Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)

Brain Injury Awareness Month, observed each March, was established 3 decades ago to educate the public about the incidence of brain injury and the needs of persons with brain injuries and their families.

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), including concussions, are at the forefront of public concern about athletic injuries sustained by children. Caused by an impact to the head or body, a TBI can lead to emotional, physiologic, and cognitive sequelae in children.

On June 6, 2018, at 1:30 p.m., the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene was notified of three related women who had arrived at a hospital 4 hours earlier for evaluation for acute nausea, dizziness, blurred vision, slurred speech, ptosis, thick-feeling tongue, and shortness of breath.

Mother-to-child transmission of syphilis remains a major global public health issue, and elimination of congenital syphilis is one of the millennium development goals of the World Health Organization

From 2000 to 2014, the number of annual diagnoses of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in Massachusetts declined 47%.

Spotted fever rickettsioses (SFR), including Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), are nationally notifiable diseases in the United States caused by spotted fever group Rickettsia.

In 2017, the overall U.S. death rate was 731.9 per 100,000 standard population; rates varied by state. The five states with the highest age-adjusted death rates were West Virginia (957.1 deaths per 100,000 standard population), Mississippi (951.3), Kentucky (929.9), Alabama (917.7), and Oklahoma (902.4).

The injury death rate for persons aged 15-19 years declined from 52.7 per 100,000 in 1999 to 32.8 in 2013 but then increased to 40.0 in 2017.

Staphylococcus aureus is a major cause of community- and health care-associated infections, ranging from superficial skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI) to invasive infections, sepsis, and death. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) has long been recognized as a pathogen associated with health care settings; however, in the 1990s, community-associated MRSA infections, causing mostly SSTI, emerged in the United States.

Staphylococcus aureus is among the most common causes of health care-associated infections and accounts for significant morbidity and mortality. Beginning in 2005, in response to high rates of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) infections, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) piloted an MRSA prevention program in 18 VA medical centers (VAMCs).

Widespread use of live attenuated (Sabin) oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) has resulted in marked progress toward global poliomyelitis eradication.

In the report "Update: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for Use of Hepatitis A Vaccine for Postexposure Prophylaxis and for Preexposure Prophylaxis for International Travel," errors occurred in Table 1.

Control of communicable diseases in children, including respiratory and diarrheal illnesses that affect U.S. school-aged children, might require public health preventive efforts both in the home and at school, a primary setting for transmission.

Tetanus is an acute neuromuscular disease caused by the bacterium Clostridium tetani. Bacterial spores found in soil can enter the body through skin disruption, with subsequent onset of clinical illness ranging from 3 to 21 days (usually within 8 days).

Staphylococcus aureus is a major cause of community- and health care-associated infections, ranging from superficial skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI) to invasive infections, sepsis, and death. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) has long been recognized as a pathogen associated with health care settings; however, in the 1990s, community-associated MRSA infections, causing mostly SSTI, emerged in the United States.

Staphylococcus aureus is among the most common causes of health care-associated infections and accounts for significant morbidity and mortality. Beginning in 2005, in response to high rates of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) infections, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) piloted an MRSA prevention program in 18 VA medical centers (VAMCs).

In 2015 and 2016, adults with IBD were more likely to have visited an emergency department at least once in the past 12 months than were those without IBD (33.0% versus 18.9%); this pattern was observed for all age groups. Among adults aged 18-34, 35-64, and ≥65 years, those with IBD were more likely to have visited an emergency department at least once in the past 12 months (35.6%, 34.0%, and 28.9%, respectively), compared with adults without IBD (19.6%, 17.2%, and 22.4%, respectively).

In 2015, 7.0% of women with a recent live birth in Oklahoma and Texas reported using electronic vapor products (EVPs) shortly before, during, or after pregnancy, with 1.4% reporting use during pregnancy. Among prenatal EVP users, 38.4% reported using EVPs containing nicotine.

On March 4, 2018, an unvaccinated adolescent boy, aged 15 years, who had recently returned from England and Wales, where measles outbreaks were occurring, was evaluated by a physician for fever, cough, coryza, conjunctivitis, Koplik spots, and rash. Measles virus nucleic acid was detected in an oropharyngeal swab and in urine tested at the Santa Clara County (California) Public Health Department.

In the spring of 2018, the New Mexico Department of Health contacted CDC about an increase in the number and prevalence of invasive group A Streptococcus infections reported through New Mexico's Active Bacterial Core surveillance system.

During 2005-2017, regional hepatitis B vaccine birth dose (HepB-BD) and third dose (HepB3) coverage increased from 63% to 85% and from 76% to 93%, respectively. In 2017, 15 (42%) and 18 (50%) of 36 Western Pacific Region countries/areas achieved ≥95% HepB-BD and HepB3 coverage, respectively. Chronic hepatitis infection in children declined to

Respiratory syncytial virus-positive laboratory detections have been reportable in Arizona since 2004 as part of the state's passive infectious disease surveillance.

A center pivot irrigation system intended to pump livestock wastewater onto adjacent farmland in Nebraska malfunctioned and allowed excessive runoff to collect in a road ditch near two wells that fed a municipal water supply, sickening 39 persons who consumed untreated city water. The use of culture-independent diagnostic tests facilitated case identification, allowing for rapid public health response.

Estimates of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) incidence during 2105 were 3.0 per 1,000 births for Illinois, 7.5 for New Mexico, and 30.8 for Vermont. Of the four diagnosis codes for NAS evaluated, those for infant drug withdrawal had the highest positive predictive values for identifying confirmed NAS cases.

