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Is flu season over? What helps allergies at home? Are there long-term effects of COVID? Do people get sick more often after COVID? Why kids should have phones?
AMA's Vice President of Science, Medicine and Public Health, Andrea Garcia, JD, MPH, discusses the ongoing measles outbreak, latest study on COVID and the immune system, managing seasonal allergies, plus a new study about kids' mental health and smartphone use. AMA Chief Experience Officer Todd Unger hosts.
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Speaker
- Andrea Garcia, JD, MPH, vice president, science, medicine & public health, American Medical Association
Transcript
Garcia: Among the interesting findings were that kids with smart phones reported higher self-esteem. They were less likely to feel depressed, and they were more likely to spend time with friends in person.
Unger: Hello and welcome to the AMA Update video and podcast. Today is our weekly look at the public health issues facing physicians and patients across the country with the AMA's Vice President of Science, Medicine and Public Health, Andrea Garcia. I'm Todd Unger, AMA's chief experience officer. Welcome back, Andrea.
Garcia: Thanks, Todd. Good to see you. Great to be here.
Unger: Well, let's start off with something we've been covering for the past several weeks. Of course, that is the measles outbreak in Texas. Cases have continued to climb there. And a number of neighboring states as well. Andrea, where do things currently stand?
Garcia: Well, unfortunately, since we last spoke, cases in this outbreak have surged to nearly 600. As of last Tuesday, there were 505 cases in Texas. That is up from 481 the week before. Also, as of last Tuesday, there were 56 cases in New Mexico and eight confirmed cases in Oklahoma. One of the reasons for that jump in cases over the last few days was an outbreak at a daycare in Lubbock, Texas, where seven cases have been identified.
Unger: That's not good news. Do we have any more details about the daycare outbreak?
Garcia: Well, the Lubbock Public Health Department did share some additional information. We know that most children at that daycare had received at least one dose of the MMR vaccine. However, the Department said that some children with just one dose are among those who have tested positive. It's also shared that it's now recommending that any child with only one dose of the vaccine get their second dose early. And they're also recommending that kids in Lubbock County get that first dose at six months old, rather than waiting until one year.
Unger: All right. Well, thank you for that update. Unfortunately, this measles outbreak wasn't the only thing making headlines last week. There were also stories about cases in Indiana and Colorado. What's going on there?
Garcia: Well, that's right, Todd. Last week, Indiana saw its first case of measles for the year. Colorado saw two additional cases. In Indiana, those cases actually quickly rose to six. We have four minors who are unvaccinated, two adults whose vaccination status is unclear. And we do know that those cases are linked to each other.
In Colorado, the second case is a child under the age of one who had recently traveled outside of the U.S. and is too young to get vaccinated. The third case in Colorado was an adult whose vaccination status has not been confirmed. We do know that adult did not travel internationally. So because this third case in Colorado doesn't appear to be linked to the other cases and did not involve travel outside of Colorado, it does leave open the possibility of community transmission there.
Unger: Absolutely. And we'll have to make sure to circle back to that when we know more. It's also been a few weeks since we checked in on flu and COVID and RSV cases as we emerge into the spring. Is there anything else that we need to know there?
Garcia: Well, thankfully, after a pretty severe flu season, cases have continued to decline. According to the CDC, for the seventh week in a row, indicators are showing that flu is actively dropping. Cases are still above baseline levels. They have been for 18 straight weeks, so flu is still something to be mindful of. We're still seeing cases out there. The CDC is expecting several more weeks of flu activity ahead.
As for COVID, those wastewater levels nationally are low, which they typically are this time of the year, before they start to surge again in the summer. And then when it comes to RSV, wastewater levels nationally are very low. So overall, we are trending in the right direction.
Unger: That's good news. And while we're on the topic of COVID, there was a study earlier this month about how it can put you at risk for other infections. Andrea, what's the news there?
Garcia: Yeah, Todd, that study that you're referring to was published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, and it found that people who tested positive for COVID had a greater risk of being diagnosed with other infections in the following 12 months. And this was the case even if that initial COVID infection was mild to moderate.
So the study examined patient records for 65 different lab tests for infectious diseases in the 30 days to 12 months following a documented COVID infection. For patients with COVID who were not hospitalized, they were 46% more likely to be diagnosed with respiratory infections. 41% more likely to be hospitalized for serious infections over the next 12 months. These outcomes were generally higher for those who were hospitalized for COVID during the acute phase.
