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FOI Clinical

Featured issues

Gage Moreno

FOI Clinical - Issue 14

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Did you know? Students and trainees can get a 50% discount by writing to [email protected]

Welcome to the latest edition of FOI Clinical. Each week, we'll send you a briefing on outbreak news. When something urgent breaks, you'll get an alert the same day.

In this edition

Measles: World Cup preparedness - Mpox - Legionellosis update - Cyclosporiasis: seasonal watch - Coccidioidomycosis update - Hantavirus: MV Hondius ship evacuation and new cases 

National interest

Measles

CDC has confirmed 1,842 cases as of May 7, with 25 outbreaks across 39 jurisdictions and 93% of cases outbreak-associated. The combined January 2025–May 2026 total is now 4,130 cases across 47 jurisdictions, meaning nearly every state has seen cases or outbreaks. Ninety-two percent of patients are unvaccinated or of unknown vaccination status; 6% have been hospitalized (96 patients). Three deaths have been reported, all in 2025.

State updates

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Gage Moreno

Advisory: Andes Hantavirus – MV Hondius Cruise Ship Outbreak

As of May 7, 2026

Situation Summary

An outbreak of Andes hantavirus (Orthohantavirus andesense) is underway aboard the MV Hondius, a Dutch-flagged expedition cruise ship that departed Ushuaia, Argentina on April 1, 2026. As of May 7, there are 8 reported cases (5 laboratory-confirmed, 3 suspected), including 3 deaths. The virus has been confirmed as the Andes strain, the only hantavirus known to transmit person to person, by South Africa's National Institute for Communicable Diseases and Geneva University Hospitals.

The MV Hondius carried 147 people (88 passengers, 59 crew) of 23 nationalities, including 17 Americans. The ship is currently en route to Tenerife, Canary Islands, where it is expected to dock on May 11. Upon arrival, non-Spanish passengers will be repatriated; 14 Spanish nationals will be quarantined at a military hospital in Madrid.

A Swiss passenger who had disembarked and returned home was confirmed positive at University Hospital Zurich.

Several other reports are being investigated. Two Singaporean passengers (men in their 60s) are isolated at Singapore's National Centre for Infectious Diseases; one has a runny nose, the other is asymptomatic. A KLM flight attendant in the Netherlands has been hospitalized at Amsterdam UMC with mild symptoms who reportedly had contact with an infected passenger has been ruled out, according to Inside Medicine.

WHO assesses the global risk as low. WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus has stated that more cases may emerge in the coming weeks due to the virus's long incubation period (up to 8 weeks), but confirmed on May 7 that no additional passengers beyond the identified cases have reported symptoms. WHO has deployed an expert on board for a comprehensive medical assessment and arranged shipment of 2,500 diagnostic kits from Argentina to laboratories in five countries.

Origin

One hypothesis is that the Dutch couple who became the first two cases contracted the virus before boarding, during a bird-watching trip through Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay that included sites where the long-tailed pygmy rice rat (Oligoryzomys longicaudatus), the natural reservoir for Andes virus, is present.

Confirmed Case Summary

This table reflects publicly available details about reported cases, to the best of our knowledge. This information should be considered preliminary.

# Nationality Status Key details
1 Dutch, M, 70 Suspected; died (April 11) Died on board; probable index case. Death initially attributed to natural causes; posthumous confirmation pending.
2 Dutch, F, 69 Confirmed; died (April 26) Wife of case 1; flew from Saint Helena to Johannesburg on April 25; briefly boarded KLM Flight 592 but was removed before departure due to deteriorating condition; died at hospital the following day. Confirmed by NICD South Africa (PCR, May 4).
3 German, F Suspected; died (May 2) Died on board; developed fever on April 28 and presented with pneumonia. Cause of death under investigation.
4 British, M Confirmed; critical Evacuated from Ascension Island to South Africa on April 27. Confirmed by NICD South Africa. Transferred to Leiden University Medical Center (Netherlands).
5 May 5 evacuee Confirmed Confirmed at Radboud University Medical Center (Netherlands) by RIVM, May 7.
6 May 5 evacuee Confirmed Confirmed at Leiden University Medical Center (Netherlands), May 7.
7 May 5 evacuee Suspected Evacuated to Dusseldorf, Germany; reported not showing symptoms but evacuated due to close contact with case 3. Has since returned to Germany.
8 Swiss, M Confirmed Disembarked before outbreak recognized; confirmed Andes strain at University Hospital Zurich via Geneva HUG reference lab.

