Hunters and globetrotters experiencing fever, headache, or joint pain might want to get checked out for a bacterial infection called brucellosis, according to a new paper in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report by researchers with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and their state partners.

The zoonotic disease is caused by bacteria of the Brucella genus. The authors seek to raise awareness of brucellosis, particularly among clinicians, public health workers, and people who engage in activities that put them at higher risk of infection.

From 2010 through 2024, a total of 1,796 confirmed and probable cases of brucellosis were reported to the CDC. The agency’s analysis was limited because just over half of the cases lacked supplemental report forms. But based on the available information, people who traveled internationally within the past six months were the most likely to report a brucellosis infection, especially if they ate unpasteurized dairy products or undercooked meat during the trip. Avoiding these foods is the best way to prevent infection. 

Hunting is a common exposure

Among those who did not travel internationally, the most common exposure was the hunting, skinning, or slaughtering of wild animals, including feral swine. To reduce risk, the CDC advises hunters to practice safe field-dressing techniques, such as wearing latex or rubber disposable gloves, using eye protection, and avoiding contact with animal fluids or organs.

The authors also noted that brucellosis symptoms are often nonspecific, “leading to underdiagnosis, underreporting, and delays in treatment.”

“Increasing awareness among providers and health officials, enhancing surveillance at the jurisdictional level, and improving how data are shared with CDC will help increase case ascertainment in the United States, which will guide future epidemiologic investigations and public health responses,” they wrote.

US internet searches for vitamin A and cod liver oil spiked after federal health officials and anti-vaccine celebrities endorsed them—without evidence—to prevent and treat measles amid the 2025 outbreak, researchers wrote in JAMA Network Open this week.

A team led by scientists at Boston Children’s Hospital examined daily relative search fractions (RSFs) on Google for vitamin A and measles and cod liver and measles from January to June 2025, following government media statements promoting these unproven therapies.

“Vitamin A may be administered under medical supervision to support measles recovery, but it does not prevent measles and can be toxic if dosed incorrectly,” the authors wrote. “The same applies to cod liver oil, which contains high levels of vitamin A. Between January and March 2025, America’s Poison Centers reported a 38.7% increase in vitamin A exposures.” 

Guidance unclear, distracted from proven treatments

Search interest in both vitamin A and cod liver oil was low until February 25, 2025. The RSF for vitamin A and measles rose to 44% on February 26, reaching 100% on March 22. This coincided with public statements promoting vitamin A as a measles treatment beginning on February 19. Similarly, the RSF for cod liver and measles peaked at 52.6% on March 5. 

Our findings underscore media’s influence on health-seeking behavior during public health emergencies like the measles outbreak.

Search interest in vitamin A was, on average, 7.5 percentage points higher than the counterfactual estimate after the statements, while interest in cod liver oil was 1.3 percentage points higher.

Despite evidence from America’s Poison Centers that some Americans did act on the advice, the study couldn’t determine whether the surge in interest translated to use of vitamin A or cod liver.

“Our findings underscore media’s influence on health-seeking behavior during public health emergencies like the measles outbreak, which is particularly concerning when guidance from trusted sources is unclear and may encourage detrimental behaviors at the expense of essential public health measures,” the researchers concluded. 

• Secretary of State Marco Rubio told US lawmakers at a congressional hearing yesterday that the State Department will “re-engage” with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to resolve a funding dispute. The department has been withholding $600 million in congressionally appropriated funds for the group over objections from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has criticized Gavi for its use of vaccines containing the preservative thimerosal. “Congress directed the State Department—not Secretary Kennedy—to work with Gavi, so I appreciate Secretary Rubio’s commitment to re-engage and move this issue toward a resolution,” said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), who has been working to get the funds released.
• Federal agents have charged two National Institutes of Health researchers (NIH) at the Rocky Mountain Laboratory with conspiracy to smuggle mpox virus into the United States and giving false statements to federal law enforcement. According to the charges, the two researchers arrived at Detroit Metropolitan Airport from the Republic of Congo on January 25 with a case containing 17 vials of deactivated mpox virus but told officers with Customs and Border Protection that the case contained only diagnostics and testing equipment. “The allegations in this case are serious. They involve the dangerous and unlawful smuggling of deactivated Mpox virus into the United States and alleged efforts to mislead our federal agents,” Jennifer Runyon, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Detroit Field Office, said in a press release.
• The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Initiatives (CEPI) said today it will provide up to $9.7 million in additional funding to Buffalo, New York–based POP Biotechnologies to support continued development of a platform that would help speed up development of nanoparticle-based vaccines against epidemic and pandemic threats. The funding will help the company advance its SNAP (Spontaneous Nanoliposome Antigen Particleization) protein vaccine platform into a phase 1 trial for a vaccine candidate targeting H5N1 avian influenza. Company officials say the platform, if successful, could also be used to quickly develop a vaccine for a future “Disease X.”