Lead exposure, even at low levels, can cause detrimental health effects across all ages. The New York City (NYC) Department of Health and Mental Hygiene receives blood lead results for NYC residents who are tested for lead and routinely conducts investigations to determine sources of lead exposure. In July 2024, blood lead surveillance activities in NYC revealed high levels of lead in traditional kansa

Rubella is a leading cause of vaccine-preventable birth defects. Rubella virus infection during early pregnancy can result in miscarriage, fetal death, stillbirth, or a constellation of birth defects known as congenital rubella syndrome (CRS). This report describes current and future estimated CRS incidence in countries that have not yet introduced rubella-containing vaccine (RCV) into their national

Histoplasmosis is a fungal infection that primarily affects the lungs. The condition is caused by Histoplasma organisms, which are often found in soil contaminated with bird or bat droppings. On January 17, 2025, a Georgia infectious disease physician notified CDC of suspected histoplasmosis cases among 12 members of an extended family from households in Georgia, Texas, and Washington. The ill family

Fatal overdoses involving synthetic opioids such as fentanyl increased sharply during the past decade. Recent data indicate declines in deaths with illegally manufactured fentanyls detected beginning in mid-2023. However, timely data on nonfatal overdoses involving fentanyl are limited. Emergency department (ED) data from CDC's National Syndromic Surveillance Program during October 2020-March 2024

Maternal respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine and nirsevimab, a long-acting monoclonal antibody for infants aged 0-7 months and children aged 8-19 months who are at increased risk for severe RSV disease, became widely available for prevention of severe RSV disease among infants and young children during the 2024-25 RSV season. To evaluate the association between availability of these products

Medetomidine, a nonopioid sedative not approved for use in humans, has periodically been detected in illegally manufactured opioids across North America since 2022. On May 11, 2024, the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the Illinois Department of Public Health were alerted by hospitals and the Illinois Poison Center to an increase in emergency medical services responses for suspected opioid-involved

Evidence-based cessation treatments and tobacco-free policies support and increase smoking cessation, which has positive physical health impacts and is associated with positive behavioral health outcomes. Implementation of these strategies in substance use and mental health treatment facilities (behavioral health treatment facilities) could help decrease tobacco use among persons with behavioral health

A multistate measles outbreak, predominantly affecting members of close-knit communities with low measles vaccination coverage in New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas began in January 2025. As of April 17, a total of 800 cases have been reported in the United States in 2025; 654 (82%) cases in New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas have been associated with the ongoing outbreak. These cases represent an approximately

Although lead poisoning can cause detrimental health effects, it is largely preventable. Common exposure sources include contaminated soil, water, and lead-based paint in homes built before the 1978 ban on residential lead-containing paint. In North Carolina, testing for lead is encouraged for all children at ages 1 and 2 years, and is required for children covered by Medicaid. In October 2023, routine

Norovirus is the most common cause of foodborne illness outbreaks in the United States. In January 2024, local health jurisdictions and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) identified two concurrent norovirus outbreaks across eight Southern California local health jurisdictions. CDPH was notified in late December 2023 and early January 2024 of gastrointestinal illnesses in persons who

In early June 2023, the Alabama Department of Public Health identified five laboratory-confirmed cyclosporiasis case reports with a common patient exposure of eating at one Mexican-style restaurant. Common signs of cyclosporiasis include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea, and loss of appetite. Although most illnesses are self-limited, antibiotic treatment can prevent relapsing illness. Onset of illness

Access to and use of cannabis in the United States has increased as new product types emerge in the marketplace, and as additional states legalize its use for medical and nonmedical purposes. To tailor education messages for preventing adverse health effects of cannabis use, understanding the routes of use of these products in the general population is important. The 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance

Psychostimulant (stimulant)-related overdose death rates have increased sharply in the United States since 2010, and in 2022, 32% of all U.S. overdose deaths involved stimulants. Data on deaths during 2017-2022 from CDC's State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System were linked to 2014-2022 Pennsylvania Prescription Drug Monitoring Program data; the Pennsylvania Department of Health's Office

Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) is an important cause of respiratory illness. However, information about hMPV incidence, patient characteristics, and symptoms outside hospital settings is limited. During June 2022-March 2024, participants aged 6 months-49 years who were enrolled in the CASCADIA community-based cohort study submitted weekly illness surveys and nasal swabs, and completed follow-up illness

Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) infections cause acute respiratory illness and lower respiratory tract disease. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a closely related virus within the Pneumoviridae family, and hMPV and RSV infections are associated with similar clinical manifestations. Although no specific antiviral therapies or vaccines exist for hMPV, vaccines and monoclonal antibody products are available

Hepatitis C virus is a leading cause of chronic liver disease, hepatocellular carcinoma, and liver-related death and is targeted for global elimination as a public health threat by 2030. Universal screening is recommended for all adults aged ≥18 years and pregnant women during each pregnancy; periodic risk-based screening also is recommended. Persons with current infection should be linked to antiviral

The proportion of synthetic opioid overdose deaths co-involving stimulants has increased in the United States in recent years. Although persons who use opioids have reported increasing stimulant co-use to maintain workplace productivity and alertness, occupational patterns of co-involvement in fatal overdose have not been systematically investigated. In an exploratory study, data on overdose deaths