Illness onset ranged from April 6 to April 28. Clinical presentation has included fever, gastrointestinal symptoms, and rapid progression to pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and shock.

U.S. Passengers

The CDC stated on May 6 that "the risk to the American public is extremely low.” Former passengers are being monitored in at least three states:

  • Arizona: 1 resident under monitoring
  • Georgia: 2 residents  under monitoring
  • Texas: 2 residents under monitoring
  • Virginia: 1 resident under monitoring
  • California: Undisclosed number under monitoring

None have shown symptoms as of May 7.

Risk Assessment

Risk to the U.S. general public: extremely low.

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Gage Moreno

FOI Clinical - Issue 13

Welcome to the thirteenth edition of FOI Clinical. Each week, we'll send you a briefing on outbreak news. When something urgent breaks, you'll get an alert the same day.


In this edition

Measles - Mpox - Chikungunya update - Influenza season wrap-up - Legionnaires' disease: Wynn Las Vegas investigation - Cyclosporiasis - Coccidioidomycosis - Hantavirus cluster: MV Hondius cruise ship


National interest

Measles

CDC has confirmed 1,814 cases as of April 30, with 24 outbreaks and 93% of cases outbreak-associated.

  • Utah: Now the state with the most active measles transmission in the country. The outbreak reached 638 cases as of May 5, up from 602 two weeks ago. Approximately 10% of confirmed cases are breakthrough infections in vaccinated individuals. New exposure sites continue to be identified across the state, including hospitals, grocery stores, and dance studios.
  • Texas: 180 cases as of April 22, with the majority (75.6%) in Hudspeth County, likely concentrated in federal detention facilities.

Mpox

Mpox case counts remain elevated compared to last year, though the gap is gradually closing. As of the most recent reporting week, 501 cases have been reported year-to-date, compared to 312 cases at the same point in 2025, a roughly 60% increase. Nine cases were reported in week 16. The year-over-year difference has narrowed slightly over the past week.

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Gage Moreno

FOI Clinical - Issue 12

Welcome to the twelfth edition of FOI Clinical. Each week, we'll send you a briefing on outbreak news. When something urgent breaks, you'll get an alert the same day.

In this edition

Measles - Mpox (domestic) - Chikungunya - Coccidioidomycosis- VRSA in North Dakota - Petting zoo cryptosporidiosis in Rhode Island - Multi-state Salmonella Saintpaul - Rare disease reports - Mpox (international) - Avian influenza 

National interest

Measles

National measles continues its slow deceleration. The big milestone this week is in South Carolina.

  • South Carolina: The Upstate outbreak was officially declared over on April 27, 42 days after the last outbreak-associated case. The final count stands at 997 cases and at least 21 hospitalizations, centered around Spartanburg County, with the vast majority in unvaccinated children.
  • Utah: Now the state with the most active measles transmission in the country. The outbreak reached 625 cases as of April 28 (of which 428 have been recorded in 2026). The Southwest Utah health district near the Arizona border accounts for the largest share (260 cases), followed by Utah County (97) and TriCounty (71). Of those diagnosed, 531 (85%) were unvaccinated and 51 have been hospitalized. What started in small communities with low vaccination rates along the Arizona border has spread to every corner of the state. Since the outbreak began, MMR vaccine administrations in Utah have increased 31%. State kindergarten MMR coverage (88.6%) remains well below both the national average (92.5%) and the 95% herd immunity threshold.
  • California: 46 confirmed cases this year.
  • Texas: 180 cases this year as of April 22.
  • Oregon: 2 new confirmed cases bringing the total up to 22 for the year.

The U.S. measles elimination status will be reviewed in November. No measles-related deaths have been confirmed in 2026, but 98 patients have been hospitalized (6% of cases). Among all cases this year, 92% are unvaccinated or have unknown vaccination status.

Mpox

Mpox activity continues to track above last year. Through the week of April 18, there have been 478 cases reported nationally, compared to 282 at the same point in 2025, a 1.7x increase. Six cases were reported the week of April 18.

California remains the epicenter for domestic clade II transmission, averaging 14.5 cases per week, up from 5.8 in 2024 and 3.4 in 2025. CDPH is strongly encouraging vaccination for high-risk Californians, following a clade I case in San Francisco in an unvaccinated resident who was hospitalized after close contact with an international traveler.

CDC continues to assess the risk to the general population as low, and to men who have sex with men (MSM) as low to moderate.

