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Alexander Tin@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social |
715 followers 746 following 827 posts
Reporting for CBS News in D.C. on federal public health agencies. Raised in sunny Nevada. Email TinA@CBSNews.com, ask for Signal.
More places you can find me: github.com/tinalexander
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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If U.S. needed to ramp up production of bird flu vaccines, would it delay seasonal flu shots?
Vaccinemakers told HHS last month that for now
"manufacturing window to produce more H5N1 or H5N8 is there because our seasonal production has finished"
tinalexander.github.io/notes/2024/0...
0 replies 0 reposts 2 likes
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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These docs from last year say agency was planning on deciding over safety of these sunscreen ingredients "in the near future"
"PCPC stated sunscreen ingredients are safe. In response, FDA stated the safety of sunscreens has not yet been established"
www.regulations.gov/document/FDA...
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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Another concern is that these studies would run afoul of Europe's ban of testing cosmetics on animals
But agency said
"Europe does not bar PCPC from marketing sunscreens that have undergone animal testing to address FDA regulation of sunscreens"
www.regulations.gov/document/FDA...
1 replies 1 reposts 0 likes
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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Sunscreen makers have voiced frustration over animal testing required to address FDA's concerns
One concern has been it could create "confounding" data, but agency argued these studies are
"routinely recommended for topical (dermal) drug products"
www.regulations.gov/document/FDA...
1 replies 0 reposts 1 likes
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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A reminder FDA said would delay a proposal to effectively pull several common sunscreen ingredients from market, if industry studied concerns
Proposal would have left only zinc oxide & titanium dioxide as "generally recognized as safe and effective"
www.fda.gov/drugs/unders...
1 replies 1 reposts 1 likes
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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Update from FDA's talks with sunscreen industry over ingredients it worries might not be safe
Records show agency rebuked industry proposal to use an alternatives to animal testing for safety studies, warning validation would take "years and years"
www.regulations.gov/document/FDA...
1 replies 1 reposts 3 likes
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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New draft recs by FDA for drugmakers looking to correct misinfo, including many updates from 2014 (e.g. adding "influencer")
FDA Commissioner Robert Califf says updates to help industry "promptly and proactively" address misinfo, warns of "growing spread of rumors"
www.fda.gov/news-events/...
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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What's different about H5N1 strain now spreading in dairy farms, versus previous bird flu viruses?
Now published today in Nature from NIH-backed researchers
"virus may have the ability to bind to cells in the upper respiratory tract of humans"
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
1 replies 10 reposts 23 likes
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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www.cbsnews.com/news/florida...
1 replies 2 reposts 7 likes
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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CDC now says in this week's respiratory virus data report:
"Some areas of the country are experiencing consistent increases in COVID-19 activity"
www.cdc.gov/respiratory-...
bsky.app/profile/alex...
1 replies 4 reposts 7 likes
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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This summer's COVID-19 surge isn't just out west, per new CDC figures out today
COVID-19 emergency room visits in Florida have also climbed steeply in recent weeks, and are now near this past winter's peaks
covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-t...
2 replies 48 reposts 80 likes
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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Per new CDC SARS-CoV-2 variant projections
Nationwide picture similar to last update, with KP.3 in lead at 31.3% as of July 6
One new variant on rise is KP.4.1, which remains <2% across much of country but reached 17.9% as of June 22 in HHS Region 6
covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-t...
0 replies 3 reposts 4 likes
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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Per CDC's new report, both conjunctival and respiratory samples were taken from new Colorado bird flu case
But while case reported had only pink eye symptoms, sounds like only their respiratory sample turned out to test positive for H5 virus
www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/i...
1 replies 1 reposts 10 likes
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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You'll recall that CDC's flu officials have previously acknowledged that it might be difficult to get dairy workers to don masks and goggles, especially as temperatures get warmer this summer bsky.app/profile/alex...
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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More details from Colorado on new bird flu case:
- no household contacts developed symptoms
- not enough virus may be to blame for "inconclusive" testing results at state level
- farm had been given PPE, but unclear if worker was wearing it when exposed
tinalexander.github.io/notes/2024/0...
1 replies 0 reposts 4 likes
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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www.cbsnews.com/news/tattoo-...
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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What ever happened to FDA's plan to propose front-of-package nutrition labeling?
FDA's Jim Jones told WSJ event recently...
"we hope to have a proposed rule on the street for public to comment on this fall"
tinalexander.github.io/notes/2024/0...