A fatal case of primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), an infection caused by Naegleria fowleri, was diagnosed in Arkansas in a young child in September 2023. A public health investigation was completed, with epidemiologic, laboratory, and environmental data suggesting that a splash pad (an interactive water play venue that sprays or jets water on users and has little or no standing water) with

Eswatini has made substantial progress responding to its HIV epidemic and reducing violence against children. However, adolescent girls and young women with disabilities might be at increased risk for experiencing violence and for HIV infection, compared with those without disabilities. Data from the 2022 Eswatini Violence Against Children and Youth Survey were analyzed to compare HIV infection and

To help achieve the End TB Strategy target of a 90% reduction in tuberculosis (TB) incidence by 2030, member states of the United Nations High-Level Meetings on TB called for improving provision of TB preventive treatment (TPT) for household contacts of persons with TB, who are at increased risk for infection and disease. However, TPT use among household contacts worldwide remained at 21% in 2023.

Persons who work closely with dairy cows, poultry, or other animals with suspected or confirmed infection with highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) viruses are at increased risk for infection. In September 2024, the California Department of Public Health was notified of the first human case of HPAI A(H5N1) in California through monitoring of workers on farms with infected cows. During September

Road traffic deaths are preventable but remain a major public health problem. Crashes cause more than 40,000 deaths annually in the United States, and traffic-related pedestrian deaths have increased rapidly. To examine change in pedestrian and overall traffic death rates (deaths per 100,000 population) within an international context, CDC analyzed 2013-2022 data from the United States and 27 other

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a progressive lung disease characterized by scarring and worsening lung function, has a poor prognosis. A recent systematic review estimated that 21% of IPF deaths might be attributable to occupational exposures. To describe IPF mortality among U.S. residents aged ≥15 years who were ever employed, by industry and occupation, CDC conducted an exploratory analysis

Annual influenza vaccination is recommended for all persons aged ≥6 months in the United States. Interim influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE) was calculated among patients with acute respiratory illness-associated outpatient visits and hospitalizations from four VE networks during the 2024-25 influenza season (October 2024-February 2025). Among children and adolescents aged <18 years, VE against any

In late January 2025, CDC received anecdotal reports of children with influenza-associated acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE), a severe form of influenza-associated encephalopathy or encephalitis (IAE), including several fatal cases. In response, CDC examined trends in the proportions of cases with IAE among influenza-associated pediatric deaths reported during the 2010-11 through 2024-25 influenza

COVID-19 vaccination averted approximately 68,000 hospitalizations during the 2023-24 respiratory season. In June 2024, CDC and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended that all persons aged ≥6 months receive a 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine, which targets Omicron JN.1 and JN.1-derived sublineages. Interim effectiveness of 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccines was estimated against COVID-19-associated

In 2006, human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine was first recommended in the United States to prevent cancers and other diseases caused by HPV; vaccination coverage increased steadily through 2021, and increasing numbers of young women had received HPV vaccine as children or adolescents. Since 2008, CDC has monitored incidence of precancerous lesions (cervical intraepithelial neoplasia [CIN] grades 2-3

Wastewater surveillance is an important tool in the surveillance of emerging pathogens and has been leveraged during the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) virus outbreak in cattle and poultry in the United States. Interpretation of avian influenza A(H5) subtype detections in wastewater requires an understanding of human and animal contributors to the sewershed because current testing

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) virus, clade 2.3.4.4b, genotype B3.13 infection has been documented in cats on U.S. dairy cattle farms. In May 2024, the detection of HPAI A(H5N1) virus infection in two cats that were reported to be exclusively indoor, and that had respiratory and neurologic illness in different households, prompted an investigation by the Michigan Department of Health

Dengue, a mosquitoborne viral infection, is a public health threat in Puerto Rico, where multiple dengue virus (DENV) serotypes circulate. Dengue causes an acute febrile illness that can progress to severe disease or death. The last outbreak declared by the Puerto Rico Department of Health occurred during 2013. In January 2024, the number of dengue cases in Puerto Rico surpassed the epidemic threshold

A clade I monkeypox virus (MPXV) outbreak is ongoing in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; travel-associated clade I MPXV infections have been reported in non-African countries. In November 2024, San Mateo County Health in California identified an electronic laboratory report of polymerase chain reaction results suggestive of clade I MPXV infection in a male traveler who had recently returned from

Health care workers experience substantial chronic stress, burnout, and mental distress, and the COVID-19 pandemic might have exacerbated these conditions. To identify ways to improve mental health care-seeking among this population, mental health symptoms, care-seeking, and self-reported barriers to seeking mental health care among U.S. health care providers during the pandemic were studied. During

Workers in electronics waste and lamp recycling facilities are at risk of exposure to elemental mercury through inhalation of mercury vapor and mercury-containing dust. Employers at an electronics waste and lamp recycling facility in Ohio that crushes mercury-containing lamps expressed concerns about mercury exposure from work processes and requested a health hazard evaluation by CDC's National Institute

Before October 2024, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended use of a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) for all adults aged ≥65 years, as well as for those aged 19-64 years with risk conditions for pneumococcal disease who have not received a PCV or whose vaccination history is unknown. Options included either 20-valent PCV (PCV20; Prevnar20; Wyeth Pharmaceuticals) or