Multistate Outbreak of Burkholderia cepacia Infections Associated with Contaminated Ultrasound Gel

Angie SzumlinskiHealth

CDC is assisting the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and several state and local health departments with an ongoing investigation of Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) infections in healthcare facilities. Patients have developed Bcc infections, including bloodstream infections, after likely having undergone ultrasound-guided procedures in which MediChoice® M500812 ultrasound gel was used. To read all updates, please click below: CDC Contaminated Ultrasound Gel Update

Closeup of a dog's nose

Sniff Test!

Angie SzumlinskiNews, Studies

I remember when my children were young and they would pretend to be sick so they didn’t have to go to school, although to this day they deny it! I also remember, this may sound weird but, smelling their breath. Yes, I would smell their breath to see if they had something “cooking” in their throat or sinus. Honestly, 99% …

Autoimmune Disease and COVID

Angie SzumlinskiHealth, Studies

When COVID-19 became a worldwide pandemic, many medical experts worked night and day to identify exactly what the virus was, how it was spread, how to prevent the spread, how to treat the virus, and who is most at risk for negative outcomes related to the virus. Without a doubt, frail elderly people were identified as the highest risk and …

Multistate Investigation of Non-travel Associated Burkholderia pseudomallei Infections (Melioidosis) in Four Patients

Angie SzumlinskiStudies

The Georgia Department of Public Health, with assistance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is investigating a fatal case of Burkholderia pseudomallei infection (i.e., melioidosis) identified in late July 2021. Based on genomic analysis, this case in Georgia closely matches the three cases previously identified in Kansas, Minnesota, and Texas in 2021, indicating they all most likely share a …

Long-COVID in Children

Angie SzumlinskiStudies

Just as the world began to turn versus spinning out of control, we are faced with the new challenge of protecting our children! The good news is that children 12 and older may receive the COVID-19 vaccine and are highly encouraged to do so. The bad news is that children under 12 are not currently able to be vaccinated, leaving …

Birthday cake with candles spelling Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday, Risks!

Angie SzumlinskiHealth, Studies

Happy birthday to you but before you celebrate you might want to read a study published in JAMA Network! The question raised: is there an association between household birthdays, which likely correspond to informal social gatherings and COVID-19 infection? Large gatherings of people and small social gatherings are thought to be an important source of SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Although it is …

Transmission of Pan-Resistant and Echinocandin-Resistant Candida auris in Health Care Facilities

Angie SzumlinskiHealth, Studies

Candida auris is an emerging, often multidrug-resistant yeast that is highly transmissible, resulting in health care-associated outbreaks, especially in long-term care facilities. Skin colonization with C. auris allows spread and leads to invasive infections, including bloodstream infections, in 5%–10% of colonized patients. Pan-resistant C. auris isolates have been reported previously, although rarely, from the United States (4) and other countries (5). Three pan-resistant C. auris cases reported in …

Common Cold – Combat Ready

Angie SzumlinskiHealth

In a new Yale-led study, researchers found that in patients with the COVID-19 infection only, antiviral defenses are low, and SARS-CoV-2 viral load is high. When patients also have the common cold early in the COVID-19 infection, antiviral defenses are high, and SARS-CoV-2 viral load is low. Interesting, so when we get the sniffles, we might be protecting ourselves from …

SARS-CoV-2 Transmission

Angie SzumlinskiStudies

There is still much to be understood about the factors influencing the ecology and epidemiology of COVID-19. In particular, whether environmental variation is likely to drive seasonal changes in SARS-CoV-2 transmission dynamics is largely unknown. In a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS), the effects of the environment on …