We are in the midst of the nation's worst flu season in recent decades. At least 24 million illnesses, 310,000 hospitalizations, and 13,000 influenza-linked deaths—including 57 children—have plagued the U.S. this season, according to the CDC. Flu-related emergency department visits necessitated the CDC's most severe 'very high' ranking as of Feb. 7, as did influenza virus activity in national wastewater samples.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill signed an extradition form Wednesday for a New York physician, she announced in a news release. Her action comes less than two weeks after a Louisiana grand jury indicted the doctor for prescribing and shipping abortion pills to the state. "We will take any and all legal actions to enforce the criminal laws of this state," Murrill wrote in her statement, adding that the extradition form was sent to Gov. Jeff Landry's office for his approval.
The U.S. confirmed at least a dozen deaths from whooping cough last year, according to preliminary figures released this week by the CDC. That marks the most fatalities from the bacterial infection since a 2017 surge of the illness, which is also known as pertussis.
Early CDC Data Suggests For the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, more people in the U.S. died of influenza than from COVID-19 in the week ending on Jan. 25, according to weekly figures published by the CDC. For the week ending on Jan. 25, nearly 1.7% of all deaths nationwide were attributed to the flu, compared to roughly 1.5% being the result of COVID-19, according to CDC data.
A federal judge has ordered federal health agencies to restore websites and datasets that were abruptly pulled down beginning in late January, prompting an outcry from medical and public health communities. The temporary restraining order was granted in response to a lawsuit filed against the federal government by Doctors for America, a progressive advocacy group representing physicians, and the nonprofit Public Citizen.
Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), which are infections contracted by patients during or soon after health treatment, are a serious threat to healthcare safety. The impacts of HAIs are detrimental and include sickness, death and billions of dollars in healthcare costs each year.