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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www.cbsnews.com/news/covid-t...
0 replies 0 reposts 5 likes
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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It came as CDC says it is still too early to say whether this year's summer COVID-19 surge has actually arrived
"COVID-19 activity was lower than at any time since the start of the pandemic. Recent increases need to be considered from that baseline"
www.cdc.gov/respiratory-...
1 replies 0 reposts 4 likes
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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But you'll notice that COVID-19 trends are now looking like they are trending down in Hawaii
CDC's forecasters estimated last week that COVID-19 cases in one state -- Hawaii -- were "likely declining"
www.cdc.gov/forecast-out...
1 replies 0 reposts 8 likes
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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Last week, CDC's wastewater tracking of SARS-CoV-2 officially reached "high" across western states
Some of worst levels in this region have been in Hawaii, which has also been seeing COVID-19 ER visits higher than recent peaks
covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-t...
2 replies 20 reposts 37 likes
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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Studies by FDA of tattoo and permanent makeup inks are still finding contamination, this time with anaerobic bacteria
"no clear link between a product label claiming sterility and the actual absence of bacterial contamination"
asm.org/Press-Releas...
1 replies 1 reposts 1 likes
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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BioFire's dashboard also has norovirus at higher levels than at this time last year
syndromictrends.com
But CDC's tally of norovirus outbreaks reported in NoroSTAT states was still plummeting to (the normally) low levels, as of early June
www.cdc.gov/norovirus/ph...
0 replies 0 reposts 1 likes
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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This now marks the fourth straight week of norovirus test positivity increasing
Per CDC's National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System
June usually marks one of the lowest points of year for this stomach bug
www.cdc.gov/nrevss/php/d...
1 replies 0 reposts 4 likes
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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An update from ASPR's Meghan Pennini on private insurance coverage of mpox vaccines, as commercial switchover looms
"while they’re not fully obligated right now, we are hearing that they do intend to cover, and we are hearing that there is coverage"
tinalexander.github.io/notes/2024/0...
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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Amid this year's bird flu outbreak, ASPR to fund $176M for "late-stage development" of Moderna's mRNA vaccine for H5N1
But don't expect it to be rolled out this year:
"timeline may change, but we anticipate starting phase three trials in 2025"
tinalexander.github.io/notes/2024/0...
0 replies 1 reposts 2 likes
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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You'll recall FDA said last month Diamond Shruumz brand chocolates tested positive for
- psilacetin (aka "synthetic shrooms")
- desmethoxyyangonin, dihydrokavain, kavain (aka Kava derivatives)
Company has blamed high levels of "muscimol" for recall
www.fda.gov/food/outbrea...
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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New from FDA and CDC on probe of those recalled "microdosing" Diamond Shruumz candies
- now 1 death being investigated
- 48 illnesses, 27 hospitalizations
- 24 states, adds FL, ND, OK, SD
www.cdc.gov/environmenta...
1 replies 2 reposts 1 likes
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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From CDC's Nirav Shah today on investigation of H5N1 detections in San Francisco Bay Area
"area is not known for its dairy industry. So that’s not high on our list of hypotheses. What is higher on the list is at least one or two live bird markets"
tinalexander.github.io/notes/2024/0...
0 replies 1 reposts 2 likes
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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CSL confirmed to us this week that they are also now in talks with FDA
"regarding the review and approval process. We will work to follow the necessary regulatory pathways for this pre-pandemic vaccine"
tinalexander.github.io/notes/2024/0...
0 replies 0 reposts 4 likes
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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A reminder CSL was tasked this month to fill-finish 4.8 million doses of H5N1 vaccine
ASPR's Dawn O'Connell confirmed to reporters today:
"timeline continues to hold, and we will begin seeing the doses middle of July continuing to roll off through August"
tinalexander.github.io/notes/2024/0...
2 replies 1 reposts 4 likes
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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Why antivirals instead of bird flu vaccine?
CDC's Shah told reporters today:
"if our goal is to reduce the number of infections that may occur, we have to wonder whether vaccination is the best route for that"
tinalexander.github.io/notes/2024/0...
2 replies 1 reposts 2 likes
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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As shots near completion, talks have now begun on whether to vaccinate U.S. dairy workers for bird flu
Per CDC's Nirav Shah, decision will hinge on:
- expected demand, given perceived severity
- whether antivirals will achieve goal better
tinalexander.github.io/notes/2024/0...
