Update on Infectious Disease Threats: What You Need to Know
Information about various infectious diseases is constantly evolving. I am hoping to summarize some of that in these newsletters. New information will be in BOLD!
COVID-19
General Information
An article in the Journal of Infectious Disease found that the updated mRNA COVID-19 vaccine of 2024/25 provided moderate protection against severe COVID-19, especially in seniors.
The Journal of Nutrition recently printed an article that Vitamin D3 did NOT seem to improve your infection if you got COVID-19, but it did reduce your likelihood of developing Long Covid.
There is a new SARS-Cov-2 variant of concern: it's called "Cicada" and is highly mutated compared to previous versions of the Covid virus. Although it is still less common in the U.S., numbers are increasing. And it represents up to 30% of the variants found in Europe. Stay tuned until we know more...
The antidepressant called "fluvoxamine" (but not the diabetes drug metformin!) was found to help with the fatigue associated with Long Covid. (Annals of Internal Medicine)
Other Infectious Diseases:
FLU:
Unfortunately, it seems like the most recent flu vaccine did not work as well as we were hoping: in fact, it was the least protective flu shot in the last 20 years! This was due to a new strain of influenza that caused people to get ill and that had not been included in the vaccine when it was formulated at the end of the last flu season.
RSV:
A recent study found that Pfizer's RSV vaccine is more than 90% effective in older adults in preventing the disease (Clinical Infectious Diseases).
MEASLES:
Before the measles vaccine became available in 1963, 3 to 4 million people in the U.S. were infected with measles each year, 48,000 ended up in the hospital, 400-500 died.
There is NO scientific evidence that measles vaccines lead to autism, cancer, or heart disease.
There are now over 1,362 cases of measles in the U.S. since the beginning of the year (96% of these were not fully vaccinated; 80% among kids and teens). I feel a little bit like when I was first reporting on the COVID pandemic and was giving weekly updates of ever-rising numbers of infected folks. That is getting a bit repetitive now...I think you get it that the situation is out of control...
POLIO:
The CDC is now warning all international travelers to make sure their polio vaccinations are up to date. This follows a new "level 2" travel advisory based on multiple reports of lio outbreaks in parts of Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. Countries with outbreaks include Germany, Spain, the U.K., and Israel. Adults, who have completed the full vaccination series in the past, are recommended to have a single booster that should last them for the rests of their lives.
OTHER MEDICAL NEWS:
A recent article in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology discussed diet and the prevention of heart disease. I think there has been too much hype made around the specific amounts of protein, fats, or carbohydrates that we should be consuming. Rather, we should concentrate on prior recommendations made by the Mediterranean diet, the DASH diet, and healthy plant-based eating index. For most people, a well-rounded diet of whole foods makes sense. I hold with Michael Pollan who recommended to "eat real food...not too much...mostly plants."
This should not come as a surprise to most of us, but a recent study looking at social media influencers promoting prescription medications found much misinformation and blurring of lines between personal testimony and paid promotions. And, of course, there is not much regulatory oversight of any of this. (JAMA Network Open). So, in case you were wondering, I don't get any money from any pharmaceutical company to promote any products 😀.
I recently saw this article about living long and well and it summarized many of the things I believe in; check it out!
About Dr. Sujansky's Life in These Times
I recently saw the show "Dear San Francisco" and I loved it. It is an acrobatics show (along the lines of Cirque Du Soleil), but so much more than just gymnastics! It was warm and funny and just perfect. I highly recommend (see picture below!). Also, the theater is in the North Beach part of San Francisco, so you MUST have dinner first at one of the delicious Italian restaurants...and possibly gelato after the performance. Needless to say, that's what I did!
Then, a few weeks ago, I did my (now annual) trip to the Baja Peninsula with a group of girlfriends. I also included some pictures of that below. It was "just what the doctor ordered" and included a massage, delicious food, shopping, and (perhaps) a margarita or two. Much as I love my husband and kids and love traveling with them, it is just a different experience traveling with a group of old (or should I say "long-time") friends who just get you. So this is another experience I highly recommend.
Happy Spring to everyone! I recently read an article that said that autumn was a more popular season than spring, which I just don't get. I love spring and the promise of warmer days ahead. I hope all of you can enjoy the season like I do!
