Current hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing guidance recommends a two-step testing sequence for diagnosis of HCV infection. Performing an HCV RNA test whenever an HCV antibody test is reactive (complete testing) is critical to achieve national HCV elimination goals. When an HCV antibody test is reactive and no HCV RNA test is performed, testing is considered incomplete. Historically, approximately one

To understand trends in U.S. cannabis-involved emergency department (ED) visits (i.e., those for which cannabis use was documented in the chief complaint or a discharge diagnosis) among young persons aged <25 years during the COVID-19 pandemic, CDC used National Syndromic Surveillance Program data to examine changes in ED visits during 2019-2022. Mean weekly cannabis-involved ED visits among all young

This report describes the status of introductions globally for eight World Health Organization (WHO)-recommended new and underutilized vaccines, comprising 10 individual vaccine antigens. By 2021, among 194 countries worldwide, 33 (17%) provided all of these 10 WHO-recommended antigens as part of their routine immunization schedules; only one low-income country had introduced all of these recommended

Changing treatments and medical costs necessitate updates to hospitalization cost estimates for birth defects. The 2019 National Inpatient Sample was used to estimate the service delivery costs of hospitalizations among patients aged <65 years for whom one or more birth defects were documented as discharge diagnoses. In 2019, the estimated cost of these birth defect-associated hospitalizations in the

COVID-19 has disproportionately affected socially vulnerable communities characterized by lower income, lower education attainment, and higher proportions of minority populations, among other factors (1-4). Disparities in COVID-19 incidence and the impact of vaccination on incidence disparities by community income were assessed among 81 communities in Los Angeles, California. Median community vaccination

In 2022, provisional data indicated that more than two thirds (68%) of the reported 107,081 drug overdose deaths in the United States involved synthetic opioids other than methadone, principally illicitly manufactured fentanyls (IMFs) (1). Xylazine, a nonopioid sedative not approved for human use and with no known antidote, has been increasingly detected in IMF products in the U.S. drug supply* and

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are defined as preventable, potentially traumatic events that occur among persons aged <18 years and are associated with numerous negative outcomes; data from 25 states indicate that ACEs are common among U.S. adults (1). Disparities in ACEs are often attributable to social and economic environments in which some families live (2,3). Understanding the prevalence

Approximately 2.4 million adults were estimated to have hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in the United States during 2013-2016 (1). Untreated, hepatitis C can lead to advanced liver disease, liver cancer, and death (2). The Viral Hepatitis National Strategic Plan for the United States calls for ≥80% of persons with hepatitis C to achieve viral clearance by 2030 (3). Characterizing the steps that follow

Although reinfections with SARS-CoV-2 have occurred in the United States with increasing frequency, U.S. epidemiologic trends in reinfections and associated severe outcomes have not been characterized. Weekly counts of SARS-CoV-2 reinfections, total infections, and associated hospitalizations and deaths reported by 18 U.S. jurisdictions during September 5, 2021-December 31, 2022, were analyzed overall

E-cigarette products, related policies, and use patterns change rapidly. In the United States, the prevalence of e-cigarette use is markedly higher among youths and young adults than it is among adults overall. In 2021, 4.5% of all adults aged ≥18 years (an estimated 11.1 million) and 11.0% of young adults aged 18-24 years (an estimated 3.1 million) currently (≥1 day during the previous 30 days) used

During 2013, the 11 countries of the World Health Organization (WHO) South-East Asia Region* (SEAR) adopted the goals of measles elimination and rubella and congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) control† by 2020. During 2019, SEAR countries declared a broader goal for eliminating both measles and rubella§ by 2023 (1). Before 2013, only five SEAR countries had introduced rubella-containing vaccine (RCV)

Nursing home residents have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic; their age, comorbidities, and exposure to a congregate setting has placed them at high risk for both infection and severe COVID-19-associated outcomes, including death (1). Receipt of a primary COVID-19 mRNA vaccination series (2) and monovalent booster doses (3) have been demonstrated to be effective in reducing

Throughout the national public health emergency declared in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, CDC, guided by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), has offered evidence-based recommendations for the use of COVID-19 vaccines in U.S. populations after each regulatory action by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). During August 2022-April 2023, FDA amended its Emergency Use Authorizations

CDC has used national genomic surveillance since December 2020 to monitor SARS-CoV-2 variants that have emerged throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, including the Omicron variant. This report summarizes U.S. trends in variant proportions from national genomic surveillance during January 2022-May 2023. During this period, the Omicron variant remained predominant, with various descendant lineages reaching

Depression is a major contributor to mortality, morbidity, disability, and economic costs in the United States (1). Examining the geographic distribution of depression at the state and county levels can help guide state- and local-level efforts to prevent, treat, and manage depression. CDC analyzed 2020 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data to estimate the national, state-level, and

More than 30,000 monkeypox (mpox) cases were reported in the United States during the 2022 multinational outbreak; cases disproportionately affected gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM). Substantial racial and ethnic disparities in incidence were also reported (1). The national mpox vaccination strategy* emphasizes that efforts to administer the JYNNEOS mpox vaccine should be focused

As of May 7, 2023, CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends that all children aged 6 months-5 years receive at least 1 age-appropriate bivalent mRNA COVID-19 vaccine dose. Depending on their COVID-19 vaccination history and history of immunocompromise, these children might also need additional doses* (1-3). Initial vaccine safety findings after primary series vaccination

