VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) — The number of confirmed measles cases near Portland grew to 31 on Friday — an outbreak boosted by lower-than-normal vaccination rates in what has been called an anti-vaccination U.S. “hot spot.” Read more. . 

Federal safety and health investigators have cited Altamont Ambulance Service Inc. in Fairview Heights, Ill., for workplace safety and health violations and fined the company $290,100.

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration said Altamont failed to follow specific guidelines to protect emergency healthcare workers from exposure to bloodborne pathogens and other hazards while providing patient care.

OSHA issued five willful, 16 serious and three other-than-serious safety and health violations to the emergency medical service provider. The agency opened inspections in January 2016, after receiving a complaint alleging violations of OSHA’s bloodborne pathogen exposure and various other health and safety standards.

Read more...
View the OSHA citations

During January 3–March 5, 2016, Zika virus testing was performed in the United States for 4,534 people who traveled to or moved from areas with active Zika virus transmission; 3,335 (73.6%) were pregnant women. Among 1,541 people who received testing and reported symptoms, 182 (11.8%) had confirmed Zika virus infection. Only seven asymptomatic pregnant women (0.3%) had confirmed Zika virus infection. These data suggest that in the current U.S. setting, the likelihood of Zika virus infection among asymptomatic people is low.

Read more here...

Sharoda Dasgupta, PhD; Sarah Reagan-Steiner, MD; Dana Goodenough, MPH; et al.
MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2016;65(Early Release)

Are Antibacterial Soaps Safe? Companies say there's no cause for alarm, but studies suggest they may be dangerous. Now the FDA is preparing to rule. 

Is the quest for clean doing more harm than good?

Read more...