Clinical

The ongoing (and building) measles outbreak is getting most of the headlines, but simultaneous to that hepatitis A cases have continued to mount well into the thousands. Since the first confirmed case in 2016, more than 15,000 infections have occurred across the country; some 8,500 have required hospitalization. Florida has been hit especially hard, with 883 cases reported so far this year. That’s more than the total for all of 2017 and 2018 combined. Virginia …

As we continue to see success in lowering use of opioid drugs in managing acute pain, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers data suggesting what might be appropriate parameters for their use when they’re truly necessary. Based on 13,440 patients covered by a large U.S. commercial insurer in 2014, and who filled an opioid prescription within 7 days of a primary care clinic visit, an initial prescription for 4–7 days was found to …

New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show the number of measles cases continues to grow in the United States, and that more states are seeing cases than was previously known. From January 1 to April 4 of this year, 465 cases were confirmed in 19 states—all told, the second highest number of cases since measles was declared “eliminated” in 2000. The CDC cautioned that the case count is preliminary, so the …

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) against HIV infection is controversial. Proponents hail it as a long-overdue opportunity to save lives and stem a public health crisis. Some urgent care providers are exploring whether it’s a viable opportunity both clinically and economically. Then again, some clinicians and public health officials believe offering PrEP de-incentivizes patients from using safe-sex practices and making healthy sexual decisions. A newly published article in the Journal of the American Medical Association raises another …

Urgent care providers have gotten the message that rampant opioid prescribing has led to a public health crisis rooted in addiction and death. And it’s likely new prescriptions have dropped considerably as a result. However, knee-jerk attempts to stop taking them immediately also poses the threat of “serious harm” to patients, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Going cold turkey or dropping existing doses too suddenly has led to withdrawal symptoms, uncontrolled pain, …

In response to mounting cases across the globe, this week the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called Candida auris an “emerging fungus” that poses a “serious global threat.” It spreads in healthcare settings via contact with exposed surfaces and person-to-person contact. It’s also resistant to some or all antifungal drugs, according to the CDC, making it an especially vexing concern. The most common symptoms include chills and fever that do not respond to antibiotic …

A study just published in the journal Pediatrics reveals that the rate of antibiotic prescribing for children with symptoms of acute respiratory infections is higher in connection with direct-to-consumer telemedicine than for those children whose parents take them to an urgent care center or primary care provider. Unfortunately, only 59% of those prescriptions were in accord with existing guidelines, the authors reported; the rate of “compliant” prescriptions in urgent care and primary care visits topped …

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—along with the Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Agriculture, and numerous state departments of health—are investigating a growing outbreak of Shiga-producing E coli. Cases have turned up in Georgia, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, and Virginia as of April 4. So far 72 people have been infected; there have been multiple hospitalizations, but no deaths or cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome (a type of kidney failure) have occurred, to …

We’ve told you about a warning from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that influenza season continues to linger, no matter what the calendar says. A new study in JAMA Cardiology serves as reminder that it’s essential—and possibly lifesaving—to remain vigilant for related cardiovascular concerns, especially among heart failure patients with the flu. The authors of the study evaluated the connection between flu activity and hospitalizations for heart failure and myocardial infarction in four …

Cases of hepatitis A virus (HAV) in the United States have been creeping up slowly but steadily since 2016 for several years now—to the extent that there are now over then 15,000 active cases across the country. Over half of those (57%) have resulted in hospitalizations, and 140 people have died. In response, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just issued an advisory on its Health Alert Network for patients, public health departments, healthcare …