Update for Friday, June 18, 2021
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- Increase in inter-seasonal respiratory illness
- Interim guidance for evaluating and caring for patients with Post-COVID conditions
- Temporary Suspension of Dogs Entering the United States from Countries Classified as High Risk for Dog Rabies
- In the news: Gardeners, take heed: it’s a ‘tick-y year’
- In the news: As coronavirus recedes, colds and common viruses are back – especially among children
- Infographic: Protect your child from RSV
- Meeting announcements and training opportunities
Epi Update for Friday, June 11, 2021
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- Shiga toxin-producing E. coli complications, prevention
- Input requested – Iowa Health Assessment Survey
- Tick bite prevention
- In the news: Officials confirm Michigan's first human case of a deadly hantavirus
- In the news: FDA says to avoid eating cicadas 'if you're allergic to seafood'
- Infographic: 5 things to do right after visiting animals
Epi Update for Friday, June 4, 2021
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- Iowa identifies first variant influenza case of 2020-21 season
- CDC HIV surveillance reports released, Iowa continues to perform well
- In the news: China reports first human case of H10N3 bird flu
- In the news: Vampire bats socially distance when they feel sick
- Infographic: Flu can spread between pigs and people
Epi Update for Friday, May 28, 2021
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- First West Nile virus case of the season
- Syphilis: epidemiology and treatment
- Recreational water safety
- In the news: Subway swabbers find a microbe jungle and thousands of new species
- In the news: Why deadly ‘Black Fungus’ is ravaging COVID patients in India
- Infographic: Mosquito bites can make you sick
- Meeting announcements and training opportunities
Epi Update for Friday, May 21, 2021
Items for this week’s Epi Update include:
- Resuming the Epi Update
- Ct values and COVID-19 testing
- Preventing COVID and other common diseases
- In the news: Don't kiss, snuggle backyard poultry, CDC warns in salmonella alert
- In the news: In a first, gut microbe genes linked to array of human diseases
- Infographic: COVID-19 – Prevent the spread