Season’s Second Flu Death Reported in San Diego

San Diego, California - A 70-year-old woman is the second person to die from the flu in the region this season, the County Health and Human Services Agency announced today.

FDA’s updates to Medical Device Safety Action Plan to enhance post-market safety

Washington, DC - In April of this year, the FDA released its Medical Device Safety Action Plan: Protecting Patients, Promoting Public Health, which described recent actions we’ve taken to enhance device safety and outlined our vision for how the agency can build on these initiatives to further assure the safety and effectiveness of medical devices. We continue to modernize our approach to device safety. After carefully considering public feedback, we’ll be announcing in a series of updates several important new actions that will help the FDA continue to enhance our nationwide post-market surveillance system; address new safety concerns that emerge once a device is on the market; and encourage innovations that lead to safer medical devices.

Local Flu Cases Behind Last Year’s Pace

San Diego, California - Even though fewer flu cases are being reported this season compared to last, the County Health and Human Services Agency is reminding San Diegans to get vaccinated to avoid getting sick.

Now is the Time to Get a Flu Shot

San Diego, California - Influenza cases are reported year-round. But the typical flu season starts at the end of October and could last until April or May of the following year.

Potential Tuberculosis Exposure at Lucky Lady Casino

San Diego, California - People who were at the Lucky Lady Casino on weekends between Feb. 23, 2018 and Sept. 30 may have been exposed to tuberculosis, the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency announced.

Genomic analysis offers insight into 2018 Nigeria Lassa fever outbreak

Washington, DC - A surge in Lassa fever cases in Nigeria in 2018 does not appear to be linked to a single virus strain or increased human-to-human transmission, according to a genomic analysis published in The New England Journal of Medicine. Multiple institutions collaborated on the report, including the African Center of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases at Redeemer’s University in Ede, Nigeria; the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts; the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California; and Tulane University in New Orleans, among others.