Chikungunya update

Chikungunya is running ahead of seasonal expectations. National year to date cases reached 147 through the week of April 18, well above the prior-year pace, with Florida accounting for 135 (92%). Weekly cases rose to 3, against a near-zero historical baseline for this point in the year. The ongoing Cuba outbreak continues to drive travel-associated cases into South Florida. Miami-Dade County confirmed one locally acquired case earlier this year and remains under a mosquito-borne illness alert as temperatures rise. As mosquito season begins, the risk of additional local transmission increases. The FDA-approved IXCHIQ vaccine is available for travelers to endemic areas.

Regional interest

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Gage Moreno

FOI Clinical - Issue 11

Welcome to the eleventh edition of FOI Clinical. Each week, we'll send you a briefing on outbreak news. When something urgent breaks, you'll get an alert the same day.


In this edition

Measles - Mpox - Chikungunya update - Rotavirus - Haemophilus influenzae - Legionellosis: early season signal - Mpox global update


National interest

Measles

As of April 16, 2026, there have been 1,748 confirmed cases of measles this year across 33 jurisdictions, up 34 from last week's 1,714. Nineteen outbreaks have been reported, and 94% of confirmed cases (1,637 of 1,748) are outbreak-associated. The weekly pace continues to slow.

  • South Carolina: The outbreak centered around Spartanburg stands at 997 cases as of April 14, with no new outbreak-associated cases since March 17. The outbreak is set to be officially declared over on April 26, 42 days after the last case. However, a separate travel-associated case
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Gage Moreno

FOI Clinical - Issue 10

Welcome to the tenth edition of FOI Clinical. Each week, we'll send you a briefing on outbreak news. When something urgent breaks, you'll get an alert the same day.


In this edition

Measles - Mumps - Vector-borne disease season: Chikungunya and West Nile virus - Plague update – Trichophyton mentagrophytes genotype VII update - H9N2 - Mpox


National interest

As of April 9, 2026, there have been 1,714 confirmed cases of measles this year, up 43 from last week's 1,671, the smallest weekly increase of 2026. Thirty-three states have reported cases.

The deceleration should not be mistaken for the end of the resurgence. South Carolina's outbreak is effectively over with no new cases, and Florida has slowed. But Utah continues to accelerate, and Oregon is seeing a new cluster of locally acquired cases with no clear epidemiologic links, suggesting undetected community spread.

  • South Carolina: No new cases since the
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Gage Moreno

More on RSV activity

The 2025–2026 RSV season in the United States has followed an atypical trajectory. Elevated RSV activity did not begin until December 2025, and the season peaked in late February 2026, roughly 8 weeks later than the 2023–24 season. Peak hospitalization rates were lower than either of the two preceding seasons. As of late March 2026, RSV activity is declining nationally but remains elevated in several regions, particularly the Mountain West.

In response to the prolonged season, 48 of 66 federally funded immunization programs have extended nirsevimab (Beyfortus) eligibility through April 30, 2026.

Disease severity among hospitalized patients has been comparable to recent seasons. The shift is in timing, not in clinical presentation.

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Caitlin Rivers
Caitlin Rivers

FOI Clinical Issue 9

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Student Discount: Training in medicine or public health? FOI Clinical is available at 50% off for students and trainees. Just send a note to [email protected]. If you think your program or library should have institutional access, we'd love to hear from you.

Welcome to the ninth edition of FOI Clinical. Each week, we'll send you a briefing on outbreak news. When something urgent breaks, you'll get an alert the same day.


In this edition

Measles - Sexually transmitted Shigellosis - Typhus in California - Plague in New Mexico - Mpox in Germany

National interest

Measles

As of April 2, 2026, there have been 1,671 confirmed cases, up 96 from the week before. The largest case totals continue to be in South Carolina, Utah, Florida, and Texas, though Utah is currently a focal point for new transmission.

The rate of new cases has dwindled, with the South Carolina outbreak effectively over, and the outbreak in Florida slowed. However, this is not the end of the measles resurgence. New clusters will likely emerge in the weeks and months ahead.