Since the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) was established in 1988, the number of wild poliovirus (WPV) cases has declined by >99.9%, and WPV serotypes 2 and 3 have been declared eradicated (1). By the end of 2022, WPV type 1 (WPV1) transmission remained endemic only in Afghanistan and Pakistan (2,3). However, during 2021-2022, Malawi and Mozambique reported nine WPV1 cases that were genetically

Changes in testing behaviors and reporting requirements have hampered the ability to estimate the U.S. SARS-CoV-2 incidence (1). Hybrid immunity (immunity derived from both previous infection and vaccination) has been reported to provide better protection than that from infection or vaccination alone (2). To estimate the incidence of infection and the prevalence of infection- or vaccination-induced

Approximately 2.4 million persons in the United States have hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, and 66,700 acute HCV infection cases were estimated for 2020 (1,2). American Indian or Alaska Native (AI/AN) persons are disproportionately affected by HCV infection and experienced the highest rates of acute HCV infection (2.1 cases per 100,000 persons) and HCV-associated mortality (10.17 per 100,000 persons)

Drinking water fluoridated at the level recommended by the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) reduces dental caries (cavities) by approximately 25% in children and adults (1). USPHS recommends fluoride levels to achieve oral health benefits and minimize risks associated with excess fluoride exposure. To provide the benefits of community water fluoridation, water systems should target a level of 0.7

On September 1, 2022, CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended a single bivalent mRNA COVID-19 booster dose for persons aged ≥12 years who had completed at least a monovalent primary series. Early vaccine effectiveness (VE) estimates among adults aged ≥18 years showed receipt of a bivalent booster dose provided additional protection against COVID-19-associated emergency

During May 10-December 31, 2022, a total of 29,980 confirmed and probable† U.S. monkeypox (mpox) cases were reported to CDC, predominantly in cisgender adult men reporting recent same-gender sexual partners (1). Urban-rural differences in health (2) and diagnosis of HIV (3,4) and other sexually transmitted infections (5) are well documented nationally. This report describes urban-rural differences

More than 30,000 monkeypox (mpox) cases have been diagnosed in the United States since May 2022, primarily among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) (1,2). In recent months, diagnoses have declined to one case per day on average. However, mpox vaccination coverage varies regionally, suggesting variable potential risk for mpox outbreak recurrence (3). CDC simulated dynamic network

In 2022, an international Monkeypox virus outbreak, characterized by transmission primarily through sexual contact among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM), resulted in 375 monkeypox (mpox) cases in the state of New York outside of New York City (NYC).*,† The JYNNEOS vaccine (Modified Vaccinia Ankara vaccine, Bavarian Nordic), licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Monkeypox (mpox) is a serious viral zoonosis endemic in west and central Africa. An unprecedented global outbreak was first detected in May 2022. CDC activated its emergency outbreak response on May 23, 2022, and the outbreak was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on July 23, 2022, by the World Health Organization (WHO),* and a U.S. Public Health Emergency on August 4, 2022

As of March 31, 2023, more than 30,000 monkeypox (mpox) cases had been reported in the United States in an outbreak that has disproportionately affected gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender persons (1). JYNNEOS vaccine (Modified Vaccinia Ankara vaccine, Bavarian Nordic) was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2019 for the prevention of smallpox

In 2020, approximately 21.5 million employed U.S. adults aged 18-64 years had some form of disability. Although 75.8% of noninstitutionalized persons without disability aged 18-64 were employed, only 38.4% of their counterparts with disability were employed (1). Persons with disability have job preferences similar to persons without disability but might encounter barriers (e.g., lower average training

When the U.S. COVID-19 public health emergency declaration expires on May 11, 2023, national reporting of certain categories of COVID-19 public health surveillance data will be transitioned to other data sources or will be discontinued; COVID-19 hospitalization data will be the only data source available at the county level (1). In anticipation of the transition, national COVID-19 surveillance data

On January 31, 2020, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) declared, under Section 319 of the Public Health Service Act, a U.S. public health emergency because of the emergence of a novel virus, SARS-CoV-2.* After 13 renewals, the public health emergency will expire on May 11, 2023. Authorizations to collect certain public health data will expire on that date as well. Monitoring the

Since the World Health Assembly established the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) in 1988, two of the three wild poliovirus (WPV) serotypes (types 2 and 3) have been eradicated, and global WPV cases have decreased by more than 99.9%. Afghanistan and Pakistan remain the only countries where indigenous WPV type 1 (WPV1) transmission has not been interrupted. This report summarizes progress toward

In July 2021, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) laboratory identified a cluster of five Salmonella enterica serotype Thompson isolates related to one another within one allele difference, using whole genome multilocus sequence typing (wgMLST). These five isolates, submitted to the public health laboratory as is routine process for confirmatory testing of Salmonella, were

The U.S. adolescent mental and behavioral health crisis is ongoing,* with high pre-COVID-19 pandemic baseline rates† (1) and further increases in poor mental health (2), suicide-related behaviors (3), and drug overdose deaths (4) reported during 2020-2021. CDC examined changes in U.S. emergency department (ED) visits for mental health conditions (MHCs) overall and for nine specific MHCs,§ suicide-related