• Georgia: CDC has declared the end of the cyclosporiasis outbreak, which sickened thousands of people across the country. Cyclosporiasis is a disease caused by the parasite cyclospora and is most common during the spring and summer months. Symptoms of the disease include cramps, nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting, fatigue, diarrhea, body aches, low-grade fever, and other flu-like symptoms. According to CDC, the outbreak sickened nearly 13,000 people across 21 states, leading to 570 hospitalizations and two deaths. The outbreak was linked to contaminated shredded lettuce from central Mexico that was sold by Taylor Farms. Currently, it is not known how the lettuce was contaminated, and an investigation by FDA is still ongoing. Last week, CDC said the cyclosporiasis outbreak was over, citing a significant decline in new infections and the removal of contaminated lettuce from stores and restaurants. "At this time, there is no risk of people getting sick with cyclosporiasis from this source," CDC said. "The best-by dates for all product linked to this outbreak have passed and it is no longer available in stores or restaurants." (Roubein, Washington Post, 9/11; Kekatos/Benadjaoud, ABC News, 9/11)
• Illinois: The American Medical Association (AMA) has named Jennifer Goldsack as SVP and the inaugural leader of the AMA Center for Digital Health and AI. Goldsack is the founder of the Digital Medicine Society, a global nonprofit focused on advancing digital medicine to optimize health. She also serves on the board of Sage Bionetworks; is a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's Roundtable on Genomics and Precision Health; and is part of the executive committee for HHS' National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics. "We are at a defining moment for medicine. Digital health and augmented intelligence are rapidly and fundamentally changing how and where care is delivered. For these tools to reach their full potential and be effective for patients, physicians must lead the way in developing and implementing them," said AMA CEO John Whyte. "Jennifer is the right leader for this moment because she knows how to bring physicians and innovators together and translate that collaboration into real-world impact on patient care." (American Medical Association press release, 9/1)
• New York: According to a new study from NYU Langone Health, GLP-1 use in children ages eight to 11 has increased by almost 31,000% over the last seven years. Although no GLP-1 medication has been approved by FDA for use in children under 12, physicians have prescribed the drug off-label. For the study, researchers analyzed health records for over 3.5 million children with obesity but not diabetes. Among children ages eight to 11, the percentage who were prescribed a GLP-1 increased from 0.03% in 2019 to 9.3% in 2026. However, Babak Orandi, the study's lead investigator and an associate professor in the departments of surgery and medicine at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, said that, even though the increase in GLP-1 prescriptions among children was significant, only a small percentage (0.6%) of the 3.5 million children in the study received a GLP-1. "In context, this is a very small number," Orandi said. "Against that denominator, 20,282 GLP-1 children receiving prescriptions represents a tiny fraction of children eligible for treatment. While the number receiving treatment is very small, uptake is accelerating quickly." Orandi added that he is more concerned about the "underlying factors" behind obesity, which now affects around 20% of American children. (Sokol, The Hill, 9/8)

Recent months have seen increasing reports of food recalls and outbreaks, including listeria linked to deli meat and E. coli in onions sold in fast food restaurants. Writing for the New York Times, Emily Schmall explains why foodborne illnesses seem to be on the rise, as well as growing challenges to food safety.