Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Hepatitis A Outbreak Includes Residents Without Risk Factors

Earlier this week, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health declared a hepatitis A outbreak after seeing a sustained increase in clinical cases of hepatitis A and elevated virus levels in local wastewater. At least 165 hepatitis A cases were confirmed in LA County since the beginning of 2024—3 times the number of cases reported in all of 2023. What’s concerning is that among the 29 hepatitis A cases confirmed to date in 2025, …

Live Zoster Vaccine Demonstrates Heart Benefits

According to a study in the European Heart Journal, the live zoster vaccine may provide cardiovascular benefits in addition to preventing herpes zoster. In a cohort study in Korea involving over 1 million individuals aged 50 years and older, vaccination was associated with a 23% reduction in the risk of major cardiovascular events—including stroke, heart failure, and coronary heart disease—over a period of 8 years. Live zoster vaccination was associated with lower risks of overall …

Northwell Acquires Nuvance Health in the Northeast

Northwell Health this week announced the completion of its acquisition of Nuvance Health, resulting in the establishment of an integrated regional health system serving the greater New York and Connecticut areas. This new nonprofit entity will serve a combined population of about 13 million consumers with an annual budget of $22.6 billion and a workforce of more than 104,000 employees, including 22,000 nurses and 13,500 providers. The deal brings the network up to 28 hospitals, …

On the Map: UCA Connects Urgent Care Centers With Career Seekers

The Urgent Care Association (UCA) recently launched its new map-based career platform for prospective candidates and urgent care employers. UCA’s Urgent Care Compass features the full slate of 15,000 urgent care centers across the United States, enabling career hunters to apply to the roles that attract them the most in the places they prefer to work. What’s different about the new platform is the intuitive mapping feature that offers visual suggestions for candidates to find …

Newly Approved DHE Nasal Powder Treats Migraine

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved dihydroergotamine (DHE) nasal powder 5.2 mg for the acute treatment of migraine in adults with or without aura. The new product is currently the only DHE nasal powder available for this indication, according to a press release from manufacturer Satsuma. Clinical studies demonstrated that the formulation offers rapid absorption, quick attainment of high plasma DHE concentrations, and sustained levels over time. It was generally well tolerated both …

Pediatric Deaths Climb in the Current ‘Highly Severe’ Flu Season

According to the last weekly report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the current influenza season in the United States has resulted in the highest number of pediatric deaths since the H1N1 influenza pandemic in 2009–2010. As of the week ending April 26, 2025, at least 216 influenza-associated pediatric deaths have been reported—well above the 207 deaths recorded during the last flu season and especially concerning given that the season isn’t quite …

One Dose of HPV Vaccine Could Be Enough

A large-scale clinical trial conducted by the National Cancer Institute found that one dose of an HPV vaccine is just as protective against infection as the traditional 2-dose regimen. The randomized study, which enrolled more than 20,000 girls aged 12 to 16 years, compared the effectiveness of 1 and 2 does of the bivalent Cervarix (GlaxoSmithKline) vaccine and the 9-valent Gardasil 9 (Merck) vaccine. Participants were assigned to receive either dosing regimen, and both groups …

Clinicians Vary in Antiviral Recommendations For Children With Flu

In practice, just under half of pediatricians (49.5%) follow national recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) for use of the antiviral oseltamivir for children hospitalized with influenza, according to survey results published in Pediatrics. The survey polled 787 physicians from 5 specialties among 7 children’s hospitals in the United States from March 2024 to June 2024. AAP recommends that all children hospitalized for flu receive oseltamivir. Knowing about AAP recommendations increased the pediatricians’ …

AI Tools May Take Some Tasks Off The Radiologist’s Hands

A review published last week in Health and Technology found that AI can read and interpret images more effectively and faster than radiologists, suggesting that AI could help make impact on today’s radiologist shortage. Even so, the industry must be mindful of the ethical and legal implications of AI use. To be clear, the authors state that AI can’t replace human radiologists but rather that AI tools can complement their work, offer guidance, and assist …

Is There Room For More Antiviral Prescribing in Urgent Care?

A multi-state study analyzed prescribing patterns of influenza antiviral medications in emergency departments (ED) and urgent care (UC) centers and found that many high-risk adults (those with cardiovascular disease, renal disease, weakened immune systems, or individuals older than 70 years) with positive influenza virus test results do not receive antiviral treatment, which the authors believe could help reduce the risk of complications. As published in Clinical Infectious Diseases, researchers found that slightly more than half …