3 replies 6 reposts 12 likes
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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As agricultural fairs get underway this summer, USDA has updated its guidance on bird flu outbreak in dairy cows to include a new plea
"CDC recommends fair organizers stock and use NIOSH approved PPE, if needed"
www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/defaul...
0 replies 5 reposts 10 likes
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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USDA has urged dairy farms to step up "biosecurity" precautions to curb spread of H5N1
Rosemary Sifford of APHIS told reporters:
"in all of the herds that we have found to be affected, we have found epidemiological links to other herds"
tinalexander.github.io/notes/2024/0...
0 replies 0 reposts 2 likes
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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Why can't we vaccinate cows for bird flu?
USDA said this week:
"challenging" to develop and "going to take some time"
still hoping "we will be able to eliminate this disease from the dairy herd in the absence of a vaccine"
tinalexander.github.io/notes/2024/0...
2 replies 2 reposts 6 likes
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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So what about aerosol route?
USDA later told reporters, of herds investigated with H5N1 infection:
"We have no evidence of respiratory transmission in any case involving dairy cattle."
tinalexander.github.io/notes/2024/0...
0 replies 3 reposts 9 likes
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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Update from USDA this week on their lab study of infecting cows with H5N1:
- evaluated aersol and intrammamary route
- "can be replicated" via intramammary route
- additional data "in the not too distant future"
tinalexander.github.io/notes/2024/0...
1 replies 4 reposts 7 likes
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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FDA also announced this week it will launch studies
"to assess the survival of H5N1 HPAI virus in raw milk cheeses under various parameters over the aging process"
www.fda.gov/media/179559...
0 replies 0 reposts 1 likes
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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Do we know if any of the H5N1 infected herds so far were supplying raw milk for cheese?
USDA's Eric Deeble said this week
"We don’t have any herds that are known to be infected that are contributing to raw milk supply off farm"
tinalexander.github.io/notes/2024/0...
1 replies 0 reposts 1 likes
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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FDA's Don Prater said it will be "several weeks for the results to be published" which will include raw milk cheese and other products
"We do plan to sample approximately 155 dairy products as part of this next round of sampling."
tinalexander.github.io/notes/2024/0...
1 replies 0 reposts 1 likes
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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We know raw milk is even more of a risk during this year's bird flu outbreak, but what about raw milk cheese?
FDA says it now plans to test retail samples of this product for H5N1 as well, as this year's outbreak in dairy cows continues to grow
www.fda.gov/food/alerts-...
1 replies 2 reposts 3 likes
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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www.cbsnews.com/news/covid-v...
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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LB.1's rise comes as we've seen trends climb highest so far out west, at or near "high" levels by CDC's benchmarks
But LB.1's prevalence looked to be largest on opposite coast in New York and New Jersey area (aka HHS Region 2) at 30.9% thru June 8
covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-t...
1 replies 0 reposts 3 likes
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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So far, CDC says of the new LB.1 variant of SARS-CoV-2 that's been on the rise:
"currently no evidence that KP.3 or LB.1 cause more severe disease"
tinalexander.github.io/notes/2024/0...
1 replies 1 reposts 3 likes
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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You'll recall Puerto Rico declared an emergency earlier this year over record dengue surge there
Some U.S. states have also reported local transmission in recent years. Florida reported its eighth locally acquired case of 2024 this week
www.floridahealth.gov/diseases-and...
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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From CDC today warning of increased dengue risk, in wake of record surge this past summer across South America
"a higher-than-expected number of dengue cases have been identified among U.S. travelers (745 cases) from January 1 – June 24, 2024"
emergency.cdc.gov/han/2024/han...
1 replies 0 reposts 1 likes
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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So far this year, 403 cases have been reported to CDC of streptococcal toxic schock syndrome
That's not far off from 412 cases that were reported by this time last year, but is far higher than ~200 that were reported by this week in 2019 and 2018
wonder.cdc.gov/nndss/static...
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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Out this month from PAHO and WHO about surges of invasive group A strep in some Latin American countries
Chile has been tracking outbreak this year, Argentina through end of last year saw rates of invasive group A strep dwarfing past years
www.paho.org/en/documents...
1 replies 1 reposts 1 likes
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Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
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This week, CDC announced it has closed investigation into counterfeit or mishandled Botox
"Overall, 13 (76%) people were hospitalized and 6 (35%) were treated with botulism antitoxin because of concerns that the botulinum toxin could have spread"
www.cdc.gov/botulism/out...
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