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The Dose: Respiratory viruses, listeria recall, and more public health news

By
Marisa Donnelly
|
October 30, 2024 3:22 PM
A man uses a vending machine containing naloxone, hygiene kits and other items.
New York City has launched public health vending machines to dispense free naloxone and fentanyl test strips. (Spencer Platt / Getty Images)

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Have questions, comments, or ideas for future topics? Email me at mdonnelly@healthbeat.org. I would love to hear from you.

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Time for something a little different. This week’s top 4 public health nuggets in New York — whether or not they made headlines — explained.

Respiratory viruses are low: Enjoy the lull

Covid-19 is minimal and continues to decline in New York. SARS-CoV-2 wastewater concentrations (a good proxy for Covid-19 infections) in New York are minimal, and most individual sites show some of the lowest wastewater levels they’ve experienced all year. Severe Covid-19 disease continues to decline in New York state — 2.92 hospitalizations per 100,000 persons. This is down from the summer peak of 6.5 in August.

A line chart shows Covid-19 wastewater activity levels in New York state.
New York state Covid-19 wastewater activity levels from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Wastewater Surveillance System. There are now 107 New York sites reporting data to CDC NWSS. (CDC NWSS)

While the state has not yet started its weekly flu and RSV reports for this respiratory season (we expect that to happen in the next week or two), the available data, like wastewater, indicate that influenza and RSV are low in New York.

Flu and RSV hospitalizations reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are also very low for New York state (0.1 hospitalizations per 100,000 persons). Your Local Epidemiologist National had a great explanation of why RSV is so low right now; head on over there for more info (spoiler: It’s returning to pre-pandemic patterns).

This chart shows New York Covid-19, influenza, and RSV hospitalizations.
New York Covid-19, influenza, and RSV hospitalizations reported as part of the CDC Resp-NET system. (CDC Resp-NET)

Now is a great time to get your fall vaccines. Updated Covid-19 vaccines are free throughout New York City; find locations here. Vaccination locations throughout the rest of New York state can be found here.

Rapid tests for multiple respiratory illnesses studied

Once the respiratory season starts heating up, you may be interested in knowing what virus you have if you get sick. Some brilliant City University of New York scientists are working on cutting-edge, multi-pathogen rapid tests for Covid-19, RSV, and influenza (with flu a and b subtyping). They are recruiting study participants:

  • Participation in the study involves completing surveys about your health. You will also have access to free at-home testing for Covid-19, RSV, and flu.
  • Here is a video about what you can expect from the study. If you would like to participate, send an email to recruitprotects@sph.cuny.edu with “Interested in CUNY Project PROTECTS - YLE” in the subject line for more info.
  • They are particularly looking for people ages 50 and older or those living with chronic health conditions, but anyone over 18 in the United States is eligible to join.

Overdose deaths decline in New York City

After four consecutive years of increases, overdose deaths in New York City decreased slightly in 2023. The latest report, explained by Healthbeat, found 3,046 deaths in 2023 compared to 3,070 deaths in 2022, representing a 1% decrease.

This graph shows the number of annual New York city overdose deaths from 2000 to 2023.
Number of annual New York City overdose deaths from 2000 to 2023.

Fentanyl remains a leading cause (80%) of overdose deaths in New York City. Xylazine, a non-opioid sedative often used in veterinary medicine, is also very common (31%).

What is driving this decrease? We don’t really know, but have a hunch it’s harm reduction. In nearly two years, New York City has distributed 440,000 naloxone kits and 63,000 fentanyl test kits. The city has also launched four public health vending machines to dispense free naloxone and fentanyl test strips.

  • Locations for those vending machines are found on this page.
  • There is also a hotline for individuals seeking support or treatment for substance use for themselves or their loved ones. Call or text 988, or visit nyc.gov/988 for 24/7, confidential support.

Listeria food recall: for your radar

Several schools in New York and New Jersey are among the sites that received ready-to-eat meat products that have since been recalled after listeria was detected at a processing plant in Oklahoma. The complete list of schools impacted is available here from USDA.

If your school is on here, don’t panic – USDA is in contact with them to pull the ready-to-eat meat. And, thus far, there have been no human cases of illness. This recall was done out of precaution in response to routine testing that detected listeria.

Listeria is a potentially dangerous bacteria known to cause food-borne outbreaks. This detection prompted the USDA to recall more than 11.7 million pounds of products. Currently, the recommendation is for commerce and businesses to remove the products from circulation.

Bottom line

You’re now caught up with public health in our state. See you next week.

Love,

Your Local Epidemiologist

Dr. Marisa Donnelly, a senior epidemiologist with wastewater monitoring company Biobot Analytics, has worked in applied public health for over a decade, specializing in infectious diseases and emerging public health threats. She holds a PhD in epidemiology and has led multiple outbreak investigations, including at the California Department of Public Health and as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Marisa has conducted research in Peru, focusing on dengue and Zika viruses and the mosquitoes that spread them. She is Healthbeat’s contributing epidemiologist for New York in partnership with Your Local Epidemiologist, a Healthbeat supporter. She lives in New York City. Marisa can be reached at mdonnelly@healthbeat.org.

Dr. Marisa Donnelly

Your Local Epidemiologist in New York

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