  • South Carolina: No new cases have been reported since the week of March 8. If no new cases are reported, the outbreak is approximately two weeks away from being declared over.
  • Utah: Case counts are climbing rapidly in Utah. There have been 378 cases reported this year, bringing the outbreak total to 575. Another 60 cases were reported last week, double the number reported the week before. While the largest case totals continue to be in Southwest Utah (242), cases have been reporting in areas covered by 11 local health departments, including Utah County (87), Salt Lake County (60), TriCounty (56), and Central Utah (46). There have been more than two dozen exposure locations reported in the past few weeks, including at more than one Walmart location, multiple University of Utah buildings, and numerous clinics and hospitals.
  • Texas: As of April 1, there have been 175 confirmed cases. All five of the new cases are associated with federal detention facilities in Hudspeth County (135 total cases have been reported so far in federal detention facilities in the county).
  • Florida: New cases appear to be slowing in Florida; as of March 28, there were 144 confirmed cases, an increase of 1 from the week before. The vast majority of cases have been in Collier County (106); while 12 other counties have reported cases, the totals remain in the single digits.
  • Arizona: The outbreak along the border with Utah continues, rising to 77 for 2026, and 291 for the total outbreak. 11 new cases were reported in the last week in March.
  • North Dakota: As of April 1, 27 cases and 5 hospitalizations have been confirmed in the state this year. After several weeks with no reported cases, 5 were reported between March 23 and April 1, all in Ransom County. However, most cases so far this year in the state (23) have been associated with an outbreak in Pembina County. There have also been single cases reported in Williams, Traill, and Walsh Counties.
  • Oregon: 13 cases have been reported in the state this year, 6 since the start of March. The state did not report any cases in 2024 or 2025. Most of the reported cases appear to have been locally acquired, but have not been epidemiologically linked to each other, which suggests there is ongoing community spread that is not being detected.

Sexually transmitted shigellosis

Shigellosis is increasingly being reported as spreading through sexual networks, particularly among men who have sex with men (MSM). The UK Health Security Agency recently reported that in 2025, there were 2,560 cases of sexually transmitted shigellosis, a higher rate than in either of the prior two years.

Case reports are not currently elevated in the United States, according to data from the National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System.

Infection with one of four species of Shigella bacteria produces shigellosis. It is spread via the fecal-oral route, and can be acquired through contaminated food, water, or surfaces or through direct contact. Importantly, particularly for sexual transmission, bacterial shedding in stool can continue for roughly two weeks after symptoms resolve.

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Caitlin Rivers
Caitlin Rivers

FOI Clinical - Issue 8

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Student Discount: Training in medicine or public health? FOI Clinical is available at 50% off for students and trainees. Just send a note to [email protected]. If you think your program or library should have institutional access, we'd love to hear from you.

Welcome to the eighth edition of FOI Clinical. Each week, I'll send you a briefing on outbreak news. When something urgent breaks, you'll get an alert the same day.


In this edition

Measles - Mumps - Haemophilus influenzae - Tularemia in CA - Tetanus in CA - Hepatitis A in Italy


National interest

Measles

As of March 27, 2026, there have been 1,575 cases, up 88 from last week. The largest case totals continue to be in South Carolina, Utah, Florida, and Texas.

The rate of new cases has dwindled, with the South Carolina outbreak effectively over, and the outbreak in Florida slowed. However, this

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Caitlin Rivers
Caitlin Rivers

FOI Clinical - Issue 7

Welcome to the seventh edition of FOI Clinical. Each week, I'll send you a briefing on outbreak news. When something urgent breaks, you'll get an alert the same day.


In this edition

Measles - Seasonal respiratory illness update - Mpox in Missouri - Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in New York - Leptospirosis in Ohio, territories - Meningitis in the UK


National interest

Measles

As of March 19, 2026, there have been 1,487 confirmed cases of measles this year. Thirty-two states have reported cases. The largest case totals are in South Carolina, Utah, Florida, and Texas.

Several notable outbreaks are underway. The list below is not comprehensive, but rather a selection of prominent active clusters worth keeping in mind.

  • South Carolina: As of March 24, there have been 997 confirmed cases in a multi-county outbreak. There have been no new cases reported since the last edition of FOI Clinical.
  • Arizona/Utah: The outbreak in Utah is growing quickly. There have been 486 confirmed cases, an increase of 38 from last week. All local health departments in the state have reported cases, with the majority of cases reported in Southwest Utah (n = 233), Utah County (n = 78), Salt Lake County (n = 53), and Central Utah (n = 36). The virus is present in wastewater samples around the state, confirming active community spread. Exposed locations are listed here. The outbreak in Arizona is growing more slowly; there have been 2 new cases reported in the last week, raising the total for the outbreak to 280.
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Caitlin Rivers
Caitlin Rivers

FOI Clinical - Issue 6

Welcome to the sixth edition of FOI Clinical. Each week, I'll send you a briefing on outbreak news. When something urgent breaks, you'll get an alert the same day.


In this edition

Measles - Seasonal Respiratory Infections - Interim Flu VE - Expanded RSV Vax Approval - Hantavirus in New Mexico - Infant Formula Recall Outside US - Meningitis in the UK


National interest

Measles

As of March 12, 2026, there have been 1,362 confirmed cases of measles this year, up 81 from the week prior. Thirty-one states have reported cases. The largest case totals are in South Carolina, Utah, Florida, and Texas.

