MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report
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MMWR Morb. Mortal. Wkly. Rep. · Sep 2013
Notes from the field: Department of Defense response to a multistate outbreak of fungal meningitis--United States, October 2012.
On October 1, 2012, the Department of Defense (DoD) learned of a multistate outbreak of fungal meningitis in persons who received injections of methylprednisolone acetate (MPA) from a single compounding pharmacy. Ten patients with fungal meningitis after epidural steroid injection (ESI) were initially identified in Tennessee and North Carolina. ⋯ However, clinics receiving implicated MPA lots were located throughout the United States, and active duty military service members and other DoD health-care beneficiaries could have been exposed through health-care services purchased outside of the DoD health-care system. Therefore, a timely method was needed to determine whether exposure to implicated MPA had occurred among DoD personnel who used purchased care.
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MMWR Morb. Mortal. Wkly. Rep. · Sep 2013
Notes from the field: electronic cigarette use among middle and high school students - United States, 2011-2012.
Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, are battery-powered devices that provide doses of nicotine and other additives to the user in an aerosol. Depending on the brand, e-cigarette cartridges typically contain nicotine, a component to produce the aerosol (e.g., propylene glycol or glycerol), and flavorings (e.g., fruit, mint, or chocolate). ⋯ Use of e-cigarettes has increased among U. S. adult current and former smokers in recent years; however, the extent of use among youths is uncertain.
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MMWR Morb. Mortal. Wkly. Rep. · Sep 2013
Vital signs: avoidable deaths from heart disease, stroke, and hypertensive disease - United States, 2001-2010.
Deaths attributed to lack of preventive health care or timely and effective medical care can be considered avoidable. In this report, avoidable causes of death are either preventable, as in preventing cardiovascular events by addressing risk factors, or treatable, as in treating conditions once they have occurred. Although various definitions for avoidable deaths exist, studies have consistently demonstrated high rates in the United States. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of U.S. deaths (approximately 800,000 per year) and many of them (e.g., heart disease, stroke, and hypertensive deaths among persons aged <75 years) are potentially avoidable. ⋯ National, state, and local initiatives aimed at improving health-care systems and supporting healthy behaviors are essential to reducing avoidable heart disease, stroke, and hypertensive disease deaths. Strategies include promoting the ABCS (aspirin when appropriate, blood pressure control, cholesterol management, and smoking cessation), reducing sodium consumption, and creating healthy environments.