Unger: Andrea, those are pretty significant numbers with a lot of implications. Did the study provide any explanation for those results?
Garcia: Well, yeah, it did provide some clues. And the authors specifically looked at the subsequent infections for people who were hospitalized with COVID, and compared them to those who were admitted for seasonal influenza. And they found that patients with COVID were more likely to be hospitalized again for infections and sepsis, and were more likely to be prescribed antimicrobials while in the hospital.
These findings do point to the impact that COVID has on the immune system, and we've certainly seen other studies that have come to similar conclusions in general. We've been seeing more people talking recently about COVID's impact on the immune system. This latest study both adds to that growing body of evidence and also, I think, points to some new areas where more research is needed.
Unger: Well, thank you for breaking down those findings for us. Andrea, shifting gears, we're now officially in the spring season, and that means many people are once again having to deal with, like me, seasonal allergies. Do you have any advice for what can help make people's allergies a bit more bearable this year?
Garcia: Well, Todd, there are a few things people can do both to treat their symptoms and prevent them from happening in the first place, I think let's start by talking about the prevention strategies. So we know that seasonal allergies are the body's response to pollen from trees and grass. Your immune system releases chemicals. Both are the cause for those really uncomfortable symptoms that so many of us are familiar with.
So one of the best ways to reduce your allergy symptoms is, of course, to reduce your exposure to pollen. For example, when pollen counts are high, you might want to close your windows, avoid doing yard work, or wear a mask when working outside. You might also consider changing your clothes when you come back inside and using an air purifier. You can track those pollen levels through most weather apps and websites and get a forecast that will help you plan ahead.
Unger: So I'm going to tell that to my wife because she always wonders why we go right from heating to air conditioning in our home because I can't open the windows. Andrea, if you're already experiencing allergy symptoms, what should you do?
Garcia: Well, there are a variety of over-the-counter products that can certainly help. Many people are familiar with antihistamines, which can reduce sneezing and itchiness. If you only experience symptoms sporadically, like on those high pollen days, try taking a long acting antihistamine at the start of the day before you're exposed to pollen. And if you're having symptoms multiple times a week, a nasal steroid might be a better option.
Nasal steroids not only reduce sneezing and itchiness, but they can also help with congestion. While they take a few days to start working, they may be more effective overall than antihistamines. So if you are using a nasal steroid consistently and getting good results, you may not need an antihistamine except on those days when you need some extra relief. As always, it's a good idea to talk to your doctor about seasonal allergies, especially if those over-the-counter medications aren't doing enough to reduce your symptoms.
Unger: All right, well, thank you for that. And before we close, I wanted to bring up one last topic, and that is about a new study on smartphones and kids and it's surprising findings about mental health. Interesting because we did have author Jonathan Haidt here talking about his book The Anxious Generation several months ago, some pretty disturbing information that he talks about in that book. Andrea, are we seeing kind of similar theme here?
Garcia: Yeah well, last week, we did see this initial results from the Life in Media survey, and that is a long-term research project that is tracking those digital habits and the well-being of children ages 11 to 13. This study surveyed kids in Florida from November to December last year, and it asked them about a whole range of topics, including smartphone ownership, social media, anxiety. And among the interesting findings were that kids with smartphones reported higher self-esteem, they were less likely to feel depressed, and they were more likely to spend time with friends in person.
Unger: OK, so now I'm really confused because these results seem to go against the conventional wisdom which says that screen time can be harmful for kids and their mental health. What do we make of this?
Garcia: You're right. And even one of the authors of the study, Dr. Justin Martin, had a similar reaction. I think it's important to remember that this is just an initial study. Future work from this research project should give us more insight into these results. In the meantime, though, this study does add to our perspective on how we think about the impact of smartphones and social media on kids. We know that there can be both pros and cons.
And I'll note that even though the study showed some benefits with smartphones, it also found that kids do welcome a break from them. So kids still need a balance.
Unger: Even adults do as well. And this is definitely a topic that many people are interested in, and we'll be sure to keep an eye on the latest research. As always, Andrea, thank you so much for being here today and keeping us up-to-date.
If you found this discussion valuable, you can support more programming like it. Physicians can join the AMA at ama-assn.org/joinnow. And patients can get involved by joining the AMA's Patients Action Network at patientsactionnetwork.com. As always, you can find all our videos and podcasts at ama-assn.org/podcasts. Thanks for joining us today. Please take care.
Disclaimer: The viewpoints expressed in this video are those of the participants and/or do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the AMA.
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