Trending Clinical Topics for August 2018

Ryan Syrek

Disclosures

August 31, 2018

Each week, we identify one top search term, speculate as to what caused its popularity, and provide an infographic on a related condition. If you have thoughts about what's trending and why, feel free to share them with us on Twitter or Facebook!

Trending Clinical Topic of the Week (August 25-31): Measles

News regarding the spread of a largely preventable disease and recommendations for vaccination resulted in this week's top search term. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that more than 41,000 children and adults were infected with measles through the first 6 months of 2018. This total far exceeds the 12-month totals for every other year this decade. Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that no multistate outbreak of measles is currently ongoing in the United States, 124 individual cases of measles across 22 states and the District of Columbia have been recorded so far in 2018.

With a measles vaccine readily available, recommendations continue to emphasize the need for the adherence necessary for herd immunity and prevention. To prevent measles outbreaks, at least 95% immunization coverage with two doses of measles-containing vaccine is needed every year in every community. Women who are in the postpartum period should be immunized against measles-mumps-rubella (MMR), even if they are breastfeeding. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recently released an all-in-one resource to help obstetric care providers assess and meet the vaccine needs of pregnant and postpartum women. The ongoing outbreak and recommendations to avoid future such incidents helped make measles this week's trending clinical topic.

For more information on measles, read here.

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