This week, MMWR published four reports that add to evidence that COVID-19 vaccinations during pregnancy help protect patients and newborns from serious illness and hospitalization. However, pregnancy vaccination coverage has been low and has varied by vaccine type and patients' race and ethnicity.

Week of September 25, 2023

This weekly podcast series summarizes the latest scientific information published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).

Science & Medicine

Natural Sciences

Social Sciences

Medicine

This episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, emergency department visits for traffic-related pedestrian injuries are more common among racial and ethnic minority groups. Second, opportunities for clinicians to help pregnant and postpartum patients quit smoking. Third, a cluster of HIV cases associated with cosmetic injections emphasizes the importance of proper infection control and licensing at spa facilities. Finally, PCR lab tests are the most reliable tests for diagnosing COVID-19 to ensure appropriate treatment.

Week of April 22, April 29, 2024

This episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, extreme heat caused more emergency department visits in several U.S. regions in 2023 than in previous years. Second, health-related social needs, such as social isolation, dissatisfaction with life, and barriers to health care access, were associated with decreased mammogram use. Third, nursing home residents continued to get COVID-19 infection and be hospitalized during the most recent respiratory virus season. Fewer than half of nursing home residents were up to date with COVID-19 vaccines by February 2024. Finally, original COVID-19 vaccines protected children against hospitalizations, but the protection decreased over time.

Week of April 15, 2024

This episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, there was a rapid increase in the number of reported measles cases during the first quarter of 2024. Almost all cases occurred in people who were unvaccinated or with unknown vaccination status. Second, backyard poultry might increase the risk of Salmonella in infants and newborns, even in the absence of direct exposure. Third, new data show COVID-19 vaccines did not cause cardiac death in teens and young adults in Oregon. Finally, a cluster of central nervous infections at the Rhode Island Hospital was associated with a medical device commonly used in neurosurgery.

Week of April 8, 2024

This episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, most newborns with sickle cell disease are born to mothers living in socially vulnerable counties. Second, CDC encourages providers to "Think. Test. Treat TB" as U.S. tuberculosis cases increase. Third, updated 2023-24 COVID-19 vaccines reduce the risk of hospitalization by about one-third among adults with weakened immune systems. Finally, lab tests used to diagnose rash may incorrectly indicate a child has measles if the child recently received a measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine.

Week of April 1, 2024

This episode discusses three MMWR reports. First, diagnosing chickenpox can be challenging; a lab test can help. Next, more than 13 million people with HIV were given lifesaving tuberculosis preventive treatment through PEPFAR-supported programs. Finally, prompt diagnosis and treatment of fungal diseases is needed.

Week of September 25, 2023

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