Since August 2017, CDC has confirmed three cases of brucellosis attributed to Brucella abortus cattle vaccine strain RB51. Each case was associated with consumption of domestically acquired unpasteurized (raw) milk products.

On July 2, 2018, the North Carolina Division of Public Health was notified that approximately three dozen members of an ethnic Nepali refugee community had been transported to area hospitals for severe gastrointestinal illness after attending a potluck party on June 30.

In Table 2 of the report "Suicide Rates by Major Occupational Group - 17 States, 2012 and 2015," on page 1255, some percentages were calculated using records with Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes as the denominator rather than all suicide decedents aged 16-64 years.

In 2012, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) became aware of the potential for occupational and take-home exposures to lead and cadmium in the electronics recycling industry and contacted electronics industry stakeholders to discuss these exposures and provide information about NIOSH's ability to investigate workplace hazards.

After an errant ballistic missile alert in Hawaii on January 13, 2018, social media reactions revealed how the public interprets, shares, and responds to an evolving threat. The lack of clear direction after this errant alert highlighted gaps in messaging that resulted in confusion, anxiety, and panic.

During 2015-2017, death rates attributed to excessive cold or hypothermia increased steadily with age among those aged ≥15 years in both metropolitan and nonmetropolitan counties.

On the basis of data from the U.S. Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness Network on 3,254 children and adults with acute respiratory illness during November 23, 2018-February 2, 2019, the overall estimated effectiveness of seasonal influenza vaccine for preventing medically attended, laboratory-confirmed influenza virus infection was 47%.

The U.S. 2017-18 influenza season was a high-severity season, with the highest number of outpatient visits for influenza-like illness since the 2009-10 pandemic and the highest rate of influenza-associated hospitalizations since the system expanded to include adult hospitalizations during the 2005-06 season.

During 2013-2017, reported methamphetamine, injection drug, and heroin use increased substantially among women and heterosexual men with primary and secondary syphilis.

Most human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) molecular linkages in Wisconsin were among persons within the same racial/ethnic, risk, and age groups. Among named partner linkages where both persons had an HIV virus sequence available, 33.8% also had a molecular linkage and were deemed plausible transmission partners.

For 10 acute pain conditions commonly managed in primary care settings, the probability of obtaining a refill after an initial 7-day opioid analgesic prescription ranged from 11% (headache) to 41% (musculoskeletal injury), with refill probability

All persons aged 1 year and older experiencing homelessness should be routinely immunized against hepatitis A virus infection. Vaccination of homeless persons facilitates integration of hepatitis A vaccine into routine preventive services.

Influenza activity in the United States remained elevated through February 2, 2019, and is expected to continue for several more weeks. Compared with recent influenza seasons, as of February 2, 2019, severity this season has been low, with a lower percentage of outpatient visits for influenza-like illness, lower rates of hospitalization, and fewer deaths attributed to pneumonia and influenza.

On the basis of data from the U.S. Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness Network on 3,254 children and adults with acute respiratory illness during November 23, 2018-February 2, 2019, the overall estimated effectiveness of seasonal influenza vaccine for preventing medically attended, laboratory-confirmed influenza virus infection was 47%.

During 2013-2017, reported methamphetamine, injection drug, and heroin use increased substantially among women and heterosexual men with primary and secondary syphilis.

All persons aged 1 year and older experiencing homelessness should be routinely immunized against hepatitis A virus infection. Vaccination of homeless persons facilitates integration of hepatitis A vaccine into routine preventive services.

The U.S. 2017-18 influenza season was a high-severity season, with the highest number of outpatient visits for influenza-like illness since the 2009-10 pandemic and the highest rate of influenza-associated hospitalizations since the system expanded to include adult hospitalizations during the 2005-06 season.

Most human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) molecular linkages in Wisconsin were among persons within the same racial/ethnic, risk, and age groups. Among named partner linkages where both persons had an HIV virus sequence available, 33.8% also had a molecular linkage and were deemed plausible transmission partners.

For 10 acute pain conditions commonly managed in primary care settings, the probability of obtaining a refill after an initial 7-day opioid analgesic prescription ranged from 11% (headache) to 41% (musculoskeletal injury), with refill probability

In 2018, 4.04 million high school students and 840,000 middle school students currently used any tobacco product; e-cigarettes were the most commonly used product. Driven by an increase in e-cigarette use, during 2017-2018, current tobacco product use significantly increased among high school and middle school students, erasing the decline in tobacco product use among youths that occurred in previous years.

February is American Heart Month, an ideal time to remind all adults to focus on their hearts and encourage them, their families, friends, and communities to learn the important signs and symptoms of heart attack and how to respond.

During 2015-2017, 2.8% of persons of all ages had a medically attended injury in the past 3 months, and this varied by age.

Analysis of National Health Interview Survey data for 2008, 2014, and 2017 found that knowledge of the five common symptoms of a heart attack and the appropriate emergency response increased significantly (from 40% to 50% and from 92% to 95%, respectively); however, sociodemographic disparities in knowledge persist.

At the October 2018 meeting, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted to recommend approval of the Recommended Immunization Schedule for Children and Adolescents Aged 18 Years or Younger in the United States for 2019.

On June 22, 2018, the Papua New Guinea National Department of Health confirmed an outbreak of poliomyelitis caused by circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 1 following isolation of genetically linked virus from a patient with paralysis and nonhousehold community contacts.

Critical congenital heart disease occurs in two of every 1,000 births and might be undetected at birth. Affected infants are at risk for substantial morbidity and death early in life. In 2011, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary endorsed the Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children's recommendation to add critical congenital heart disease to the recommended universal newborn screening panel.