OUTBREAKS AND HEALTH THREATS +++

OUTBREAKS AND HEALTH THREATS The Hill: Gavin Newsom Adds California To WHO's Global Outbreak Alert Group California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced just one day after the U.S. officially withdrew from the World Health Organization (WHO) that his state would become the first to join the organization’s Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network, in a seeming rebuke of the Trump administration’s withdrawal from international collaborations. Newsom traveled this week to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where he was scheduled to speak at an event but was canceled at the last moment. During his trip, he met with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. (Choi, 1/23) https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5703447-who-gavin-newsom-california/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8bIEcuD3EWY4KMsORNnoVlp139jkHxiqPXTYwLs6fmaDBkXrdwlGjFFTP534z7LZYS3xO0rPP-hF8mFznLklowWt0D1A&_hsmi=400350224&utm_content=400350224&utm_source=hs_email CIDRAP: South Carolina’s Measles Outbreak Hits 700 Cases As CDC Confirms 416 So Far In 2026 The South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH) today confirmed 54 new measles cases in just three days, raising the size of its outbreak, which DPH first reported in October, to 700 cases. The news comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed 416 total US cases so far this month—an increase of 245 infections in the past week—and as US health officials downplay the burgeoning outbreak and the key role that vaccines play in preventing illness. (Wappes, 1/23) https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/measles/south-carolina-s-measles-outbreak-hits-700-cases-cdc-confirms-416-so-far-2026?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8_crbI_b9XBkqNcqMiuGVk6hPHPyXmvVsNCmQXkDkGyHNLYDZCVKEy4Trm0DkIqGWVpwghtTsws_m0xZcJs4TlMXw9yQ&_hsmi=400350224&utm_content=400350224&utm_source=hs_email ABC News: Flu Activity Nationwide Declines But ER Visits For School-Aged Kids Increasing: CDC Flu activity is starting to decline nationwide, according to newly released data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC estimated on Friday that there have been at least 19 million illnesses, 250,000 hospitalizations and 10,000 deaths from flu so far this season. Currently, seven states are seeing "very high" levels of flu-like illnesses while 23 states are seeing "high" levels, CDC data shows. (Benadjaoud, Zhang, and Kekatos, 1/23) https://abcnews.go.com/Health/flu-activity-nationwide-declines-er-visits-school-aged/story?id=129487936&utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_ZtlBslCCQU7FEJc1VDpg5bDKUrAlVwUgM5YdVypXIcIEvx6-0o12hHWYV9Ms0BFUcRToST_SI2qhvXefDEwxbKW4pWw&_hsmi=400350224&utm_content=400350224&utm_source=hs_email