Several notable outbreaks are underway. The list below is not comprehensive, but rather a selection of prominent active clusters worth keeping in mind.

  • South Carolina: The multi-county outbreak in South Carolina has 997 confirmed cases to date. The outbreak has slowed considerably, with 7 new cases confirmed in the past two weeks.
  • Arizona/Utah: The apparent slowdown over the past couple of weeks was a mirage. Cases have shot up in Utah, with more cases reported during the last week in February (44) than in any prior week in the outbreak (data reporting is a few weeks delayed for the state). This brings the total for 2026 to 209 and the outbreak total to 405, meaning more cases have now been reported this year than last year. More than 150 people (nearly 40%) have gone to the emergency department for measles during this outbreak, according to the state's epidemiologist. Exposed locations are listed here. Increasing vaccination rates is proving challenging, particularly in the heavily-affected southwestern part of the state. In contrast, Arizona has not reported any new cases in March, and the total remains at 276 for the outbreak.
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Caitlin Rivers
Caitlin Rivers

FOI Clinical - Issue 5

Welcome to the fifth edition of FOI Clinical. Each week, I'll send you a briefing on outbreak news. When something urgent breaks, you'll get an alert the same day.


In this edition

Measles updates - H5N1 - Mumps - Seasonal respiratory viruses - Viral hemorrhagic fever


Measles

Latest epidemiology

As of March 5, 2026, there have been 1,281 confirmed cases, up 145 from the week prior. 31 states have reported cases so far this year. The largest case totals have been reported in South Carolina, Utah, Florida, and Texas.

Updates on Hotspots

Several notable outbreaks are underway. The list below is not comprehensive, but rather a selection of prominent active clusters worth keeping in mind.

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Caitlin Rivers
Caitlin Rivers

Seasonal Vaccine Effectiveness: What the Data Shows

Flu, Covid-19, and RSV vaccine effectiveness data for this season is starting to come in. FOI Clinical has pulled out the key numbers you need for patient counseling and end-of-season decision-making. These numbers can help you set realistic expectations with patients and answer the question, "did my flu shot even work?"

So far, effectiveness looks similar to a typical year, even with the emergence of the new H3N2 subclade K. As always, effectiveness depends on how well circulating strains match the vaccine composition.

Influenza

This season, adults: Canadian researchers estimated how well this season's flu vaccine is working against H3N2, the dominant flu strain circulating this season. Using data from four provinces, they found the vaccine reduced the risk of a doctor visit for H3N2 flu by roughly 40%. Like the United States, Canada predominantly uses egg-based vaccines.

This season, adults: UK Health Security Agency estimated around 75% effectiveness against

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Caitlin Rivers
Caitlin Rivers

Alert: Extensively Drug-Resistant Salmonella Linked to Moringa Powder Capsules

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is investigating a multistate outbreak of extensively drug-resistant Salmonella infections linked to Rosabella brand moringa powder capsules distributed by Ambrosia Brands, LLC.

Seven cases have been reported across seven states, with three hospitalizations and no deaths as of February 13. The outbreak strain is resistant to all first-line and alternative antibiotics commonly recommended for Salmonella, and carries an NDM-1 carbapenemase gene, meaning it may also be resistant to carbapenems. According to CDC, this is the first documented outbreak of Salmonella with an NDM-1 gene in the United States.

The capsules are sold in white plastic bottles with a green label, covering 52 lot codes with 2027 expiration dates. The product was available nationwide primarily through the company's website, Amazon, TikTok Shop, Shein, and eBay. The firm has agreed to a voluntary recall. Specific lot codes are available on FDA's website.

This is

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Caitlin Rivers
Caitlin Rivers

What to expect

FOI Clinical is a resource from the team behind Force of Infection, trusted by 46,000 readers for flu, Covid-19, RSV, and norovirus tracking.

We track outbreaks and disease activity, then send you detailed reports on what's relevant to your practice. 

Our track record

Force of Infection has run continuously since 2022, with readers in all 50 states and an 85% annual retention rate, which is far above the industry average for newsletters.

In it's first month, 96% of FOI Clinical survey respondents reported that the reports were useful. FOI Clinical has been featured in Medscape and NPR.

In September 2022, Force of Infection gave early warning of what became the tripledemic. In October 2025, we warned that the 2025–2026 flu season was shaping up to be big. We gave readers weeks of lead time before it hit the news or their communities.

During two protracted government shutdowns,

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