Read AMA Morning Rounds®’ most popular stories in medicine and public health from the week of July 27, 2026–July 31, 2026.
Number of measles cases in U.S. this year has already surpassed tally for all of 2025
The AP (7/24, Shastri) reports, “The number of measles cases in the U.S. has surpassed the record-breaking tally for all of 2025, with five more months of 2026 still to come.” The CDC “logged 2,318 cases of measles as of Thursday, according to an agency update on Friday.” The U.S. “had 2,289 cases in 2025, the worst year for measles in more than three decades.” This year has now “easily become the U.S.’s worst year for measles since 1991, as major outbreaks in South Carolina, Utah and Arizona have sickened hundreds and smaller clusters of cases sparked in other states.”
The Hill (7/24, Choi) reports that in a statement, Toluwalasè A. Ajayi, MD, board chair of the AMA, said, “As measles cases continue to surge across the U.S., now is the time to make sure you and your family are protected. Getting vaccinated remains our strongest defense against this disease that is both highly contagious and entirely preventable.”
Editor’s note: Read the AMA’s full statement urging the public to get vaccinated against measles as cases surge.
Survey finds 40% of adults are buying or eating less produce after cyclospora outbreak
The Hill (7/27, Fields) reports, “A poll released Sunday shows that 40% of U.S. adults are buying or eating less produce after the cyclospora outbreak.” Comparatively, according to the “survey results from CBS/YouGov, 4% of people said they are eating more produce.” Among respondents, 56% “said there has been no change in their diet.” Earlier this month, the FDA “launched an investigation into the outbreak.” About 47% “of survey participants say they do not trust the FDA to deal with the cyclospora outbreak, while 40% say they have some faith in the agency.” About 13% “of people said they have ‘a lot’ of trust in the FDA’s ability to get the outbreak under control.”
American Red Cross declares national blood supply crisis
The Washington Post (7/28, Wu) reports, “The American Red Cross declared a national blood supply crisis for only the second time in its history as blood donations fell to a four-year summer low, it said Monday.” The organization “has less than a one-day national supply of O-positive blood, the most commonly transfused blood type, and has begun limiting distributions of the blood to hospitals, it said.” The Post adds, “Extreme heat, poor air quality and the spread of foodborne illnesses all contributed to a lower donor turnout this summer, according to” the Red Cross.
You may also be interested in: What doctors want patients to know about donating blood.
Invasive mold infections may be more common than previously recognized
The AP (7/29, Stobbe) reports, “A first-of-its-kind U.S. study suggests invasive mold infections may be an underappreciated— and potentially deadly—threat.” The investigators “detected about 450 cases in Atlanta-area hospitals over five years. About a third of the patients died in the hospital.” They also “found that hospitals can expect to see 3 to 5 cases per year for every 100 inpatient beds. The rates were higher at larger academic hospitals that tend to see more complicated illnesses.” The findings (PDF), published this week by the CDC, “come from an attempt to better gauge how common these kinds of illnesses are.”
Time of day a patient receives flu vaccine does not impact effectiveness
Pharmacy Times (7/30, Ferruggia) reports that a cross-sectional study “found that the hour of day when a patient receives an influenza vaccine has no clinically meaningful bearing on how well that vaccine protects them.” Investigators came to this conclusion after conducting an analysis that “included adults 18 years and older who received a single dose of influenza vaccine between 7 am and 5 pm during 1 of 3 seasons spanning August 2023 through January 2026.” Altogether, “the cohort captured more than 23 million vaccinations administered to nearly 15.9 million individuals.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.
AMA Morning Rounds news coverage is developed in affiliation with Bulletin Healthcare LLC. Subscribe to Morning Rounds Daily.
